Senate Republican Leader Won't Drop Filibuster on Supreme Court Pick Sotomayor
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The leader of the Republicans in the Senate won't drop the possibility of a filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Mitch McConnell's comments follow two senators who met with Sotomayor and confirm that she will likely uphold Roe v. Wade, the case allowing virtually unlimited abortions. McConnell said it is "way too early to know" whether any Republican senators will want to use a filibuster to block Sotomayor's nomination if they perceive her as not qualified for the Supreme Court. However, the pro-life Kentucky senator said he thinks that using the procedural tactic is generally a "bad idea," but is one that "may or may not be employed at some point." Other Republican lawmakers have said they don't envision the filibuster as a realistic strategy to stop the Sotomayor nomination, if only because Senate Democrats, without any defections, are one vote shy of stopping it. Sen. John Cornyn, a pro-life Texas Republican, said he, too, is not ruling out the filibuster, but wants to go through the process of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing first. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The leader of the Republicans in the Senate won't drop the possibility of a filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Mitch McConnell's comments follow two senators who met with Sotomayor and confirm that she will likely uphold Roe v. Wade, the case allowing virtually unlimited abortions. McConnell said it is "way too early to know" whether any Republican senators will want to use a filibuster to block Sotomayor's nomination if they perceive her as not qualified for the Supreme Court. However, the pro-life Kentucky senator said he thinks that using the procedural tactic is generally a "bad idea," but is one that "may or may not be employed at some point." Other Republican lawmakers have said they don't envision the filibuster as a realistic strategy to stop the Sotomayor nomination, if only because Senate Democrats, without any defections, are one vote shy of stopping it. Sen. John Cornyn, a pro-life Texas Republican, said he, too, is not ruling out the filibuster, but wants to go through the process of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing first. Full story at LifeNews.comPro-Life Group Urges Opposition to State Dept Bill Over Obama Abortion Agenda
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Funding a department of the federal government is not normally a pro-life issue, but when legislation authorizing the funds includes the pro-abortion agenda that changes things. The National Right to Life Committee wrote members of Congress today to ask them to reject such a bill. The pro-life group is asking Congress to reject the State Department authorization bill (H.R. 2410), which is scheduled to receive a vote next week. NRLC opposes the bill because it establishes the Office for Global Women’s Issues that President Barack Obama will use to promote abortion on an international scale. During the committee consideration of the bill, the Foreign Affairs Committee rejected an amendment to prevent the proposed new office from engaging in efforts to alter the laws of foreign nations governing abortion. NRLC told lawmakers it supports the amendment and will take no position on the State Department bill if it is adopted. "But if the Smith amendment is not adopted, NRLC must oppose passage of H.R. 2410, because the bill will further empower the Obama Administration to pursue its agenda of undermining the pro-life laws of sovereign nations," the Right to Life letter said. "To the extent that the Administration succeeds in such efforts, it will greatly increase the number of abortions." Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: Contact your member of Congress by going to http://www.house.gov and urge support for the Smith amendment and opposition to H.R. 2410 if the Smith amendment is not adopted.
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Funding a department of the federal government is not normally a pro-life issue, but when legislation authorizing the funds includes the pro-abortion agenda that changes things. The National Right to Life Committee wrote members of Congress today to ask them to reject such a bill. The pro-life group is asking Congress to reject the State Department authorization bill (H.R. 2410), which is scheduled to receive a vote next week. NRLC opposes the bill because it establishes the Office for Global Women’s Issues that President Barack Obama will use to promote abortion on an international scale. During the committee consideration of the bill, the Foreign Affairs Committee rejected an amendment to prevent the proposed new office from engaging in efforts to alter the laws of foreign nations governing abortion. NRLC told lawmakers it supports the amendment and will take no position on the State Department bill if it is adopted. "But if the Smith amendment is not adopted, NRLC must oppose passage of H.R. 2410, because the bill will further empower the Obama Administration to pursue its agenda of undermining the pro-life laws of sovereign nations," the Right to Life letter said. "To the extent that the Administration succeeds in such efforts, it will greatly increase the number of abortions." Full story at LifeNews.comACTION: Contact your member of Congress by going to http://www.house.gov and urge support for the Smith amendment and opposition to H.R. 2410 if the Smith amendment is not adopted.
President Obama Names Head of Fake Catholic Pro-Life Group to Top HHS Post
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama has rewarded the head of a fake pro-life Catholic group that was responsible for misleading voters about his abortion position to a top Health and Human Services post. The nomination is seen as political payback for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG). Obama named former CACG executive director Alexia Kelley to head the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Health and Human Services. Kelley is also a former advisor to the John Kerry presidential campaign and Kerry is a strong abortion advocate. CACG came under fire from pro-life groups for supporting Obama's presidential candidacy his pro-abortion policies that are at odds with Catholic pro-life teaching. it recently ran an advertisement defending Notre Dame's decision to award Obama and allow him to speak to graduates. Kelley has also called for weakening pro-life laws on abortion, claiming they aren't sufficient to protect unborn children. In A Nation for All, she said, "legal status doesn't always realize the goal that we desire" and called pro-life advocates "culture warriors." Full story at LifeNews.comObama Admin to Launch Probe Into Killing of Abortion Practitioner George Tiller
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Obama administration announced on Friday that it will launch an investigation into the killing of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. A Kansas man with no affiliation to the pro-life movement, Scott Roeder, has been arrested and charged with killing Tiller at his church on Sunday. Roeder, whose family members say has suffered from mental illness and who is linked with militia and anti-government groups, has no connection to any legitimate pro-life organizations. However, the Justice Department announced the probe and said it would look into whether or not Roeder, if guilty, had any accomplices. He appeared to be a lone gunman when he shot Tiller over the weekend. The department will also investigate the possibility of any federal crimes that may have been committed in connection with the shooting death. "The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to determine the full involvement of any and all actors in this horrible crime, and to ensure that anyone who played a role in the offense is prosecuted to the full extent of federal law," said Loretta King head of the department's civil rights division. Full story at LifeNews.com
Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- Suspected killer of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, Scott Roeder, gave an interview late Thursday night from his jail cell. Roeder asked for prayers for his family as they endure the media attention resulted from his alleged killing of Tiller on Sunday at his church. Roeder, who has no affiliation with any pro-life groups, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Tiller's death. Still, he told the Associated Press in an interview that he feels the criminal justice system is treating him unfairly. "I haven't been convicted of anything, and I am being treated as a criminal," Roeder told AP from the Sedgwick County Jail. Roeder was asked to discuss the Tiller shooting and he refused to do so. The 51-year-old Kansas man has been identified as a member of anti-government militia groups and that appears to be the motivation for killing Tiller rather than any link to pro-life organizations attempting to protect women and children from abortions. In the interview, Roeder said he was upset how he is being portrayed with a "broad brush" as harboring anti-government views. "I want people to stop and think: It is not anti-government; it is anti-corrupt government," Roeder said. Full story at LifeNews.comThousands of Late-Term Abortions Will Continue Following Death of George Tiller
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The killing of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller has focused the nation's attention on abortion, but it hasn't shown the spotlight on the number of late-term abortions done every year. Even after Tiller's death, which pro-life groups have thoroughly condemned, late-term abortions will continue. According to the Centers for Disease control, 1.3 percent of all abortions -- nearly 9,000 a year -- are done after 21 weeks into the pregnancy. That's 8,482 babies who, in 2005 alone, could have potentially survived outside their mother's womb, according to the very latest medical research. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, which is formerly the research arm of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, has been noted by both sides as having more accurate figures than the CDC. It notes 13,000 late-term abortions annually done after 21 weeks of pregnancy. Full story at LifeNews.comby Maria Vitale
The pro-life movement I've seen and heard portrayed in the mainstream media and in the "abortion rights" blogosphere bears no resemblance to the pro-life movement that I work in everyday. I've seen the movement branded with accusations ranging from violence to harassment to hate speech. Some particularly slanderous accounts have tried to label pro-life advocates as accessories to murder, even though organizations such as National Right to Life were swift to condemn the murder of late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller in Wichita. Those who I work beside in the pro-life movement tend to be humble types—not the kind to trumpet their own accomplishments. They are the image of compassion and caring, yet they don't devote time to fashioning their public image. The great untold story in news coverage about the abortion issue involves the achievements of the pro-life movement. And there are many, even though you are unlikely to hear about them on evening television and radio broadcasts. Full story at LifeNews.comMSNBC's Keith Olbermann Names Pro-Life Advocate Jill Stanek "Worst Person"
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- MSNBC talking head Keith Olbermann has named pro-life nurse and blogger Jill Stanek the "Worst Person in the World" during that segment of his Thursday night broadcast. Stanek is the pro-life nurse who uncovered live birth abortions at a hospital in Chicago that led to a national law prohibiting the practice. On her blog, Stanek has noted how late-term abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart of Nebraska is one of the few remaining people to do abortions so late in pregnancy now that George Tiller has been killed. As LifeNews.com has noted, Stanek posted pictures of Carhart's Belleview-based abortion center, which appears as if it is housed in the back of a junkyard, in order to profile the terrible medical and health conditions for women. Stanek has been attacked by abortion advocates, who, as Olbermann did on his program, made wild-eyed claims that Stanek is attempting to target Carhart and have him killed. Olbermann claimed Stanek "did not get the point in the assassination of Dr. George Tiller that you can be complicit in such a crime even though you have never met the man or his assassin." Full story at LifeNews.comAustralia Use of the Abortion Drug Expected to Rise Sharply With New Distributor
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- The use of the dangerous abortion drug RU 486 in Australia is expected to rise sharply as a new national distributor may be in place by the end of the year. Currently only approved licensed physicians may distribute the drug, which has killed 13 women worldwide and injured 1,300 in the United States alone. So far, just 240 women have used the abortion drug in Australia to end the lives of their unborn children, according to the Department of Health and Ageing. However, more than 1,000 are expected to have used the mifepristone abortion drug by the end of the year. Former Democrat senator Lyn Allison tells the Brisbane Times that the Therapeutic Goods Administration has placed strong requirements abortion practitioners who dispense the abortion drug. Yet, the TGA appears set to approve the first company's application to distribute the abortion drug nationwide. Full story at LifeNews.comMinnesota Pro-Abortion Group Shuts Down Project to Recruit Abortion Practitioners
St. Paul, MN (LifeNews.com) -- The statewide pro-abortion organization in Minnesota has shut down a project it started years ago to recruit and train abortion practitioners. NARAL Minnesota has closed its Abortion Provider Expansion Project (APEP) due to "budget constraints." The pro-abortion group started the project in 2002 to persuade medical students, nurses and health care workers to encourage them to get involved in the abortion industry. "Like many other nonprofits, foundations, and companies, the economic downturn is having an impact on NARAL," the group said in an announcement. "In response to the current budget constraints, NARAL made the very difficult decision to discontinue our joint program." NARAL said the "effectiveness and impact of the APEP program has been remarkable" over the last seven years but did not say if any abortion practitioners were recruited. Full story at LifeNews.comCalifornia Man Convicted Killing Both Pregnant Girlfriend and Unborn Child
Richmond, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A 34-year-old California man, Aaron Ashley was convicted of two counts of murder in the killings of his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child. Ashley, who could be the first to be prosecuted since the conviction of Scott Peterson for the deaths of Laci and Conner, wanted his partner to have an abortion. Prosecuting attorney Casey Bates told the jury that evidence shows Ashley killed 24-year-old Latrice Grayson. Ashley, who has a wife and three children, killed Grayson when she was eight and a half months pregnant, and reportedly stabbed her repeatedly with scissors. Ashley's lawyer Darryl Stallworth admitted his client killed Grayson. Full story at LifeNews.com
Richmond, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A 34-year-old California man, Aaron Ashley was convicted of two counts of murder in the killings of his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child. Ashley, who could be the first to be prosecuted since the conviction of Scott Peterson for the deaths of Laci and Conner, wanted his partner to have an abortion. Prosecuting attorney Casey Bates told the jury that evidence shows Ashley killed 24-year-old Latrice Grayson. Ashley, who has a wife and three children, killed Grayson when she was eight and a half months pregnant, and reportedly stabbed her repeatedly with scissors. Ashley's lawyer Darryl Stallworth admitted his client killed Grayson. Full story at LifeNews.comWashington State Olympic Medical Center Changes Position on Assisted Suicide
Port Angeles, WA (LifeNews.com) -- Olympic Medical Center in Washington state has changed its position on whether staff and patients will be allowed to pursue an assisted suicide. The decision is a modification of its original one to opt out of participating in the law that made Washington the second state to legalize assisted suicide. Olympic Medical Center originally said its physicians would not be ones who would assist elderly and terminally ill patients in killing themselves. However, according to a Peninsula Daily News report, its board of directors held a debate at their May 20 meeting and voted Wednesday night 5-1 to pass the resolution changing its position. Full story at LifeNews.com
Port Angeles, WA (LifeNews.com) -- Olympic Medical Center in Washington state has changed its position on whether staff and patients will be allowed to pursue an assisted suicide. The decision is a modification of its original one to opt out of participating in the law that made Washington the second state to legalize assisted suicide. Olympic Medical Center originally said its physicians would not be ones who would assist elderly and terminally ill patients in killing themselves. However, according to a Peninsula Daily News report, its board of directors held a debate at their May 20 meeting and voted Wednesday night 5-1 to pass the resolution changing its position. Full story at LifeNews.comACTION: Contact Olympic Medical Center with your comments against its decision at: Olympic Medical Center, 939 Caroline Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362, (360) 417-7000, email webmaster@olympicmedical.org
