Planned Parenthood Abortion Center Staffer: We Bend the Rules on Sexual Abuse
Birmingham, AL (LifeNews.com) -- A new undercover video shows what others have when it comes to Planned Parenthood and how it handles potential cases of sexual abuse. New footage shows a staffer at a Birmingham, Alabama abortion center telling a woman who appears to be a victim of statutory rape that "we bend the rules." The video is the latest from Lila Rose, a UCLA student who has become a muckraker for her series of videos exposing the nation's largest abortion business. In this new video, the Birmingham Planned Parenthood counselor tells Rose, who pretends to be a 14-year-old statutory rape victim that it "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit" rather than report sexual abuse to state authorities. Rose told the staffer that she was 14 and had been impregnated by a 31-year-old boyfriend. She told the Planned Parenthood official she needed a secret abortion so her parents would not find out about her sexual relationship with the older man. Rose asks, "Is it a problem about my boyfriend?" The counselor, identified as "Tanisha" in the video, responds, "As long as you consented to having sex with him, there's nothing we can truly do about that." Rose then says that her boyfriend "said he could get in big trouble," and Tanisha acknowledges that "he could, especially if your parents find out that he's 31." Full story at LifeNews.com
Birmingham, AL (LifeNews.com) -- A new undercover video shows what others have when it comes to Planned Parenthood and how it handles potential cases of sexual abuse. New footage shows a staffer at a Birmingham, Alabama abortion center telling a woman who appears to be a victim of statutory rape that "we bend the rules." The video is the latest from Lila Rose, a UCLA student who has become a muckraker for her series of videos exposing the nation's largest abortion business. In this new video, the Birmingham Planned Parenthood counselor tells Rose, who pretends to be a 14-year-old statutory rape victim that it "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit" rather than report sexual abuse to state authorities. Rose told the staffer that she was 14 and had been impregnated by a 31-year-old boyfriend. She told the Planned Parenthood official she needed a secret abortion so her parents would not find out about her sexual relationship with the older man. Rose asks, "Is it a problem about my boyfriend?" The counselor, identified as "Tanisha" in the video, responds, "As long as you consented to having sex with him, there's nothing we can truly do about that." Rose then says that her boyfriend "said he could get in big trouble," and Tanisha acknowledges that "he could, especially if your parents find out that he's 31." Full story at LifeNews.comCatholic Bishops to House: Keep Ban on Tax-Funded Abortions in Nation's Capital
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A House committee is set to vote next week on legislation that President Barack Obama requested which could result in spending taxpayer funds on abortions in the nation's capital. When it votes, the nation's Catholic bishops have asked that the House support keeping the Dornan Amendment in place. Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government obliged and marked up the District of Columbia budget to include Obama's request for tax-funded abortions. The measure now heads to the full House Appropriations Committee, where it will be considered on Tuesday, July 7. There, pro-life advocates will likely try to offer an amendment to restore the Dornan Amendment and stop Obama's abortion funding agenda. The chairman of the pro-life activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wants House members to restore the Dornan amendment. Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia sent a letter to members of the panel today urging them not to fund abortions in the District of Columbia. The USCCB provided a copy of the letter to LifeNews.com. Cardinal Rigali said that the subcommittee’s action “effectively nullifies the Dornan amendment,” which for a total of 18 years has prevented public funding of elective abortions in the nation's capital. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A House committee is set to vote next week on legislation that President Barack Obama requested which could result in spending taxpayer funds on abortions in the nation's capital. When it votes, the nation's Catholic bishops have asked that the House support keeping the Dornan Amendment in place. Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government obliged and marked up the District of Columbia budget to include Obama's request for tax-funded abortions. The measure now heads to the full House Appropriations Committee, where it will be considered on Tuesday, July 7. There, pro-life advocates will likely try to offer an amendment to restore the Dornan Amendment and stop Obama's abortion funding agenda. The chairman of the pro-life activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wants House members to restore the Dornan amendment. Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia sent a letter to members of the panel today urging them not to fund abortions in the District of Columbia. The USCCB provided a copy of the letter to LifeNews.com. Cardinal Rigali said that the subcommittee’s action “effectively nullifies the Dornan amendment,” which for a total of 18 years has prevented public funding of elective abortions in the nation's capital. Full story at LifeNews.comPoll Shows Obama's Approval Rating at Lowest Point of His Pro-Abortion Presidency
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new Rasmussen poll not only shows pro-abortion President Barack Obama's approval rating at the lowest of any point during his presidency, but it has Obama with a net negative for the first time among voters with the most intense support or opposition of his tenure. The Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll now shows 31 percent of the voters nationwide strongly approve of Obama's presidency. Conversely, 33 percent of voters strongly disapprove of his presidency. Rasmussen calls the net negative of 2 percent the Presidential Approval Index and it has stayed in a narrow range between +2 and -2 for the last few weeks with the current rating his lowest. The poll found the typical partisan divide that has been a feature of opinion polls covering the Bush and Clinton administrations. Some 57 percent of Democrats strongly approve of Obama's record thus far while 60 percent of Republicans strongly disapprove. Looking at a more traditional approval rating, including voters who somewhat approve or disapprove, 54 percent of Americans say they at least somewhat approve of Obama's performance so far while 46 percent disapprove. Full story at LifeNews.comPro-Life Advocate Takes Issue With Secretary Sebelius Over Health Care Rationing
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life advocate who is considered one of the foremost experts on health care is taking issue with weekend comments from pro-abortion Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The Obama administration official claimed that the governmental health care plans in Congress won't lead to rationing. Sebelius, the pro-abortion former Kansas governor who now heads the Health and Human Services Department, told Fox News Sunday, “I don't think there’s anything about the public option that would ration care." But Burke Balch, an attorney who is the head of the medical ethics department at the National Right to Life Committee, tells LifeNews.com that Sebelius was misleading. "It is not the presence or absence of a public option that will cause rationing, but the fact that the financing proposed will be wholly inadequate to extend health insurance to the uninsured," he told LifeNews.com. "Under the bill now under consideration by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Finance Committee, all qualified health insurance plans would have to follow payment policies of Medicare and Sebelius would be empowered to require all doctors and hospitals to follow essential whatever treatment regulations she might impose, on pain of being unable to be reimbursed by any of the qualified plans," Balch explained. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life advocate who is considered one of the foremost experts on health care is taking issue with weekend comments from pro-abortion Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The Obama administration official claimed that the governmental health care plans in Congress won't lead to rationing. Sebelius, the pro-abortion former Kansas governor who now heads the Health and Human Services Department, told Fox News Sunday, “I don't think there’s anything about the public option that would ration care." But Burke Balch, an attorney who is the head of the medical ethics department at the National Right to Life Committee, tells LifeNews.com that Sebelius was misleading. "It is not the presence or absence of a public option that will cause rationing, but the fact that the financing proposed will be wholly inadequate to extend health insurance to the uninsured," he told LifeNews.com. "Under the bill now under consideration by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Finance Committee, all qualified health insurance plans would have to follow payment policies of Medicare and Sebelius would be empowered to require all doctors and hospitals to follow essential whatever treatment regulations she might impose, on pain of being unable to be reimbursed by any of the qualified plans," Balch explained. Full story at LifeNews.comThanks to President Obama Federal Abstinence Education Funding Expires Today
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Today marked the end of federal funding of abstinence education under the Title V Abstinence Education Program and the CBAE (Community Based Abstinence Education). Before he took over the White House, President Barack Obama made it clear he would cut abstinence funding. In Obama's FY 2010 Proposed Budget, the president called for eliminating the funding for abstinence education, which has been successful in helping teenagers make positive decisions. Instead, Obama called for at least $164 million in funding for contraceptive-only education, which will likely go to pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, told the Washington Times that abstinence groups were not giving up. "Defeat? We don't know the meaning of that word," she said. Another prominent abstinence educator said some programs will find a way to operate their established programs with a smaller budget.Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Today marked the end of federal funding of abstinence education under the Title V Abstinence Education Program and the CBAE (Community Based Abstinence Education). Before he took over the White House, President Barack Obama made it clear he would cut abstinence funding. In Obama's FY 2010 Proposed Budget, the president called for eliminating the funding for abstinence education, which has been successful in helping teenagers make positive decisions. Instead, Obama called for at least $164 million in funding for contraceptive-only education, which will likely go to pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, told the Washington Times that abstinence groups were not giving up. "Defeat? We don't know the meaning of that word," she said. Another prominent abstinence educator said some programs will find a way to operate their established programs with a smaller budget.Full story at LifeNews.comSenate Democrats Get 60 Votes for Abortion, Sotomayor With Al Franken Aboard
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, a pro-life advocate from Minnesota, conceded his re-election bid to pro-abortion Senate candidate Al Franken. His decision paves the way for the abortion advocates who already control the Senate to have 60 votes to promote abortion and health care rationing. Coleman originally held a lead over Franken at the end of the November 2008 election, but a recount put Franken ahead by a few hundred votes. Despite numerous legal claims that the recount was not properly conducted, state courts sided with Franken and dealt Coleman a blow when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Frank won the election. Coleman conceded the race today and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, himself a pro-life advocate who has been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2012, must now sign the certification allowing Franken to represent the state in the Senate. With Frank in the Senate, the Democratic Party now has a supermajority with which is can stop filibusters against promoting abortion or confirming pro-abortion judicial nominees like Sonia Sotomayor. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, a pro-life advocate from Minnesota, conceded his re-election bid to pro-abortion Senate candidate Al Franken. His decision paves the way for the abortion advocates who already control the Senate to have 60 votes to promote abortion and health care rationing. Coleman originally held a lead over Franken at the end of the November 2008 election, but a recount put Franken ahead by a few hundred votes. Despite numerous legal claims that the recount was not properly conducted, state courts sided with Franken and dealt Coleman a blow when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Frank won the election. Coleman conceded the race today and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, himself a pro-life advocate who has been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2012, must now sign the certification allowing Franken to represent the state in the Senate. With Frank in the Senate, the Democratic Party now has a supermajority with which is can stop filibusters against promoting abortion or confirming pro-abortion judicial nominees like Sonia Sotomayor. Full story at LifeNews.comNational Education Association to Vote on Taking Neutral Stance on Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- When thousands of teachers and educators meet this week in California for their annual convention, they may vote on a measure to have the National Education Association take a neutral stance on abortion. Outside the convention hall, dozens of pro-life teachers will share their views. The NEA has long been a thorn in the side of the majority of Americans who take a pro-life stance on abortion and are involved in educating America's children. Using their union dues, the NEA has funded pro-abortion candidates and has gone as far as holding an event with a late-term abortion practitioner. Jeralee Smith, a co-founder of the NEA Conservative Educators Caucus, says a vote on abortion could open the door for positive change. She says a special vote is slated for the July 1-6 convention that could have members voting on the NEA taking a neutral abortion position. That could help stop some of the pro-abortion activities the NEA undertakes. "The union contributes to candidates who will maintain the current Roe v. Wade decision and make sure that the abortion industry is alive and well," she told OneNewsNow. "And this supposedly is done with the portion of union dues that...is optional. But a lot of times we found sneaky ways that the union supports things that we don't believe in." Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- When thousands of teachers and educators meet this week in California for their annual convention, they may vote on a measure to have the National Education Association take a neutral stance on abortion. Outside the convention hall, dozens of pro-life teachers will share their views. The NEA has long been a thorn in the side of the majority of Americans who take a pro-life stance on abortion and are involved in educating America's children. Using their union dues, the NEA has funded pro-abortion candidates and has gone as far as holding an event with a late-term abortion practitioner. Jeralee Smith, a co-founder of the NEA Conservative Educators Caucus, says a vote on abortion could open the door for positive change. She says a special vote is slated for the July 1-6 convention that could have members voting on the NEA taking a neutral abortion position. That could help stop some of the pro-abortion activities the NEA undertakes. "The union contributes to candidates who will maintain the current Roe v. Wade decision and make sure that the abortion industry is alive and well," she told OneNewsNow. "And this supposedly is done with the portion of union dues that...is optional. But a lot of times we found sneaky ways that the union supports things that we don't believe in." Full story at LifeNews.comGE Teams With Cloning Company Geron for Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- General Electric Company is teaming up with Geron, a biotech firm that engages in human cloning, to form what could be the largest embryonic stem cell research conglomerate. The team wants to use the controversial research to determine whether some medicine are toxic. Embryonic stem cells can only be obtained by destroying human life and pro-life advocates oppose that. They also point to the successes seen in adult stem cell research and iPS cells, adult stem cells which are reverted to an embryonic-like state. Unlike embryonic stem cells, these cells have been successful in helping patients with a myriad of conditions. GE and Geron will use existing embryonic stem cell lines to develop sample human cells that drug companies can use to test the toxicity of new drugs in the development process before animal testing or human trials. "This could replace, to a large extent, animal trials," GE spokeswoman Konstantin Fiedler told Reuters. "Once you have human cells and you can get them in a standardized way, like you get right now your lab rats in a standardized way, you can actually do those experiments on those cells." Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- General Electric Company is teaming up with Geron, a biotech firm that engages in human cloning, to form what could be the largest embryonic stem cell research conglomerate. The team wants to use the controversial research to determine whether some medicine are toxic. Embryonic stem cells can only be obtained by destroying human life and pro-life advocates oppose that. They also point to the successes seen in adult stem cell research and iPS cells, adult stem cells which are reverted to an embryonic-like state. Unlike embryonic stem cells, these cells have been successful in helping patients with a myriad of conditions. GE and Geron will use existing embryonic stem cell lines to develop sample human cells that drug companies can use to test the toxicity of new drugs in the development process before animal testing or human trials. "This could replace, to a large extent, animal trials," GE spokeswoman Konstantin Fiedler told Reuters. "Once you have human cells and you can get them in a standardized way, like you get right now your lab rats in a standardized way, you can actually do those experiments on those cells." Full story at LifeNews.comNew York Times Blasted for Playing Down Poll With Pro-Life Majority on Abortion
by Colin Mason
According to the Times the recent Gallup Poll showing that a majority of Americans are pro-life is faulty at best, and downright sinister at worst. According to the New York Times, it doesn't really matter, because you probably don't understand the terms anyway. The poll, conducted May 7-10, found that 51% of Americans are now “calling themselves ‘pro-life’ on the issue of abortion and 42% ‘pro-choice.’ According to Gallup, this is “the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.” Not only did Gallup find these results to be consistent in two other surveys, they also gave a rather forthright opinion as to why they thought this shift was occurring. President Obama’s radical policies, Gallup said, are actually alienating many Americans who would consider themselves to be “pro-choice,” causing them to shift over toward the pro-life position: It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be "pro-choice" slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction. This sounds quite reasonable to me. Having a president who is radically pro-abortion might well cause the significant shift in opinions concerning abortion that Gallup detected. Liberal opinion leaders, however, have been quick to condemn the poll as faulty, irrelevant, or simplistic. Full story at LifeNews.comPro-Life Advocates Launch Abortion-Personhood Campaigns in Colorado, Montana
Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Although they were not successful in getting their states to sign off on state constitution amendments for personhood for unborn children, pro-life advocates in Colorado and Montana are giving the effort another try. A large majority of Colorado voters rejected one amendment while Montana voters never had a chance to vote on the proposal there. Backers of the amendments will host kickoffs in both states on measures they say will recognize the rights of all citizens, including children who haven't been born. In Montana, pro-life state Rep. Wendy Warburton is working with the Montana Pro Life Coalition and Personhood USA to organize a petition gathering campaign. The groups plan a rally on the steps of Montana's state capitol on Wednesday morning. Full story at LifeNews.com
Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Although they were not successful in getting their states to sign off on state constitution amendments for personhood for unborn children, pro-life advocates in Colorado and Montana are giving the effort another try. A large majority of Colorado voters rejected one amendment while Montana voters never had a chance to vote on the proposal there. Backers of the amendments will host kickoffs in both states on measures they say will recognize the rights of all citizens, including children who haven't been born. In Montana, pro-life state Rep. Wendy Warburton is working with the Montana Pro Life Coalition and Personhood USA to organize a petition gathering campaign. The groups plan a rally on the steps of Montana's state capitol on Wednesday morning. Full story at LifeNews.comNational Pregnancy Center Group: Connecticut Ultrasound Bill Doesn't Affect Us
Hartford, CT (LifeNews.com) -- Now that Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell has signed a bill into law that would ban ultrasounds not done for medical reasons, some pro-life advocates are concerned about the effect it will have on pregnancy centers, which rely on ultrasounds to help women consider abortion alternatives. Kristin Hansen, the vice president for communications at Care Net, a national organization with more than 1,100 affiliated centers, says the bill doesn't adversely affect its affiliates. Hansen says abortion advocates sometimes wrongly believe that pregnancy centers perform ultrasound for non-medical reasons. "Care Net pregnancy centers follow all FDA guidelines related to ultrasounds and all ultrasounds are performed by trained medical professionals under the direction of a licensed physician," she told LifeNews.com late Monday. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hartford, CT (LifeNews.com) -- Now that Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell has signed a bill into law that would ban ultrasounds not done for medical reasons, some pro-life advocates are concerned about the effect it will have on pregnancy centers, which rely on ultrasounds to help women consider abortion alternatives. Kristin Hansen, the vice president for communications at Care Net, a national organization with more than 1,100 affiliated centers, says the bill doesn't adversely affect its affiliates. Hansen says abortion advocates sometimes wrongly believe that pregnancy centers perform ultrasound for non-medical reasons. "Care Net pregnancy centers follow all FDA guidelines related to ultrasounds and all ultrasounds are performed by trained medical professionals under the direction of a licensed physician," she told LifeNews.com late Monday. Full story at LifeNews.comEncourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
