LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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• Newsweek's Clift Wrong: Hyde Amdt Doesn't Stop Abortion in Health Care
• White House Reality Check Web Site Still Silent on Abortion in Health Care
• Kennedy's Death Further Used to Promote Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
• Obama Hits New Low Approval Rating, Analyst Says Abortion Causing It
• Quit Using Kennedy's Death to Advance the Pro-Abortion Health Care
• More Analysts Predict Pro-Life Gains in Congress in 2010 Elections
• Schindler Family, Pro-Lifers Pay Respects to Terri Schiavo's Father
• Generic Morning After Pill Gets Final Go-Ahead From Food and Drug Admin
• Judge Says Pro-Life Groups Lack Standing to Challenge Selling Plan B
• Roeder Wants Justifiable Homicide Defense in George Tiller Abortion Case
• Illinois Pro-Life Advocates Want Parental Notification on Abortion Enforced
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In the latest example of the mainstream media covering up what pro-life advocates already know and some media outlets have admitted, Newsweek's Eleanor Clift maintains that the Hyde amendment would stop abortion funding in health care. But a pro-life expert says that's not the case. Clift's weekend column for the weekly magazine claims "opposition forces" have been trying to 'spread misconceptions" about the government-run health care plan funding abortions. Clift's contention is that the Hyde Amendment, passed in the 1970s to stop abortion funding only in the Medicare program, will block abortion funding in the health care bill. "There has been no serious effort in the last three decades to dislodge the Hyde amendment, and it is certainly not part of the current health-care debate. But that hasn't stopped critics from suspecting that Democrats are looking for a back-door way to fund abortions," Clift claims. Douglas Johnson, the legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, says "Clift's observations about the Hyde Amendment are, I am afraid, a big red herring," he tells LifeNews.com. "The Hyde Amendment is not a government-wide law. It is a limitation, renewed year to year, that applies only to funds that flow through the annual Health and Human Services appropriations bill -- most importantly, funds for the long-established Medicaid program," Johnson explains. Johnson says the government-run health care bills in the House and Senate create new programs that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Hyde Amendment. Full story at LifeNews.comACTION: Contact members of the House and Senate and urge strong support for any amendment to exclude abortion and rationing from their health care bills. Ask them to oppose any health care bill that allows abortion funding or rationing. Call 202-224-3121 or go to http://www.House.gov and http://www.Senate.gov for specific contact information.
White House Reality Check Web Site Still Silent on Abortion in Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Obama administration released a new web site earlier this month supposedly debunking myths opponents are using to criticize the government-run health care plan he supports. Though President Barack Obama himself has accused pro-life advocates of lying about abortion funding in the bills, the White House web site was silent on the subject. "You've heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion," he said recently. "Not true." Three weeks later, nothing has changed at the Reality Check web site (which replaces the controversial flag@whitehouse.govemail address), even though the web site has been updated several times since its initial launch. A refutation of the analysis from pro-life groups and several media outlets that the legislation includes abortion funding still doesn't exist on the site. Dan Gilgoff, a reporter on faith-based issues for U.S. News and World Report, noticed the omission. "It's a stunning omission, given how much the government-funded abortion allegation has dominated this month's congressional town hall meetings on healthcare reform—and given that President Obama himself has called the charge a myth," he writes. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Obama administration released a new web site earlier this month supposedly debunking myths opponents are using to criticize the government-run health care plan he supports. Though President Barack Obama himself has accused pro-life advocates of lying about abortion funding in the bills, the White House web site was silent on the subject. "You've heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion," he said recently. "Not true." Three weeks later, nothing has changed at the Reality Check web site (which replaces the controversial flag@whitehouse.govemail address), even though the web site has been updated several times since its initial launch. A refutation of the analysis from pro-life groups and several media outlets that the legislation includes abortion funding still doesn't exist on the site. Dan Gilgoff, a reporter on faith-based issues for U.S. News and World Report, noticed the omission. "It's a stunning omission, given how much the government-funded abortion allegation has dominated this month's congressional town hall meetings on healthcare reform—and given that President Obama himself has called the charge a myth," he writes. Full story at LifeNews.comTed Kennedy's Death Further Used to Promote Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Ted Kennedy's death continues to be used as a springboard to promote the pro-abortion health care bills pending in Congress. Numerous elected officials and activists invoked his name over the weekend changing the term "Obamacare" into "Kennedycare," which may not attract more support. Al Gore and Bill Clinton were in Tennessee to pump up Democratic activists and share their conviction that Ted Kennedy’s dream of government-run health care indeed will never die. Clinton urged Democrats to counter pro-life advocates who oppose the bills and attempted to rebut one of the criticism of the legislation. “I'm not a very good politician any more; I just say what I think,” Clinton said. “But I have been waiting for this for 40 years ... to recreate the American dream.” Gore extolled Kennedy and called him “by far the most effective member of the United States Senate that I ever served with.” He played off of the focus of the Kennedy funeral in telling the crowd that Congress must pass the health care bill to “the least of us." Full story at LifeNews.comBarack Obama Hits New Low Approval Rating, Analyst Says Abortion Causing It
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The news story has repeated itself over and over again: President Barack Obama has hit another new low approval rating. One analyst knows why and says the issue of taxpayer-funding of abortions in the health care bills in Congress is hurting Obama's numbers. The Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll released today reveals 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of Obama's performance as president while 53 percent now disapprove. The 46 percent figure is the lowest level of total approval yet measured for Obama in the Rasmussen poll since he took over the White House in January. The new survey also shows 30% of the nation's voters strongly approve of Obama's performance while 41 percent strongly disapprove -- giving Obama a negative 11 percent rating among the most passionate voters on either side. Dr. Michael New, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, explains how the more Americans realize that Obama's health care plan includes taxpayer abortion funding the more people oppose him. "Regardless of their views on sanctity of life issues, many Americans do not want their tax dollars subsidizing abortion," he says in a new National Review column. "As such, mandated abortion coverage has the ability to jeopardize health-care reform by driving a wedge between moderate voters and President Obama’s liberal base."Full story at LifeNews.com
by Dave Andrusko
I am so ancient that I was there when the plaster was still hardening. I was in college when the myth of Camelot and President John F. Kennedy was created from the charisma of the young White House couple and their extended family. Although not caught up in the same way millions of people were (on meeting the President, violinist Isaac Stern said, "I felt as though I were inside a golden coach drawn by four pure-bred white horses into the glitter of mythic Camelot"), I fully understand the almost magical allure of the term Jackie Kennedy used to characterize her husband's administration. I mention that only because I know some pro-abortionists will willfully distort what I say. What follows is neither an attempt to debunk the notion that there was "one brief, shining moment," even less a "personal attack" on the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, JFK's brother. It is instead a critique of the cynical use of Sen. Kennedy's death to attempt to pass a health care "reform" bill that is unacceptable to massive sectors of the American public, including pro-lifers. But it is also important to take a moment to address another example of pro-abortion grotesque distortion of the historical record. It refers specifically to Sen. Kennedy, but it also applies more generally to a number of Democrats who sold out on abortion to move up the party ladder. Full story at LifeNews.comMore Political Analysts Predict Pro-Life Gains in Congress in 2010 Elections
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Advancing a pro-abortion health care bill that could lead to rationing medical care and having a pro-abortion president who is making taxpayers fund abortions appears to come at a cost for the abortion advocates who lead Congress. More political analysts are predicting pro-life gains after the 2010 elections. As LifeNews.com already noted, top political analyst Charlie Cook already highlighted how the "situation this summer has slipped completely out of control for President Obama and congressional Democrats" thanks to the health care situation. Cook predicted that Democrats could lose as many as 20 seats in the House, and with most Democrats taking a pro-abortion position and most Republicans pro-life, that's good news for the pro-life movement. Now, Nate Silver, a Democratic analyst respected on both sides of the aisle for his statistical analysis says he thinks Republicans will win as many as 20 to 50 seats next election. He gives the GOP a 25-33 percent chance of winning the 40 seats necessary to retake control of the House, which would put the chamber in pro-life hands and stop the advance of abortion that Republicans, and pro-life Democrats, can't currently contain. Full story at LifeNews.com
Schindler Family, Pro-Life Advocates Pay Respects to Terri Schiavo's Father
St. Petersburg, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The Schindler family and pro-life advocates are paying their respects to Robert Schindler, the father of Terri Schiavo -- the woman whose life and death has been a rallying cry to protect the disabled. Schindler and his family have taken it upon themselves to help other disabled patients and their families. Bobby Schindler commented on his father's death with moving words. "I am heartbroken over the loss of my father and yet I know at this moment he is rejoicing with my sister, Terri," he said in a statement to LifeNews.com. "My dad was a man of integrity, character and compassion who was blessed with a close and loving family. He taught all three of his children to respect and value life and to love our fellow man," he added. "Even at the height of the battle to save my sister Terri’s life, when his patience and temperance was near exhaustion, he managed to display a gentleness of spirit. Yet it was his unfathomable strength that allowed him to shoulder up his own heartache and lead us through our darkest hour," Bobby Schindler added. "What greater legacy could a man leave behind?" Full story at LifeNews.com
St. Petersburg, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The Schindler family and pro-life advocates are paying their respects to Robert Schindler, the father of Terri Schiavo -- the woman whose life and death has been a rallying cry to protect the disabled. Schindler and his family have taken it upon themselves to help other disabled patients and their families. Bobby Schindler commented on his father's death with moving words. "I am heartbroken over the loss of my father and yet I know at this moment he is rejoicing with my sister, Terri," he said in a statement to LifeNews.com. "My dad was a man of integrity, character and compassion who was blessed with a close and loving family. He taught all three of his children to respect and value life and to love our fellow man," he added. "Even at the height of the battle to save my sister Terri’s life, when his patience and temperance was near exhaustion, he managed to display a gentleness of spirit. Yet it was his unfathomable strength that allowed him to shoulder up his own heartache and lead us through our darkest hour," Bobby Schindler added. "What greater legacy could a man leave behind?" Full story at LifeNews.com Join the greatest network of life-saving help since the Underground Railroad. Put this sign in your car and help connect women to the FREE help they need. The back lists numerous life-affirming resources so they don't have to choose between their life and their baby's. www.CandleInTheWindow.org |
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Food and Drug Administration has given the final go-ahead for Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. to sell its generic version of the morning after pill. That is the drug that can either prevent a pregnancy or can sometimes result in an abortion of a unique human being hours after conception has occurred. Barr Pharmaceuticals, through its unit Duramed, is the maker of the current over-the-counter Plan B drug that abortion advocates have aggressively promoted. Now, with the FDA approval, Watson will be able to sell its version, called Next Choice, at a reduced cost. Watson said U.S. sales of Plan B reached $135 million during the 12 months that ended on June 30. The new generic of the so-called emergency contraceptive will be available in a 0.75 mg dosage. Like the non-generic levonorgestrel drug, the generic Plan B pill will be available over the counter to all women aged 17 or older and by prescription to younger teenagers. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A federal judge has issued a ruling saying a collection of pro-life groups don't have standing to file a lawsuit against the FDA over its decision allowing the sales of the morning after pill to minors. The groups wanted to reverse the Food and Drug Administration ruling opening the morning after pill to 17-year-olds. The Alliance Defense fund filed legal papers representing three pro-life groups challenging a federal court order that required the FDA to allow the Plan B drug to be sold to minor girls. The groups included Concerned Women for America, the Christian Medical and Dental Association, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International. The organizations contend the order disregards parental rights and the safety of teenage girls. But Judge Edward R. Korman of the Eastern District of New York issued an opinion saying the groups failed to show they were directly harmed by his March 23 ruling and thus lacked legal standing to challenge it. Full story at LifeNews.comScott Roeder Wants Justifiable Homicide Defense in George Tiller Abortion Case
Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- Militia activist Scott Roeder says he wants to use a justifiable homicide defense in connection with charges that he shot and killed late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. Roeder, who has no affiliations with any pro-life groups, may employ an attorney who helped another man who killed an abortion practitioner. Roeder, a 51-year-old resident of Kansas City, is also charged with aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two members of Tiller's church as he fled the scene. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and the aggravated assault charges in the May 31 shooting. Roeder has told the Associated Press that Tiller's killing was justified to save "the lives of unborn children' even though it appears Tiller may have hurt himself by allegedly violating state law and doing illegal late-term abortions. Now, although Roeder has court-appointed defense attorneys, he wants Michael Hirsh, the lawyer who represented Paul Hill on appeal for killing a Florida abortion practitioner, to represent him. Full story at LifeNews.comIllinois Pro-Life Advocates Want Parental Notification on Abortion Enforced Now
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life legal group has filed a challenge against state officials in Illinois who have put off for 90 days a federal court order to began enforcing the state's parental notification law on abortion. The law would allow parents to know when their teen daughters are requesting an abortion. In July, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appealsdissolved the federal injunction against the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Then, in August, the Medical Disciplinary Board voted to give abortion practitioners more time to understand their obligation under the new state law and decided to give them a 90-day moratorium. Tom Brejcha, the president of the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based pro-life legal group that sued to get the law to go into effect, says abortion practitioners have already had 14 years to prepare for the law and the grace period isn't needed. “Physicians who perform abortions in Illinois have had fourteen years to ‘get ready’ and ‘gear up’ to implement the law, more than enough time to comply with the law. This further delay is a clear usurpation of power and an affront to the people of Illinois," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life legal group has filed a challenge against state officials in Illinois who have put off for 90 days a federal court order to began enforcing the state's parental notification law on abortion. The law would allow parents to know when their teen daughters are requesting an abortion. In July, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appealsdissolved the federal injunction against the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Then, in August, the Medical Disciplinary Board voted to give abortion practitioners more time to understand their obligation under the new state law and decided to give them a 90-day moratorium. Tom Brejcha, the president of the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based pro-life legal group that sued to get the law to go into effect, says abortion practitioners have already had 14 years to prepare for the law and the grace period isn't needed. “Physicians who perform abortions in Illinois have had fourteen years to ‘get ready’ and ‘gear up’ to implement the law, more than enough time to comply with the law. This further delay is a clear usurpation of power and an affront to the people of Illinois," he said. Full story at LifeNews.comEncourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
