President Obama Promises Abortion Compromise, Ignores Notre Dame Scandal
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- During the press conference Wednesday night marking the first 100 days of President Barack Obama's administration, Obama promised compromise on abortion. He also ignored a question on the scandal at Notre Dame, where he will give commencement at the Catholic college. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry asked President Obama about the so-called Freedom of Choice Act and abortion. Obama retreated to the promotion of some sort of compromise on abortion and reducing abortion, even though he has compiled a thoroughly pro-abortion record during his tenure thus far. Obama essentially avoided whether he would sign the bill. "Now, the Freedom of Choice Act is not highest legislative priority. I believe that women should have the right to choose. But I think that the most important thing we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on. And that's that's where I'm going to focus," he said. Henry started out his question with a request for comment on the scandal at the University of Notre Dame, where hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates have spoken out against the invitation to Obama to give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. "In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame. And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your position on abortion," Henry said. Obama never responded to the question. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- During the press conference Wednesday night marking the first 100 days of President Barack Obama's administration, Obama promised compromise on abortion. He also ignored a question on the scandal at Notre Dame, where he will give commencement at the Catholic college. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry asked President Obama about the so-called Freedom of Choice Act and abortion. Obama retreated to the promotion of some sort of compromise on abortion and reducing abortion, even though he has compiled a thoroughly pro-abortion record during his tenure thus far. Obama essentially avoided whether he would sign the bill. "Now, the Freedom of Choice Act is not highest legislative priority. I believe that women should have the right to choose. But I think that the most important thing we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on. And that's that's where I'm going to focus," he said. Henry started out his question with a request for comment on the scandal at the University of Notre Dame, where hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates have spoken out against the invitation to Obama to give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. "In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame. And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your position on abortion," Henry said. Obama never responded to the question. Full story at LifeNews.com New Pew Poll Shows Support for Legal Abortion Drops to Lowest Level in 15 Years
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll conducted by Pew Research finds the support for legal abortions has dropped to its lowest level in 15 years. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults, finds President Barack Obama's abortion advocacy could be sparking a shift to the pro-life side of the abortion debate. The Pew poll found 46 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%) and 44 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%). That two point margin in favor of abortion is the lowest margin since 1995 as Pew, and other polling firms, have been asking the same polling question of Americans across the country every year. The proportion saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases has declined to 46% from 54% last August. Currently, 44% say abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%), up slightly since last August (41%). Breaking down the polling results by social groups and comparing them with Pew's results in August, men saw a 10 percent pro-life shift and women a 5 percent shift between polls. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll conducted by Pew Research finds the support for legal abortions has dropped to its lowest level in 15 years. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults, finds President Barack Obama's abortion advocacy could be sparking a shift to the pro-life side of the abortion debate. The Pew poll found 46 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%) and 44 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%). That two point margin in favor of abortion is the lowest margin since 1995 as Pew, and other polling firms, have been asking the same polling question of Americans across the country every year. The proportion saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases has declined to 46% from 54% last August. Currently, 44% say abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%), up slightly since last August (41%). Breaking down the polling results by social groups and comparing them with Pew's results in August, men saw a 10 percent pro-life shift and women a 5 percent shift between polls. Full story at LifeNews.com Obama Pro-Abortion Judicial Pick David Hamilton Eases Through Senate Hearing
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama's first judicial nominee, pro-abortion federal district court Judge David Hamilton, sailed through a Senate hearing on Wednesday. The selection for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, who upset pro-life advocates with one of his prior decisions, faced no direct questions on abortion. The only Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee present for the hearing was pro-life Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. The senator asked Hamilton about a growing concern within pro-life circles that judges are increasingly relying on the use of international law on which to base legal decisions. That is a concern because pro-abortion courts in other nations could be cited as a basis for keeping unlimited legal abortions in the United States. After the questions, Coburn said Republican lawmakers would ask Hamilton "a large number of questions for the record" and doing so on paper. "We will be expeditious but also thorough," Coburn said. The panel held a second hearing after Republicans boycotted the first one, saying it was set up too quickly after the nomination and that they were given too little time to research Hamilton's background. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama's first judicial nominee, pro-abortion federal district court Judge David Hamilton, sailed through a Senate hearing on Wednesday. The selection for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, who upset pro-life advocates with one of his prior decisions, faced no direct questions on abortion. The only Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee present for the hearing was pro-life Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. The senator asked Hamilton about a growing concern within pro-life circles that judges are increasingly relying on the use of international law on which to base legal decisions. That is a concern because pro-abortion courts in other nations could be cited as a basis for keeping unlimited legal abortions in the United States. After the questions, Coburn said Republican lawmakers would ask Hamilton "a large number of questions for the record" and doing so on paper. "We will be expeditious but also thorough," Coburn said. The panel held a second hearing after Republicans boycotted the first one, saying it was set up too quickly after the nomination and that they were given too little time to research Hamilton's background. Full story at LifeNews.com Hillary Clinton Position on Family Planning and Abortion Violates Cairo Agreement
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- Last week at a United States (US) House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that there was a new administration in place with different values, beliefs and global agenda. Nothing illustrated this rupture with previous U.S. policy more than her admission that the Obama administration interprets the term 'reproductive health' to include abortion. In response to a question from Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ) on whether her definition of the phrases "reproductive health," "reproductive services," and "reproductive rights" includes abortion, Secretary Clinton stated that, "We [the current US administration] happen to think that family planning is an important part of women's health and reproductive health includes access to abortion that I believe should be safe, legal and rare.” Clinton's linkage of family planning with abortion is not just a severe break with the previous administration; it is a clear violation of the Cairo Program for Action, which her husband's government helped to negotiate in 1994. The Cairo document explicitly states in two places that abortion should in no case "be promoted as a method of family planning." Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- Last week at a United States (US) House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that there was a new administration in place with different values, beliefs and global agenda. Nothing illustrated this rupture with previous U.S. policy more than her admission that the Obama administration interprets the term 'reproductive health' to include abortion. In response to a question from Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ) on whether her definition of the phrases "reproductive health," "reproductive services," and "reproductive rights" includes abortion, Secretary Clinton stated that, "We [the current US administration] happen to think that family planning is an important part of women's health and reproductive health includes access to abortion that I believe should be safe, legal and rare.” Clinton's linkage of family planning with abortion is not just a severe break with the previous administration; it is a clear violation of the Cairo Program for Action, which her husband's government helped to negotiate in 1994. The Cairo document explicitly states in two places that abortion should in no case "be promoted as a method of family planning." Full story at LifeNews.com Backer of International Abortion Right, Harold Koh, Faces Senate Hearing
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- It was clear from the opening moments of the Senate hearings for the proposed new top legal advisor at the United States (US) State Department that widespread criticism of the nominee had struck a nerve. Rather than a love feast for a liberal hero, the committee seemed to be, in the words of one observer, in a "defensive crouch." Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry immediately denied charges that former Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh wants to subordinate the U.S. Constitution to foreign legal sources. To chuckles all around, Kerry said to Koh, "And you don't want to do away with Mother's Day, do you?" This referred to criticism from social conservatives that Koh supports U.S. ratification of a United Nations (UN) treaty whose monitoring committee criticized Mother's Day as promoting a negative cultural stereotype. With the exception of a few Republicans, each member of the Committee felt it necessary to rebut criticism of Koh that has been building in the conservative media and blogosphere. In his voluminous writings, Koh has vigorously supported a legal theory known as "transnationalism." Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- It was clear from the opening moments of the Senate hearings for the proposed new top legal advisor at the United States (US) State Department that widespread criticism of the nominee had struck a nerve. Rather than a love feast for a liberal hero, the committee seemed to be, in the words of one observer, in a "defensive crouch." Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry immediately denied charges that former Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh wants to subordinate the U.S. Constitution to foreign legal sources. To chuckles all around, Kerry said to Koh, "And you don't want to do away with Mother's Day, do you?" This referred to criticism from social conservatives that Koh supports U.S. ratification of a United Nations (UN) treaty whose monitoring committee criticized Mother's Day as promoting a negative cultural stereotype. With the exception of a few Republicans, each member of the Committee felt it necessary to rebut criticism of Koh that has been building in the conservative media and blogosphere. In his voluminous writings, Koh has vigorously supported a legal theory known as "transnationalism." Full story at LifeNews.com Mainstream Media Give Biased Reporting on Human Cloning, Stem Cell Research
by Wesley J. Smith
I can't remember an issue in which there was so much intellectual dishonesty or malpractice in media reporting than the embryonic stem cell/cloning debates--and that's saying a lot! For example, when the Stowers Crowd began using the junk biological term "early stem cells," the Kansas City Star jumped right on that bandwagon. When Big Biotech began using the term "therapeutic cloning" to distinguish using embryos created through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) from the same technology undertaken to bring a cloned baby to birth--called "reproductive cloning"--the media jumped right on board, creating the false impression that these were different types of cloning. Because these terms misled rather than edified, the President's Council on Bioethics urged scientists and media to use more accurate terminology--"cloning to produce children" and "cloning for biomedical research," so that a rational ethical debate based on critical thinking could be engaged. But that was precisely what Big Biotech and the media did not want, so those terms were never used--as far as I know--in media reports about the cloning debate. Full story at LifeNews.com
by Wesley J. Smith
I can't remember an issue in which there was so much intellectual dishonesty or malpractice in media reporting than the embryonic stem cell/cloning debates--and that's saying a lot! For example, when the Stowers Crowd began using the junk biological term "early stem cells," the Kansas City Star jumped right on that bandwagon. When Big Biotech began using the term "therapeutic cloning" to distinguish using embryos created through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) from the same technology undertaken to bring a cloned baby to birth--called "reproductive cloning"--the media jumped right on board, creating the false impression that these were different types of cloning. Because these terms misled rather than edified, the President's Council on Bioethics urged scientists and media to use more accurate terminology--"cloning to produce children" and "cloning for biomedical research," so that a rational ethical debate based on critical thinking could be engaged. But that was precisely what Big Biotech and the media did not want, so those terms were never used--as far as I know--in media reports about the cloning debate. Full story at LifeNews.com Texas Senate Approves Choose Life License Plate, State House Sitting on Bill
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- The Texas state Senate has given preliminary approval to SB 1098, a bill that would allow motorists to purchase a Choose Life license plate that would help support pregnancy centers. However, the Texas House appears to be sitting on the bill and refusing to allow a hearing. The Senate voted 22-9 on second reading for the Choose Life plate bill and a final vote to approve the measure is expected on Friday. The Choose Life license plate bill has also been endorsed by Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, as well as more than 40 grassroots organizations. Nearly 15,000 Texas citizens have signed a "Petition for Choose Life license plates," pledging to purchase the plate when it is made available. In the Texas House, 82 representatives have signed on to the companion bill, HB 109, including 36 chairs and vice chairs and 13 Democrats. The House Transportation Subcommittee on License Plates held a hearing earlier this month on the House version of the measure, HB 109, but did not take a vote following the discussion. Transportation Committee Chairman Joe Pickett (D-El Paso) has refused to allow a committee vote on the bill, officials with Texas Alliance for Life told LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.comVermont Pro-Life Advocates Rally Against New Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide
Montpelier, VT (LifeNews.com) -- Vermont pro-life advocates are gearing up once again for a battle against legislation that would add the state to the list of those that have legalized assisted suicide. Led by Vermont Right to Life, state residents will participate in a rally in the state capital tomorrow. The pro-life organization tells LifeNews.com the Healthcare is a Human Right rally is an event to remind state lawmakers that abortion and physician-assisted suicide are not health care and should not be included in any state health care proposal. Just prior to the scheduled rally, lawmakers introduced legislation to legalize assisted suicide in both the state House and Senate. The measures, S. 144 and H. 455, are causing pro-life groups, medical organizations and disability rights groups to be concerned about the specter of a government-run system that relies on rationing of health care along with legalized assisted suicide. "It is no accident that the push to legalize physician-assisted suicide is rearing its ugly head at the same time that pressure is being put on lawmakers to change the health care system and reduce health care costs," Vermont Right to Life director Mary Hahn Beerworth told LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.com
Scotland Parliament Will Soon Debate MacDonald's Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide
Edinburgh, Scotland (LifeNews.com) -- The parliament in Scotland will soon debate a bill that would legalize assisted suicide as its sponsor, MSP Margo MacDonald, has secured enough support from colleagues to introduce the measure. MacDonald was guaranteed a debate on her measure as 21 MSPs indicated their support. Despite the upcoming vote, Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health minister, is opposed to the assisted suicide bill and worries that it will be abused to target the elderly and disabled. The British Medical Association has joined pro-life groups and disability rights advocates in opposing the bill. "The BMA would be very disappointed if we ended up with having legalized physician-assisted suicide in Scotland," Dr. George Fernie of the BMA said. "People when they have a debilitating illness that may end their life are extremely vulnerable, they're at a fragile stage. And our worry is they're going to contemplate ending their life when that really isn't their wish." This month, the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics panned the bill, calling it "dangerous and unnecessary." Full story at LifeNews.comTexas State House Could Vote Soon on Bill to Lower Penalties for Infanticide
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- When the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions, pro-life advocates said it would lead to a slippery slope. In Texas, legislators could slide down that slope when they vote on a bill that would lower the penalty for some mothers who engage in infanticide. HB 3318 would reduce the crime of infanticide from capital murder to a state jail felony and the measure could receive a vote soon in the Texas House of Representatives. The bill is now eligible to be scheduled on the House calendar since the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee recently approved it. Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, who testified against the bill during the committee hearing, told LifeNews.com that Texans need to contact their lawmakers to oppose HB 3318. "We already have incomplete protection for unborn children, and the assault, under this bill, will now extend to babies once they're born by giving them less protection," he said. Current law states that if a child under the age of six is murdered, the crime is considered capital murder. HB 3318 would reduce the crime of murder against a child the age of birth-12 months to only a state jail felony with a minimum punishment of 180 days to a maximum of 2 years. Full story at LifeNews.comPro-Life Law Firm Offers to Help Orange County Against Planned Parenthood Grant
Santa Ana, CA (LifeNews.com) -- The Orange County Board of Supervisors in southern California restored the $300,000 grant it initially revoked from the Planned Parenthood abortion business in March. Supervisors said they were worried about a lawsuit from the abortion business but a pro-life law firm has offered to help. The board initially voted to suspend the grant for family planning services because Planned Parenthood does abortions. After hearing from county attorneys, supervisors restored the grant on Tuesday saying they were concerned in part about a potential lawsuit from the pro-abortion group. Now, Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have offered to defend the Orange County Board of Supervisors pro bono in the event it faces any threats of legal action by Planned Parenthood. They are also offering to defend the Board of Supervisors' new policy that, among other provisions, makes it so the family planning services can't be provided in the same location as abortions. That would require Planned Parenthood to establish a new facility that solely provided the contraception the grant funds. Full story at LifeNews.com
