Obama Admin Releases Proposed Guidelines Opening Door to Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Weeks ago, President Barack Obama overturned the protections President Bush put in place to protect taxpayers from having to fund embryonic stem cell research that destroys human life. Now, the National Institutes of Health has released the proposed guidelines that implement Obama's decision, which pro-life groups strenuously opposed. As expected, the guidelines go much further than the Bush administration's which only allowed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research conducted before his policy was put in place. "These draft Guidelines would allow funding for research using human embryonic stem cells that were derived from embryos created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) for reproductive purposes and were no longer needed for that purpose," they say. They describe the conditions and informed consent procedures that would have been required during the derivation of human embryonic stem cells for research using these cells to be funded by the NIH. The Obama administration, through the NIH guidelines, is not allowing creation of human embryos for the specific purpose of destroying them for research, which is prohibited under a current federal law known as the Dickey amendment. "NIH funding for research using human embryonic stem cells derived from other sources, including somatic cell nuclear transfer, parthenogenesis, and/or IVF embryos created for research purposes, is not allowed under these Guidelines," the document reads. However, Obama is thought to be very likely to sign a bill sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette that would overturn that law. Full News Story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Weeks ago, President Barack Obama overturned the protections President Bush put in place to protect taxpayers from having to fund embryonic stem cell research that destroys human life. Now, the National Institutes of Health has released the proposed guidelines that implement Obama's decision, which pro-life groups strenuously opposed. As expected, the guidelines go much further than the Bush administration's which only allowed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research conducted before his policy was put in place. "These draft Guidelines would allow funding for research using human embryonic stem cells that were derived from embryos created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) for reproductive purposes and were no longer needed for that purpose," they say. They describe the conditions and informed consent procedures that would have been required during the derivation of human embryonic stem cells for research using these cells to be funded by the NIH. The Obama administration, through the NIH guidelines, is not allowing creation of human embryos for the specific purpose of destroying them for research, which is prohibited under a current federal law known as the Dickey amendment. "NIH funding for research using human embryonic stem cells derived from other sources, including somatic cell nuclear transfer, parthenogenesis, and/or IVF embryos created for research purposes, is not allowed under these Guidelines," the document reads. However, Obama is thought to be very likely to sign a bill sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette that would overturn that law. Full News Story at LifeNews.com Pro-Life Group Calls Obama Embryonic Stem Cell Research Guidelines a Human Cloning Bait and Switch
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- One prominent pro-life group doesn't have much good to say about the new guidelines the NIH put out on Friday to implement his decision to overturn the limits President Bush put in place on embryonic stem cell research funding. The National Right to Life Committee said the Obama administration is pushing step-by-step the creation and harvesting of human embryos for research. On Friday, the administration of President Barack Obama, through the National Institutes of Health, released the proposed guidelines for Obama's decision to open the door to federal funding of research on supposedly leftover human embryos at fertility clinics. But NRLC officials tell LifeNews.com the guidelines throw the door open much further than the mainstream media is reporting. "The Obama Administration today slides further down the slippery slope of exploiting non-consenting members of the human species -- human embryos," Douglas Johnson, Right to Life's legislative director, told LifeNews.com. "Some may characterize the guidelines issued today as narrowly crafted, since NIH will not initially fund research involving human embryos who were created specifically to be used in research. This seeming restraint is part of an incremental strategy intended to desensitize the public to the concept of killing human embryos for research purposes," he explained. Johnson calls the guidelines part of a "bait-and-switch" strategy, under which Democratic leaders in Congress will suddenly bring up new legislation that they will claim codifies today's NIH action. Instead, he says the bill, sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette in the House of Representatives, will go much further by "authori[zing] further expansions involving the deliberate creation of human embryos for use in research, by human cloning and other methods." Full News Story at Obama Official: Report Should Not Have Linked Pro-Life Advocates to Terrorists, Lawsuit Filed
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has backed down from the security document her department issued for the Obama administration linking pro-life advocates to terrorists. The document has caused a national outcry for saying those who oppose abortion are likely to be part of a group of people who engage in "rightwing extremism." Napolitano defended the report Thursday, but said that a section claiming hate-motivated groups and movements " may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion" should not have been included. "If there's one part of that report I would rewrite, in the word-smithing, Washington-ese that goes on after the fact, it would be that footnote," Napolitano said Thursday on Fox News. The report was distributed to police and sheriff's offices nationwide and it has sparked strong opposition from pro-life advocates who take exception to the Obama administration labeling them terrorists. Meanwhile, the Thomas More Law center, a pro-life legal group, informed LifeNews.com on Thursday that it has filed a federal lawsuit against Napolitano. The lawsuit says the Obama administration's document "violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs." The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of pro-life nationally syndicated conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage, pro-life advocate Gregg Cunningham and others. The Law Center claims that Napolitano’s Department (DHS) has violated the First and Fifth Amendment Constitutional rights of these three plaintiffs by attempting to chill their free speech, expressive association, and equal protection rights. Full News Story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has backed down from the security document her department issued for the Obama administration linking pro-life advocates to terrorists. The document has caused a national outcry for saying those who oppose abortion are likely to be part of a group of people who engage in "rightwing extremism." Napolitano defended the report Thursday, but said that a section claiming hate-motivated groups and movements " may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion" should not have been included. "If there's one part of that report I would rewrite, in the word-smithing, Washington-ese that goes on after the fact, it would be that footnote," Napolitano said Thursday on Fox News. The report was distributed to police and sheriff's offices nationwide and it has sparked strong opposition from pro-life advocates who take exception to the Obama administration labeling them terrorists. Meanwhile, the Thomas More Law center, a pro-life legal group, informed LifeNews.com on Thursday that it has filed a federal lawsuit against Napolitano. The lawsuit says the Obama administration's document "violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs." The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of pro-life nationally syndicated conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage, pro-life advocate Gregg Cunningham and others. The Law Center claims that Napolitano’s Department (DHS) has violated the First and Fifth Amendment Constitutional rights of these three plaintiffs by attempting to chill their free speech, expressive association, and equal protection rights. Full News Story at LifeNews.comSenate Committee Will Vote Tuesday on Pro-Abortion Kathleen Sebelius Nomination
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a vote on the nomination of pro-abortion Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius to become the Health Secretary for President Barack Obama. The vote will take place on Tuesday and pro-life advocates are mounting a strong eleventh-hour bid to defeat her. Sebelius is expected to win confirmation from the committee and to have her nomination sent to the full Senate for consideration. During the hearings, members of the panel were criticized for asking very few questions of Sebelius on abortion despite her extensive pro-abortion record vetoing numerous pro-life bills and her close ties to late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. On Sunday, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins will speak at a news conference across the street from Tiller's infamous abortion center, where he does hundreds of late-term and post-viability abortions every year. Perkins will address the latest financial and ethical lapses of Governor Sebelius and her deep financial ties to Tiller. "These revelations include a 2002 letter from George Tiller in which he claims that he personally contributed $200,000 to ProKanDo, a political action committee dedicated to defeating Sebelius' pro-life opponent," he told LifeNews.com. "This letter follows an admission of tax problems by Governor Sebelius and a failure to report more than $23,000 in direct campaign contributions from Tiller." Full News Story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a vote on the nomination of pro-abortion Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius to become the Health Secretary for President Barack Obama. The vote will take place on Tuesday and pro-life advocates are mounting a strong eleventh-hour bid to defeat her. Sebelius is expected to win confirmation from the committee and to have her nomination sent to the full Senate for consideration. During the hearings, members of the panel were criticized for asking very few questions of Sebelius on abortion despite her extensive pro-abortion record vetoing numerous pro-life bills and her close ties to late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. On Sunday, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins will speak at a news conference across the street from Tiller's infamous abortion center, where he does hundreds of late-term and post-viability abortions every year. Perkins will address the latest financial and ethical lapses of Governor Sebelius and her deep financial ties to Tiller. "These revelations include a 2002 letter from George Tiller in which he claims that he personally contributed $200,000 to ProKanDo, a political action committee dedicated to defeating Sebelius' pro-life opponent," he told LifeNews.com. "This letter follows an admission of tax problems by Governor Sebelius and a failure to report more than $23,000 in direct campaign contributions from Tiller." Full News Story at LifeNews.com Lumping Pro-Lifers In With "Rightwing Extremism," Obama Admin's Latest Abortion Move
by Dave Andrusko
If you're a veteran of this the grassiest of grassroots movements, you know that part of the drill for the Pro-Life Movement is to be linked to whomever it is a given commentator is using to try to pigeonhole and marginalize us. You can't just be opposed to the wanton slaughter of defenseless unborn babies. You have to be in cahoots with [fill in the blank]. This recurrence is as predictable as swallows returning to Capistrano. That does not mean there is an ounce of truth to it. It does mean that smear tactics are a perennial hazard that we face. My email box is filled with links to the recently published Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report on "Rightwing Extremism" which, in an evidence-free footnote, included pro-lifers. When you read something this stupid you are tempted either to overreact or ignore it altogether. Let me try a middle-of-the-road approach. Just a few words about the overall report produced by DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis. The full title is "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." I skimmed the report the first time through, then read it closely a second time. And then, just to be sure I wasn't missing something, I read it a third time. I needn't have put in that much time. One page into the nine-page report and a fourth-grader could have figured out that the authors had come with a pre-determined conclusion. Its reasoning is painfully, embarrassingly shoddy and supportive evidence of actual threats non-existent. It's entirely speculative--about what might happen if "x" or "y" comes to pass. A conversation over the water cooler carries as much weight and would be much more balanced. Full News Story at LifeNews.com
by Dave Andrusko
If you're a veteran of this the grassiest of grassroots movements, you know that part of the drill for the Pro-Life Movement is to be linked to whomever it is a given commentator is using to try to pigeonhole and marginalize us. You can't just be opposed to the wanton slaughter of defenseless unborn babies. You have to be in cahoots with [fill in the blank]. This recurrence is as predictable as swallows returning to Capistrano. That does not mean there is an ounce of truth to it. It does mean that smear tactics are a perennial hazard that we face. My email box is filled with links to the recently published Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report on "Rightwing Extremism" which, in an evidence-free footnote, included pro-lifers. When you read something this stupid you are tempted either to overreact or ignore it altogether. Let me try a middle-of-the-road approach. Just a few words about the overall report produced by DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis. The full title is "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." I skimmed the report the first time through, then read it closely a second time. And then, just to be sure I wasn't missing something, I read it a third time. I needn't have put in that much time. One page into the nine-page report and a fourth-grader could have figured out that the authors had come with a pre-determined conclusion. Its reasoning is painfully, embarrassingly shoddy and supportive evidence of actual threats non-existent. It's entirely speculative--about what might happen if "x" or "y" comes to pass. A conversation over the water cooler carries as much weight and would be much more balanced. Full News Story at LifeNews.com Sarah Palin Presents Pro-Life Views, Advocates for the Disabled During Right to Life Speech
Evansville, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Sarah Palin captured the attention of nearly 3,000 pro-life advocates during a speech at what is billed as the largest Right to Life banquet anywhere in the country. The speech was the first major public event during 2009, the year following her Republican nomination for vice-president and one in which she may establish herself as a 2012 presidential candidate. Palin criticized pro-abortion President Barack Obama for his rapidly growing pro-abortion record and she challenged the idea that abortion is the only solution for women -- even during a time of financial distress. The possible presidential hopeful said that deciding when babies get human rights isn’t above her pay grade -- a reference to candidate Obama's answer to a question during a forum with evangelical Pastor Rick Warren. Palin created a special closeness with the audience when she took time to look inward and focus on her own pro-life choices in life -- when she and her husband decided to give birth to a baby with Down syndrome in an era when 90 percent of babies with the condition die in abortions. "The moment he was born, I knew that moment my prayers had been answered," Palin said. "Trig is a miracle. He is the best thing that ever happened to me and I want other women to have that opportunity." "I know for sure my son is perfect just as he is, made in the image of God," she said. “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on." Full News Story at LifeNews.com
Evansville, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Sarah Palin captured the attention of nearly 3,000 pro-life advocates during a speech at what is billed as the largest Right to Life banquet anywhere in the country. The speech was the first major public event during 2009, the year following her Republican nomination for vice-president and one in which she may establish herself as a 2012 presidential candidate. Palin criticized pro-abortion President Barack Obama for his rapidly growing pro-abortion record and she challenged the idea that abortion is the only solution for women -- even during a time of financial distress. The possible presidential hopeful said that deciding when babies get human rights isn’t above her pay grade -- a reference to candidate Obama's answer to a question during a forum with evangelical Pastor Rick Warren. Palin created a special closeness with the audience when she took time to look inward and focus on her own pro-life choices in life -- when she and her husband decided to give birth to a baby with Down syndrome in an era when 90 percent of babies with the condition die in abortions. "The moment he was born, I knew that moment my prayers had been answered," Palin said. "Trig is a miracle. He is the best thing that ever happened to me and I want other women to have that opportunity." "I know for sure my son is perfect just as he is, made in the image of God," she said. “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on." Full News Story at LifeNews.com Illinois Choose Life License Plate Backers File Supreme Court Petition to Overturn Ruling
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life law firm has filed a request with the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision handed down last year against Choose Life license plates in Illinois. The appellate court issued a decision in November that Illinois officials who don't want to issue Choose Life license plates for state motorists don't have to do so. The appeals court overturned a ruling issued by a federal judge who denied a request by Secretary of State Jesse White to stall on producing the plates. The appellate court said state officials are within their rights to keep the abortion debate off Illinois license plates, even though other states have approved the plates. On Thursday, attorneys from the Thomas More Society filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review and reverse the 7th Circuit Appeals Court's decision prohibiting the issuance and sale of "Choose Life" specialty license plates in Illinois. The pro-life legal group wants the nation's high court to affirm its belief that, when state officials rejected a request from Choose Life Illinois for the specialty plates that they violated the group's First Amendment rights. "We expected that this issue would have to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court," Tom Brejcha, president of the Thomas More Society and chief counsel for the Illinois group, told LifeNews.com. Full News Story at LifeNews.com
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life law firm has filed a request with the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision handed down last year against Choose Life license plates in Illinois. The appellate court issued a decision in November that Illinois officials who don't want to issue Choose Life license plates for state motorists don't have to do so. The appeals court overturned a ruling issued by a federal judge who denied a request by Secretary of State Jesse White to stall on producing the plates. The appellate court said state officials are within their rights to keep the abortion debate off Illinois license plates, even though other states have approved the plates. On Thursday, attorneys from the Thomas More Society filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review and reverse the 7th Circuit Appeals Court's decision prohibiting the issuance and sale of "Choose Life" specialty license plates in Illinois. The pro-life legal group wants the nation's high court to affirm its belief that, when state officials rejected a request from Choose Life Illinois for the specialty plates that they violated the group's First Amendment rights. "We expected that this issue would have to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court," Tom Brejcha, president of the Thomas More Society and chief counsel for the Illinois group, told LifeNews.com. Full News Story at LifeNews.comPro-Abortion Vice President Joe Biden Set to Give Commencement Speeches at Three Universities
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama has been at the top of the news over the controversy concerning his upcoming commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame. Pro-life Catholics are up in arms and the news has resulted in hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates, and Notre Dame students and alumni speaking out against the planned speech and honorary degree. Not to be outdone, pro-abortion Vice President Joe Biden has three graduation speeches of his own he has been invited to give. Biden's schedule has him speaking to the graduating class at Syracuse University on May 10, a Sunday. Later, he will speak to graduates at Wake Forest University on May 18 and he will travel May 27 to Colorado Springs to address the graduating class at the Air Force Academy. In addition to Notre Dame, Obama has agreed to speak at the U.S. Naval Academy and Arizona State University, which decided not to give him an honorary degree because he's yet to accomplish much.
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama has been at the top of the news over the controversy concerning his upcoming commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame. Pro-life Catholics are up in arms and the news has resulted in hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates, and Notre Dame students and alumni speaking out against the planned speech and honorary degree. Not to be outdone, pro-abortion Vice President Joe Biden has three graduation speeches of his own he has been invited to give. Biden's schedule has him speaking to the graduating class at Syracuse University on May 10, a Sunday. Later, he will speak to graduates at Wake Forest University on May 18 and he will travel May 27 to Colorado Springs to address the graduating class at the Air Force Academy. In addition to Notre Dame, Obama has agreed to speak at the U.S. Naval Academy and Arizona State University, which decided not to give him an honorary degree because he's yet to accomplish much.
Scientists Use Adult Stem Cell Research to Repair Damaged Corneas, Helping Blind to See
Pittsburgh, PA (LifeNews.com) -- Findings by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine suggest that the injection of adult stem cells from human corneas can result in restored transparency to damaged eyes. The research led by Dr. James L. Funderburgh, associate professor at the university’s Department of Ophthalmology, is being heralded as a dramatic advance in stem cell research that could apply body-wide. The scientific team used adult stem cells found in the fibrous part of the eye. The cells were then injected into the damaged cornea of mice. The adult stem cells activated to reorganize the fibers and produce a transparent cornea. The study, published in the Apr. 9 journal Stem Cells, states, “The results suggest that cell-based therapy can be an effective approach to treatment of human corneal blindness.
National Pro-Life Group Sponsors Pro-Life Video Contest to Honor Well-Spoken Teenager
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Susan B. Anthony List is honoring Lia Mills, an every day seventh grader who decided to give a speech on abortion for a competition. Despite initial resistance from her teachers and the competition organizers she was allowed to give her speech on abortion. The video of her speech became a sensation and hundreds of thousands of people have seen it. "This speech has quickly been forwarded from inbox to inbox as many have been struck by this young lady’s inspirational defense of the unborn. Her speech was even responsible for convincing some real women to choose life," says SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. Now, the pro-life women's group is sponsoring a contest in her honor. "Last month we honored Lia with our Susan B. Anthony Young Leader Award. Now she is joining us to find the next up-and-coming generation of pro-life leaders," she told LifeNews.com. "Lia’s Challenge is our new pro-life video contest for youth. We’re asking young people across the country to post their own pro-life videos just like Lia’s on YouTube. There will be two winners, and each will receive a $1000 scholarship." Visit the group's web site (www.sba-list.org) for more information.
Massachusetts Woman Arraigned in Case of Killing Her Daughter, Unborn Child
Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- A pregnant Massachusetts woman accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter and stabbing herself in the stomach to kill her unborn child could be arraigned in her hospital bed on Friday, a district attorney said. Fang Chi Xue, 38, was treated for self-inflicted stab wounds to the arms and abdomen at Boston Medical Center and is expected to be arraigned on two counts of murder, Norfolk District Attorney William Keating said. She was 7 1/2 months pregnant. Police were called to the family home in Quincy just south of Boston at about 10:30 Thursday night by a 14-year-old girl who survived the attack with minor injuries. She appeared to be the victim of an attempted strangling, Keating said. The 9-year-old girl suffered stab wounds to her wrists, but authorities are also investigating whether she was poisoned. An autopsy is scheduled.
Brazilian Archbishop Sobrinho Receives Pro-Life Award From Human Life International
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Representatives from Human Life International (HLI) presented Brazilian Archbishop Dom Jose Cardoso Sobrinho with the Cardinal von Galen Award in acknowledgement of his heroic defense of Catholic Church teaching and human life. The ceremony took place at the Damas College Auditorium in Recife, Brazil on April 16. In March, Archbishop Sobrinho declared that the Catholic doctors and counselors who facilitated the abortion of the unborn twins of a nine-year-old girl had incurred in a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication by themselves. "With this award, we are affirming that Archbishop Sobrinho stands solidly with the Church in defense of all innocent human life," Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of HLI, told LifeNews.com. "Archbishop Sobrinho acted with great compassion toward the young girl and her family, and with even greater courage in making what he surely knew would be an unpopular decision. It is a travesty that, even now that the facts of the case have become known, certain officials in the Church have refused to reverse their precipitous judgments and publicly acknowledge the rightness of the excommunications."
