White House Says Obama Comfortable With Sonia Sotomayor's Abortion Views
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a lengthy press conference late Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs fielded more than 40 questions about where Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stands on the issue of abortion. Gibbs reiterated that President Barack Obama did not ask Sotomayor directly about her abortion views but talked enough about legal theory with her that he feels comfortable with her abortion stance. "In their discussions they talked about the theory of constitutional interpretation, generally including her views on unenumerated rights and the Constitution and the theory of settled law," he said. "He left very comfortable with her interpretation of the Constitution being similar to that of his, though the bulk of the conversation was about her approach to judging."Gibbs largely ducked questions about Sotomayor's abortion views or her position on a so-called "right to privacy" that has been used to validate abortion. He retreated to his boilerplate language saying that Obama and Sotomayor have essentially the same outlook on the Constitution. "He felt comfortable that they shared a philosophy on that interpretation ... [of] the living document of the Constitution of the United States of America," he added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a lengthy press conference late Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs fielded more than 40 questions about where Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stands on the issue of abortion. Gibbs reiterated that President Barack Obama did not ask Sotomayor directly about her abortion views but talked enough about legal theory with her that he feels comfortable with her abortion stance. "In their discussions they talked about the theory of constitutional interpretation, generally including her views on unenumerated rights and the Constitution and the theory of settled law," he said. "He left very comfortable with her interpretation of the Constitution being similar to that of his, though the bulk of the conversation was about her approach to judging."Gibbs largely ducked questions about Sotomayor's abortion views or her position on a so-called "right to privacy" that has been used to validate abortion. He retreated to his boilerplate language saying that Obama and Sotomayor have essentially the same outlook on the Constitution. "He felt comfortable that they shared a philosophy on that interpretation ... [of] the living document of the Constitution of the United States of America," he added. Full story at LifeNews.comAbortion Advocates Point to Supreme Court Brief Showing Sotomayor Backs Roe
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With both sides of the abortion debate desperate to get their hands on anything that would give an indication of where Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stands on abortion, abortion advocates are pointing to a Supreme Court brief written 20 years ago as evidence she's alright for them. In the late 1980s, Sotomayor, then an attorney and not yet a federal judge, sat on the board of directors of a group now called Latino Justice. While sitting on the board, the group, called the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund at the time, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging support for abortion. The brief came in the Webster v. Reproductive Health Services case where the high court did not overturn Roe but did allow a Missouri state law limiting abortions to pass constitutional muster. The PRLDEF sided with other abortion advocates and essentially argued that Hispanic women would be discriminated against if the Supreme Court overturned Roe and abortion were prohibited. The brief claimed women would resort to illegal abortions should that happen. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With both sides of the abortion debate desperate to get their hands on anything that would give an indication of where Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stands on abortion, abortion advocates are pointing to a Supreme Court brief written 20 years ago as evidence she's alright for them. In the late 1980s, Sotomayor, then an attorney and not yet a federal judge, sat on the board of directors of a group now called Latino Justice. While sitting on the board, the group, called the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund at the time, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging support for abortion. The brief came in the Webster v. Reproductive Health Services case where the high court did not overturn Roe but did allow a Missouri state law limiting abortions to pass constitutional muster. The PRLDEF sided with other abortion advocates and essentially argued that Hispanic women would be discriminated against if the Supreme Court overturned Roe and abortion were prohibited. The brief claimed women would resort to illegal abortions should that happen. Full story at LifeNews.comPro-Abortion Senator, Ex-Law Partner: Sonia Sotomayor Will Support Roe v. Wade
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As advocates on both sides of the abortion debate wonder where Sonia Sotomayor may come down on the controversial Roe v. Wade case, a former law partner and the top pro-abortion member of the Senate have no doubt that she will side in favor of upholding the decision allowing more than 50 million abortions. Sotomayor, whom pro-abortion President Barack Obama named to the Supreme Court to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice David Souter, has little in the way of an abortion record. However, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has long been one of the top abortion advocates in the Senate, says she has little doubt Sotomayor will back abortion. "I feel as comfortable as I could possibly feel," Boxer told the Washington Post. Someone who can make a more certain prediction is George Pavia, senior partner in the law firm that hired Sotomayor as a lawyer before her days on the bench. He told the Post there is no doubt Sotomayor is pro-abortion. "I can guarantee she'll be for abortion rights," Pavia said.Full story at LifeNews.comObama' Pro-Life Apologists: Covering up His Pro-Abortion, Pro-ESCR Record
by Robert P. George
Three months into President Obama’s first term, one of his most prominent pro-life opponents, Robert P. George, engaged in a debate with one of his most prominent "pro-life" supporters, Douglas W. Kmiec. The article below is adopted from George's remarks, which called for candid speech onObama's abortion record. One does not treat an interlocutor with respect if one refuses to speak plainly. Candor, far from being the enemy of civility, is one of its preconditions. And so I will speak candidly of the points where I, as someone dedicated to the principle that every member of the human family possesses profound, inherent, and equal dignity, find myself at odds—deeply at odds—with President Obama and his administration. In my judgment, citizens who honor and seek to protect the lives of vulnerable unborn children must oppose the Obama administration’s agenda on the taking of unborn human life. Our goal must be to frustrate at every turn the administration’s efforts, which will be ongoing and determined, to expand the abortion license and the authorization and funding of human embryo-destructive research. Because the President came into office with large majorities in both houses of Congress, ours is a daunting task. But the difficulty of the challenge in no way diminishes our moral obligation to meet it. And I here call upon pro-life Americans, including those who, like Professor Kmiec, supported President Obama and helped to bring him to power, to find common ground with us in this great struggle for human equality, human rights, and human dignity. Full story at LifeNews.com
by Robert P. George
Three months into President Obama’s first term, one of his most prominent pro-life opponents, Robert P. George, engaged in a debate with one of his most prominent "pro-life" supporters, Douglas W. Kmiec. The article below is adopted from George's remarks, which called for candid speech onObama's abortion record. One does not treat an interlocutor with respect if one refuses to speak plainly. Candor, far from being the enemy of civility, is one of its preconditions. And so I will speak candidly of the points where I, as someone dedicated to the principle that every member of the human family possesses profound, inherent, and equal dignity, find myself at odds—deeply at odds—with President Obama and his administration. In my judgment, citizens who honor and seek to protect the lives of vulnerable unborn children must oppose the Obama administration’s agenda on the taking of unborn human life. Our goal must be to frustrate at every turn the administration’s efforts, which will be ongoing and determined, to expand the abortion license and the authorization and funding of human embryo-destructive research. Because the President came into office with large majorities in both houses of Congress, ours is a daunting task. But the difficulty of the challenge in no way diminishes our moral obligation to meet it. And I here call upon pro-life Americans, including those who, like Professor Kmiec, supported President Obama and helped to bring him to power, to find common ground with us in this great struggle for human equality, human rights, and human dignity. Full story at LifeNews.comWhite House Faith Office Holds Meeting on Adoption, Pro-Life Group Invited
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- White House officials with the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships hosted a meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways to promote adoption. Although the meeting involved one prominent pro-life organization, it doesn't dispel thepro-abortion record President Barack Obama has compiled. Kelly Rosati, a mother of four adopted children and the head of the Sanctity of Human Life department for Focus on the Family, was invited to attend the meeting. She says, in comments to the organization's newsletter CitizenLink, that the meeting was designed to "talk about how to better serve the needs of kids in foster care." “The Obama administration is really listening and wanted to know from those on the front lines what could be better done to serve the kids in America’s foster care system," she explained. Rosati went as far as saying that White House officials expressed their appreciation for the programs Focus on the Family has supported to increase the number of adoptions. Full story at LifeNews.comDoug Kmiec Pushes False Claim Abortions Increased Under President Bush
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- During a debate on Thursday between pro-life Princeton University professor Robert George and pro-Obama apologist Douglas Kmiec, Kmiec continued the false notion that abortions increased during the tenure of pro-life President George W. Bush. During the debate, held at the National Press Club, Kmiec went further than those who suggested abortions rose under Bush. He also claimed that abortions rose under the first President Bush. However, as University of Alabama professor Michael New explains in a new op-ed on National Review Online, Kmiec's contention is inaccurate. "Data from both the Center for Disease Control and the Alan Guttmacher Institute indicate that abortions fell during the first Bush presidency," he explained. "And the most recent data from both sources indicates that abortions were falling during the administration of George W. Bush." "Indeed, between 2000 and 2005, data from Guttmacher indicates that the number of abortions fell by 8.1 percent and data from the CDC indicates that abortions fell by 2.9 percent," New writes. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A myth is cropping up in some mainstream media news reports that President Barack Obama supports a Congressional bill known as the Pregnant Women Support Act. The legislation, spearheaded by Democrats for Life of America, is a bill that combines abortion limits and help for pregnant women. However, Obama, though he is getting disingenuous credit for calling for common ground on abortions, has never officially endorsed the legislation. Jack Smith, a writer at the Catholic Key Blog, has noticed the problem and points to a recent article by John Allen at NCR that misreported that Obama supports the bill. Commenting on a controversial article in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, that has caused controversy for its playing down Obama's pro-abortion record, Allen wrote that the author "also argued that Obama's support for the Pregnant Women Support Act" represents a 'rebalancing' of his abortion policies 'in support of maternity.'" Smith notes, "L'Osservatore did not say the president supported the Pregnant Women Support Act and I pointed that out to Allen. He went back to the Italian paper and confirmed I was correct. No correction was ever made to the article however." Full story at LifeNews.comNational Right to Life Convention Focuses on Obama's Pro-Abortion Agenda
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- Every year the National Right to Life convention presents an opportunity for pro-life advocates to immerse themselves in the latest information on abortion and bioethics topics. This year, Right to Life will focus on stopping the pro-abortion agenda of President Barack Obama. The 37th annual National Right to Life Convention, held this year in Charlotte, North Carolina at the modern Blake Hotel, features more than 70 workshops with experts on topics ranging from Planned Parenthood, abortion and politics to euthanasia and assisted suicide. NRLC convention director Jacki Ragan tells LifeNews.com that the convention is a one-a-year "chance to meet and talk with like minded people from across the nation." At the same time, pro-life advocates will get the tools they need to make a different in the political arena, where legislation and elections results in decisions affecting countless unborn children. "The bottom line is this, if you are interested in actively working to stop the abortion agenda, then you need to be at the convention,' Ragan says. Full story at LifeNews.com
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- Every year the National Right to Life convention presents an opportunity for pro-life advocates to immerse themselves in the latest information on abortion and bioethics topics. This year, Right to Life will focus on stopping the pro-abortion agenda of President Barack Obama. The 37th annual National Right to Life Convention, held this year in Charlotte, North Carolina at the modern Blake Hotel, features more than 70 workshops with experts on topics ranging from Planned Parenthood, abortion and politics to euthanasia and assisted suicide. NRLC convention director Jacki Ragan tells LifeNews.com that the convention is a one-a-year "chance to meet and talk with like minded people from across the nation." At the same time, pro-life advocates will get the tools they need to make a different in the political arena, where legislation and elections results in decisions affecting countless unborn children. "The bottom line is this, if you are interested in actively working to stop the abortion agenda, then you need to be at the convention,' Ragan says. Full story at LifeNews.com
British Pro-Life Group Opposes Amendment to Bill Legalizing Assisted Suicide
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A British pro-life group is worried that an amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill in the House of Lords would have the effect of legalizing assisted suicide. Britain has been the next place for euthanasia advocates to promote their agenda by legalizing assisted suicide and targeting the elderly and disabled. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, which also opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide, told LifeNews.com Friday that pro-life advocates need to speak out about the amendment. "Despite the government saying that they did not want such an amendment attached to the Bill, it has been tabled by Lord Alderdice," SPUC explains. "Although the amendment has little chance of success, it is very important that it is strongly opposed at the committee stage debate, which is scheduled for 9th and 10th June," the group adds. ACTION: MPs can be contacted by email via http://www.spuc.org.uk/Nebraska Legislature Approves Abortion-Ultrasound Bill, Model for Other States
Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) -- The Nebraska legislature on Friday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would allow women considering an abortion to first see an ultrasound of her unborn child. The idea behind the bill is to help women learn of the humanity of their unborn child in a way abortion centers don't normally reveal. With a strongly bipartisan 40-5 vote, the unicameral legislature signed off on the bill and Governor Dave Heineman has pledged to sign the measure into law. Mary Spaulding Balch, an attorney at the National Right to Life Committee who handles state legislation, told LifeNews.com that the bill will help women and reduce abortions and that it is a model for other states. "Ultrasound technology has made tremendous advancements and provides a window to the womb that allows mothers to see their unborn children in real time," she said. Full story at LifeNews.comWisconsin Budget Has Planned Parenthood Funding, None for Pregnant Women
Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and the majority Democrats in the state legislature are coming under fire for a budget that doesn't reflect pro-life values. It features funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business and a revocation of funding for poor pregnant women who may be considering an abortion. Doyle presented the budget to the legislature in February and, this week, the Joint Finance Committee approved it and sent it to the full legislature to consider. The budget proposes $5.4 million for Wisconsin Planned Parenthood. Although the money is technically slated to be used for family planning, it frees up funds that Planned Parenthood can use to promote and perform abortions. As LifeNews.com has reported, the Doyle budget also removes health care coverage for poor pregnant women and their unborn children. Wisconsin had been one of a dozen or more states that had taken advantage of the Unborn Child Rule. Full story at LifeNews.com
