Despite Election of President Obama, Polls Show Pro-Life Advantage on Abortion Still Exists
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- In an address to hundreds of pro-life advocates at the National Right to Life convention, NRLC director David O’Steen said post-election polling showed a pro-life advantage on abortion still exists despite the election of pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Polling data from the Polling Company firm showed that anywhere from a 1.9 percent to 3.4 percent pro-life advantage on the issue of abortion in terms of what percentage of voters who voted based on abortion supported the pro-life candidate over the pro-abortion candidate. O’Steen said that margin continued in 2008 but noted that more people cast votes based on other issues. The survey found 5 percent of Americans in 2008 said abortion was the single most important issue but it found the economy was an overriding concern with 34 percent of Americans saying that was their top issue. Though the figure sounds low, the 5 percent who voted based on abortion was higher than the percentage of those who voted on several other political issues, including health care. Though some analysts may say the pro-life agenda is dead because Obama won, “It was simply the economy and the crash of October” that drove the results of the elections, O’Steen said. When looking at voters who cast votes based on the abortion issue, 4.6 percent of voters supported John McCain over Barack Obama. That means by a margin of 9-1 abortion voters split in favor of McCain, who ran as a pro-life candidate, over the abortion advocate Barack Obama. At the same time, of the 34 percent of voters who voted based on the economy, Obama won them 24-10 percent. “What is encouraging is that our hardest core base helped and, even in these difficult economic times, our pro-life base is there,” O’Steen said. “We’re not going to win every election, but we are going to win future elections. It’s looks dark right now with Barack Obama for the pro-life movement, but I see some buyers remorse and I remain unshaken in my faith that pro-life people will continue to save lives.”
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- In an address to hundreds of pro-life advocates at the National Right to Life convention, NRLC director David O’Steen said post-election polling showed a pro-life advantage on abortion still exists despite the election of pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Polling data from the Polling Company firm showed that anywhere from a 1.9 percent to 3.4 percent pro-life advantage on the issue of abortion in terms of what percentage of voters who voted based on abortion supported the pro-life candidate over the pro-abortion candidate. O’Steen said that margin continued in 2008 but noted that more people cast votes based on other issues. The survey found 5 percent of Americans in 2008 said abortion was the single most important issue but it found the economy was an overriding concern with 34 percent of Americans saying that was their top issue. Though the figure sounds low, the 5 percent who voted based on abortion was higher than the percentage of those who voted on several other political issues, including health care. Though some analysts may say the pro-life agenda is dead because Obama won, “It was simply the economy and the crash of October” that drove the results of the elections, O’Steen said. When looking at voters who cast votes based on the abortion issue, 4.6 percent of voters supported John McCain over Barack Obama. That means by a margin of 9-1 abortion voters split in favor of McCain, who ran as a pro-life candidate, over the abortion advocate Barack Obama. At the same time, of the 34 percent of voters who voted based on the economy, Obama won them 24-10 percent. “What is encouraging is that our hardest core base helped and, even in these difficult economic times, our pro-life base is there,” O’Steen said. “We’re not going to win every election, but we are going to win future elections. It’s looks dark right now with Barack Obama for the pro-life movement, but I see some buyers remorse and I remain unshaken in my faith that pro-life people will continue to save lives.”
Image via WikipediaPro-Life Leader Says Polling Data Shows Americans Still Pro-Life on Abortion
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- Given all of the pro-abortion actions President Barack Obama has taken and his promotion of embryonic stem cell research, did pro-life advocates make a difference in the 2008 elections? What is the future of the pro-life movement politically? David O’Steen, the executive director of the National Right to Life Committee shared date and gave hope to hundreds of pro-life advocates at the annual NRLC convention. O’Steen said that Roe v. Wade will eventually be overturned because it stands contrary to the laws of God and the moral values of most Americans. In the near term, O’Steen highlighted polling data showing a pro-life country. In a survey conducted by the Polling Company for NRLC in the days after the election, 53 percent of Americans took a pro-life position opposing all or most abortions while just 41 percent of Americans back a position favoring legal abortions in part or all of pregnancy. The survey found just 6 percent share the position of President Obama allowing abortion for any reason at any time during pregnancy. O’Steen noted the recent Gallup poll showing more Americans call themselves pro-life than at any point in 15 years, with 51 percent saying they are pro-life and just 42 percent saying they are “pro-choice” on abortion. He believes that the shift to the pro-life direction is a result of Obama’s extreme pro-abortion record, including using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion and embryonic stem cell research, and that that record has gotten more play in the press than some may have expected. He noted that a Gallup poll found 59 percent of Americans opposed his decision to overturn the Mexico City Policy and allow taxpayer funding of groups that promote or perform abortions in other nations. O’Steen also says he believes the “pro-choice rhetoric is breaking down a little bit” because people are seeing how those who say they are pro-choice are routinely promoting abortion.
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- Given all of the pro-abortion actions President Barack Obama has taken and his promotion of embryonic stem cell research, did pro-life advocates make a difference in the 2008 elections? What is the future of the pro-life movement politically? David O’Steen, the executive director of the National Right to Life Committee shared date and gave hope to hundreds of pro-life advocates at the annual NRLC convention. O’Steen said that Roe v. Wade will eventually be overturned because it stands contrary to the laws of God and the moral values of most Americans. In the near term, O’Steen highlighted polling data showing a pro-life country. In a survey conducted by the Polling Company for NRLC in the days after the election, 53 percent of Americans took a pro-life position opposing all or most abortions while just 41 percent of Americans back a position favoring legal abortions in part or all of pregnancy. The survey found just 6 percent share the position of President Obama allowing abortion for any reason at any time during pregnancy. O’Steen noted the recent Gallup poll showing more Americans call themselves pro-life than at any point in 15 years, with 51 percent saying they are pro-life and just 42 percent saying they are “pro-choice” on abortion. He believes that the shift to the pro-life direction is a result of Obama’s extreme pro-abortion record, including using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion and embryonic stem cell research, and that that record has gotten more play in the press than some may have expected. He noted that a Gallup poll found 59 percent of Americans opposed his decision to overturn the Mexico City Policy and allow taxpayer funding of groups that promote or perform abortions in other nations. O’Steen also says he believes the “pro-choice rhetoric is breaking down a little bit” because people are seeing how those who say they are pro-choice are routinely promoting abortion.
New CBS News Poll Finds Majority Wants Abortion Not Permitted of With More Limits
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new CBS News poll finds a majority of Americans wants abortion not to be permitted or only allowed with more limits. Just over one-third of Americans said that abortion should be generally available. The survey of hundreds of Americans across the country found 21 percent said abortion should not be permitted and another 41 percent want more limits on abortion. That 62 percent is nearly double the 36 percent who say they believe abortion should be generally available. Republicans are more likely to not want abortions allowed or want more limits with 36 percent saying it should not be permitted, 43 percent wanting more limits on it and just 18 percent saying it should be available. Democrats were more likely to take a pro-abortion position but still a majority said they wanted abortion not permitted (13 percent) or more limited (39 percent) and 47 percent said abortion should be generally available. Independents tracked closely with the poll results. Meanwhile, the CBS News poll asked respondents if Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy, was a “good thing or bad thing.” The polling question did not describe the full ramifications of the high court decision, merely saying that it gave women the legal right to have an abortion. Some 62 percent of Americans said that was a good thing while 32 percent said it was a bad thing and six percent said either both or that they had no opinion. Republicans opposed Roe on a 50-41 percent margin, Democrats said it was a good thing by a 74-21 percent clip and independents said roe was good b 63-30 percent. The CBS News survey found 29 percent want roe overturned whiled 64 percent do not. Republicans back overturning Roe by a 47-45 percent margin, Democrats want it retained by a 71-23 percent clip and independents want it retained by a 68-25 percent margin.
Pro-Life Groups in Wichita, Kansas face Death Threats Following George Tiller Shooting Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- Three pro-life organizations based in Wichita, Kansas have received death threats in the weeks following the shooting death of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. The pro-life activist group Operation Rescue is no stranger to death threats, but its director, Troy Newman, says they have increased in the wake of Tiller’s death. Newman also said they have come in advance of pro-life events his organization has planned for this weekend to oppose abortion and to condemn the violence associated with the Tiller killing. Newman said some threats have been calls for his death, others promised he would die or be killed in the same manner as Tiller, some have threatened his family, and others promise vengeance and warm him to protect himself. May Wilkinson, who answers the phones at the Wichita office of Kansans for Life, says she received a threatening phone call just hours after the Tiller shooting. "This person was out of control, emotionally, you could just tell" -- speaking in a loud, angry tone about Tiller's killing, she said. "I hope you're happy," the person said. "You've killed him. Now I hope somebody comes and kills you all." She responded to the Kansas City paper, "We did not have anything to do with this.... That's not what this organization is about. We were horrified about it and sad about it. Killing is never the answer." The threats have not been confined to Kansas in the aftermath of Tiller’s death, but they have been received nationally. LifeNews.com has received numerous threatening and harassing emails as have several pro-life groups who have contacted the pro-life news service. Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said, "I don't want to go into detail, but I know for a fact that numerous pro-life leaders travel with bulletproof vests.”
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Violate the Human Rights and Dignity of PeopleCharlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- Speaking to hundreds of members of the pro-life community at the National Right to Life annual convention, bioethics attorney and watchdog Wesley J. Smith told the crowd that euthanasia and assisted suicide violate the human rights and dignity of those who are victimized by it. Smith said proponents of assisted suicide target the terminally ill, but he said that other patients who are not diagnosed with a terminal illness suffer in greater degrees. As a result, he said the solution for patients shouldn’t be death but should be better hospice and medical care and treatment, especially the kind focused on alleviating or reducing pain and treating depression. “Suffering is suffering, whether it is physical or mental,” Smith said about the mindset of euthanasia proponents, and he explained that more must be done to treat mental health issues that drive most victims to kill themselves via assisted suicide where it is legal in places like Oregon. Smith says that the euthanasia movement is promoting a principle that human life doesn’t have inherent worth and that its value is diminished based on the quality of a person’s life. “A lot of pro-lifers are stunned and say, well that’s a human life that’s being taken,” Smith said of disabled people who are killed. “And [euthanasia backers] turn around and go, ‘So?’” Smith said that mindset is also seen in so-called ethicists like Peter Singer who advocate infanticide -- what he called post-birth abortion -- and when doctors kill babies who are very disabled, even without the consent of parents, because the physicians believe the babies have such a low quality of life that it is more compassionate to kill them. Smith also explained that the medical community is increasingly adopting a pro-euthanasia position. He said the New England Journal of Medicine, which he now calls the “New Euthanasia Journal of Medicine” has gone back on its very strong anti-euthanasia views it has following World War II. Ultimately, Smith said pro-life advocates must increasing the work they do to protect people who are vulnerable to euthanasia and assisted suicide. “Love leads to compassion, the root meaning which is to suffer with,” he said. “The answer isn’t killing, the answer is love.”
National Catholic College Group Wants National Bishops to Revoke Abortion-Politics Directive Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A national organization for Catholic colleges and universities recently held a meeting at which they concluded that they want the nation’s Catholic bishops to rescind a directive they approved asking the schools not to give a platform to pro-abortion speakers or politicians. The meeting of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities came after the University of Notre Dame created a national scandal by allowing pro-abortion President Barack Obama to present the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. The board o directors of the group concluded that “it would be desirable for the [U.S. bishops] to withdraw” their 2004 statement, “Catholics in Political Life.” That’s the document approved nearly unanimously by the bishops saying that Catholic colleges and universities must honor and promote the pro-life teachings of the church rather than allowing abortion advocates to have a platform to address students. Father Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life, condemned the decision. “It’s bad enough that this Association doesn’t seem to understand the role of bishops,” Fr. Pavone stated. “But what’s worse is that it doesn’t seem to understand the underlying reason for the bishops’ position against honoring pro-abortion public figures. It’s not about religion, it’s not about academic freedom, and it’s not about universities. It’s about the proper human response to the barbaric dismemberment of children.” Fr. Pavone continued, mocking the Association, “Sure, keep advising the bishops. Have them withdraw the statement. How terrible that we should make any clear effort to distance ourselves from the violent child-killing taking place among us.” Pavone concluded, “In the view of history, any irresponsible silence of the Church about clergy sex abuse will pale in comparison to the silence of so many about the abortion holocaust.”
Obama Nomination of Pro-Abortion Dawn Johnsen Still Facing Strong Opposition in SenateWashington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The nomination of pro-abortion Indiana University professor Dawn Johnsen to become the head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel is meeting strong opposition in the Senate. The nomination has stalled for a month by republican lawmakers who say she is a polarizing figure in part because of comments that she made equating pregnancy with slavery. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Johnsen nomination on a party-line vote, but the Senate Democratic leadership has yet to schedule a vote in part because of the overwhelming verbal opposition to her nomination. "I think she's in real trouble," said Sen. George Voinovich told McClatchy newspapers. "From what I'm picking up from consensus, she's got a problem." Johnson is considered an abortion advocate in part because she was the legal director for NARAL 20 years ago who wrote Supreme Court briefs with some incredulous statements saying abolishing abortion would make women “forced breeders” and that pregnancy is similar to slavery if abortion is now allowed. When Johnsen worked at NARAL, she filed a brief with a footnote that said forcing a woman to bear a child when she didn't want to was "disturbingly suggestive of involuntary servitude." "I just don't think she's qualified for the job," pro-life Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said. "First of all, she's an ideologue." No single senator is holding up the Johnsen nomination, but there is talk of a filibuster if Senate Democrats ever schedule a vote on her nomination because so many lawmakers have such strong opposition to her nomination. Even one Democratic lawmaker, pro-life Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, says he will vote against Johnsen because of her strongly pro-abortion views. "I don't know of any circumstances where I can support her," he said.
Congressional Elections in 2010 Present Opportunity for Pro-Life Gains on Abortion Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- With a message of perseverance for the participants at the National Right to Life convention, NRLC political director Karen Cross said the pro-life movement has a chance to make gains in the 2010 elections. There, Cross says the pro-life community can recoup some of the losses it suffered when pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama helped pro-abortion candidates win key Congressional elections. “Pro-abortion groups like NARAL and Emily’s List want you to think the battle is lost and they want you to stay home,” Cross said. That would be a disaster in future elections if pro-life advocates stay home because they have lost some enthusiasm and she warned that the lack of votes from over 4 million pro-life voters who cast ballots in 2004 but stayed home in 2008 likely played a role in Obama’s election victory. Cross said past elections can point to future victories. In 2008, the National Right to Life PAC won eight of the 12 most targeted races where it went head to head with abortion advocacy groups and spent the most time and money. She said having more pro-life advocates “actively working on the fundamentals” in the elections will make a difference. She urged pro-lie advocates to work overtime to educate their friends, family and community about pro-life issues and the stances of political candidates. “There are still pro-life people today who don’t realize that Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion president we’ve had in the United States,” she said. Cross said pro-life advocates should spend the time now before the election raising money for pro-life groups and candidates, registering pro-life voters, and developing the organizational structure that can reach millions of voters with information that can decide elections. Cross told the audience that elections matter and that there are 95,000 unborn children alive today in the state of South Carolina because pro-life advocates elected pro-life lawmakers who have approved pro-life legislation that has cut the number of abortions in half in that state. “Don we want to be involved in politics and elections? Maybe not. Do we need to be involved in elections? Abs
Image via Wikipediaolutely.”
Canada Supreme Court Won’t Take Case Challenging Bubble Zones Around Abortion CentersOttawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- The Supreme Court of Canada has decided that it will not hear a lawsuit from a man who says the anti-protest bubble zones outside abortion centers are an unconstitutional violation of the free speech rights of pro-life advocates. Donald David Spratt had hoped to overturn the Access to Abortion Services Act, which makes it a crime to protest or interfere with a woman or abortion practitioner within the “bubble zone” outside an abortion center. The Supreme Court offered no reasons for taking the case from a lower court although it typically does not delineate why it fails to take a certain case under consideration. Spratt was convicted under the provincial law after he stood in front of a Vancouver, British Columbia abortion center in 1998 with a sign containing the Biblical command, “You shall not murder.” He spoke to workers at the abortion center in an attempt to encourage to stop participating in abortions. The decision paves the way for other Canadian provinces to pass their own laws limit’s the rights of pro-life people to protest outside abortion businesses or to provide information about alternatives to women who are considering an abortion. The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision confirmed a unanimous ruling by the British Columbia Appeal Court, which upheld the law prohibiting pro-life people from going within 50 meters of an abortion center. Pratt believes the ruling has turned pro-life advocates into "second-class citizens under Canada's two-tiered legal system.” He added: “Politicians have been running away from this for 30 or 40 years now. We've lost in the neighborhood of three to four million children, the equivalent of the population of Alberta, because of abortion, and we're a nation in denial about it."
Young Woman Has Abortion After Getting Advice From Popular Discussion Blog
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a story that provides evidence of the power of the Internet and the need for pro-life advocates to play a part in abortion discussions on it, a young women has had an abortion after getting the advice of participants on a popular discussion blog, called Motherlode. Last week, a 22-year old woman name Emmie, who found herself pregnant, wrote to the blog seeking advice. In the email Motherlode writer Lisa Belkin posted, Emmie said she is about to begin graduate studies at a prestigious university and that she has recently moved away from her longtime friends and family and would have to face the prospects of a pregnancy alone. “I know I’ll have very little help, and especially since you write so often about mothers that need help every so often, that worries me,” Emmie wrote Belkin. “The father is no longer in the picture and, even if he was, he’s not the kind of person you’d want your baby near (a poor decision on my part, I know). I’m torn between my responsibilities as a mother, to protect and nurture my child, and my responsibilities to my future, to succeed academically and professionally.” Belkin asked her readers to be “kind and wise” in their response to Emmie and later learned she received nearly 700 emails with a range of reaction for or against an abortion. Emmie says she was not open to adoption and met with an adoption counselor and decided she couldn’t bear an adoption. So she decided to have an abortion and wrote to the blog about her decision, which she said made her happy. “Once I came to the decision to terminate the pregnancy, so much of the guilt and sadness I’d been feeling melted away.” Emmie’s decision stands as an example of the power of the Internet.
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a story that provides evidence of the power of the Internet and the need for pro-life advocates to play a part in abortion discussions on it, a young women has had an abortion after getting the advice of participants on a popular discussion blog, called Motherlode. Last week, a 22-year old woman name Emmie, who found herself pregnant, wrote to the blog seeking advice. In the email Motherlode writer Lisa Belkin posted, Emmie said she is about to begin graduate studies at a prestigious university and that she has recently moved away from her longtime friends and family and would have to face the prospects of a pregnancy alone. “I know I’ll have very little help, and especially since you write so often about mothers that need help every so often, that worries me,” Emmie wrote Belkin. “The father is no longer in the picture and, even if he was, he’s not the kind of person you’d want your baby near (a poor decision on my part, I know). I’m torn between my responsibilities as a mother, to protect and nurture my child, and my responsibilities to my future, to succeed academically and professionally.” Belkin asked her readers to be “kind and wise” in their response to Emmie and later learned she received nearly 700 emails with a range of reaction for or against an abortion. Emmie says she was not open to adoption and met with an adoption counselor and decided she couldn’t bear an adoption. So she decided to have an abortion and wrote to the blog about her decision, which she said made her happy. “Once I came to the decision to terminate the pregnancy, so much of the guilt and sadness I’d been feeling melted away.” Emmie’s decision stands as an example of the power of the Internet.
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