LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
| For news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
• Catholic Bishops Speak Out Against Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
• Republican Party Runs Health Care Ad Blasting Rationing, Targets Seniors
• UNESCO Sex Education Guidelines Call on Children to Promote Abortions
• Washington Post Leads Effort to Decry Lack of Abortion Practitioners
• Pro-Abortion Web Site Censors Pro-Life Advocate's Health Care Comments
• Montana Supreme Court Will Take Up Case to Allow Assisted Suicide
• British Scientists Use Patients' Adult Stem Cells to Avoid Hip Replacement
• Texas Pro-Life Group Endorses Republican Gov Rick Perry for Re-Election
• Planned Parenthood Merges Iowa and Nebraska Affiliates, More Abortions
• Japan's Underpopulation Crisis Led to Election Upset Demographer Says
• Australia Doc Reprimanded for Offer of Drug-Induced Abortion at 20 Weeks
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Individual Catholic Bishops Speak Out Against Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The nation's Catholic bishops have spoken collectively against the pro-abortion health care bills pending in Congress. Now, individual bishops are beginning to speak out and to urge elected official to focus on promoting health care not rationing and abortion funding. Bishop Walker Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa issued a message on Tuesday that has pro-life Catholics cheering. The upshot? No health care "reform" is better than a restructuring that forces abortion funding or mandates. "First and most important, the Church will not accept any legislation that mandates coverage, public or private, for abortion, euthanasia, or embryonic stem-cell research," Nickless writes. "We refuse to allow our own parish, school, and diocesan health insurance plans to be forced to include these evils." The bishop is also concerned about the effect a government-run health care system would have on the thousands of Americans who are pro-life medical workers. "As a corollary of this, we insist equally on adequate protection of individual rights of conscience for patients and health care providers not to be made complicit in these evils. A so-called reform that imposes these evils on us would be far worse than keeping the health care system we now have," Nickless added. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: 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.
Republican Party Runs New Health Care Ad Blasting Rationing, Targets Seniors
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Republican Party has entered the health care debate on Capitol Hill with a new television commercial that blasts the congressional bills for rationing care. The ad is meant to reach seniors who are concerned about the quality of life and "death panels" components of the bills. The ad will run in Florida and on cable networks across the country and it attacks the pro-abortion health care bills for cutting Medicare, rationing health care treatments and allowing the government to push certain end-of-life decisions. "When you disagree with Washington, how come they act like it's your problem?" RNC chairman Michael Steele asks in the spot. "That's what the Democrats have done with health care. They say you're the problem." The ad touts the new Seniors Bill of Rights the Republican Party has put forward as a way to craft a health care bill that doesn't ration care or wind up supporting assisted suicide. "Congress should always consider health care proposals that protect senior citizens," Steele says. "For starters, [the bill should] make it illegal to ration health care based on age, and it should prevent any government role in end-of-life care." Full story at LifeNews.com
New UNESCO Sex Education Guidelines Call on Children to Promote Abortions
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- A new report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been roundly criticized since its release. Now, a new analysis of the 94-page documents finds the UN agency is calling for children to promote abortions across the globe. The analysis finds children are not only told about abortion and where to obtain one but encouraged to be trained to "advocate" the pro-abortion position. The report, entitled International Guidelines on Sexual Education, is filled with advice for sex education instructors to advance the abortion agenda. It calls on making children as young as 9-year-old aware of abortion and its legal status "locally and globally." When children become 12, the report encourages teaching them where they can obtain a legal abortion. By the time the kids reach 15-18 years of age, the report encourages instructors to teach them "advocacy to promote the right to and access to safe abortion." The Global Outreach arm of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, a statewide pro-life organization, reviewed the report and Scott Fischbach, its executive director, talked with LifeNews.com about what he found. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington Post Leads Annual Effort to Decry Lack of Abortion Practitioners
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Once or twice a year, the leaders of the mainstream media pack write their obligatory article for the pro-abortion movement decrying the lack of abortion practitioners. With the recent shooting of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, the Washington Post has decided now is a good time to print a story. The headline is "Abortion Stigma Affects Doctors' Training and Choices." In the "news" story, the Post continues the mantra that somehow there would be more physicians doing abortions if only the majority of Americans who are pro-life weren't so hell-bent on violence and intimidation. 'When Devin Miller, leader of the abortion rights group Medical Students for Choice at Virginia Commonwealth University, heard about the slaying of George Tiller, a Kansas physician who performed late abortions, she 'took a step back' to ponder her future,' the Post laments in its preview. Readers don't make it past the first paragraph without hearing Miller complain that pro-life advocates foster an environment of "constant negative energy and constant fighting." Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Abortion Blog Web Site Censors Pro-Life Advocate's Health Care Comments
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A prominent pro-abortion blog is coming under fire for censoring the public comments of a pro-life advocate who disabused one of its authors for making false claims about abortion funding in the health care bills. The RH Reality Check web site, funded by the pro-abortion and Ted Turner-created United Nations Foundation, bills itself as a counter to the pro-life reporting of web sites like LifeNews.com. The site is popular with abortion advocates and it outpaces those of pro-abortion groups like Emily's List and NARAL in terms of visitors. As a blog, RHRC normally provides a forum for response to the many inaccuracies and the sometimes hate-filled rhetoric against pro-life people found there. But not when it comes to the problem of massive taxpayer-funding of abortions found in the health care bills in Congress. Full story at LifeNews.com
Montana Supreme Court Will Take Up Case Wednesday to Allow Assisted Suicide
Helena, MT (LifeNews.com) -- The Montana Supreme Court will take up a case on Wednesday that could make the state the third to allow assisted suicide. The case is a concern for pro-life advocates because a decision in favor of assisted suicide could also open up the grisly practice without any limits other states have. Oregon became the first state allowing assisted suicide following two statewide votes and legal battles. Washington voters made the Pacific coast state the second last November after approving I-1000, a statewide ballot initiative that saw euthanasia proponents vastly outspend pro-life groups, doctors and disability rights advocates. Sensing an opportunity to advance assisted suicide further, given the state's expansive constitution with language promoting privacy and individual rights, euthanasia advocates filed a case for a disabled man in Montana. Robert Baxter won his case at the lower court level and a decision from the left-wing Montana Supreme Court could open up assisted suicide to the rest of the state or shut it off completely. Full story at LifeNews.com
British Scientists Use Patients' Own Adult Stem Cells to Help Avoid Hip Replacement
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- British scientists have pioneered a breakthrough technique involving adult stem cell research to help patients who may otherwise need a hip replacement. The new technique, which involves the use of a patient's own stem cells, shows adult cells continue to be more promising them embryonic ones. Doctors in Southampton are relying on a patient's stem cells to rejuvenate dead hip bones. They are using purified cells from bone marrow extracted from the back of the pelvis. Patients involved in the breakthrough therapy are hailing the results, saying they are able to walk again without pain and without the need for hip replacement surgery. Doctors at Spire hospital told the London Telegraph newspaper that six patients were involved in the trials and five of the six patients met with success after the adult stem cell transplants. The stem cells used in the process are mixed with "cleaned, ground-up" bone from another patient after a hip replacement operation. The mixture of stem cells and bone is used to fill in the cavities in the patient's bones in the hip area. Carl Millard, told the newspaper that, following the use of the adult stem cells, he can walk normally and without pain. Full story at LifeNews.com
Texas Pro-Life Group Endorses Republican Governor Rick Perry for Re-Election
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- A Texas pro-life group has weighed into what will likely be a combative primary election contest in Texas as Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison takes on sitting Gov. Rick Perry. The Texas Alliance for Life political action committee is urging Texans to get behind Perry, saying his pro-life record and views are superior. "We enthusiastically endorse Governor Perry in his bid for re-election," TAL director Joe Pojman told LifeNews.com late Monday. "He is a loyal advocate for the protection of unborn babies and their mothers, and TAL is eager for him to continue his dedicated and effective leadership of our state,' Pojman said. The pro-life group points out that Perry has consistently and passionately supported laws protecting unborn babies and their mothers. Full story at LifeNews.com
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Planned Parenthood Mergers Iowa and Nebraska Affiliates, More Abortions Possible
Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa and Planned Parenthood of Nebraska/Council Bluffs have announced that the two local affiliates of the national abortion business will merge. One pro-life advocate says she is concerned that will mean more abortions in Nebraska. There, Planned Parenthood has not put together as extensive of a network of facilities as it has in Iowa. The new merger takes effect today and the new abortion conglomerate will be called Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, with its administrative offices based in Des Moines. Jill June, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, told KCCI that the respective boards saw the need to combine operations. The combined group now has 23 centers in the two states and a few in Illinois. "As we worked together, we saw so many similarities and opportunities between the two affiliates, that it became obvious to the respective boards that a merger should take place," she said. Full story at LifeNews.comJapan's Underpopulation Crisis Led to Recent Election Upset Demographer Says
Tokyo, Japan (LifeNews.com) -- The Japanese people made Sunday's national elections a history one by making it so the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost power for only the second time in the post-World War II era. A demographer says he thinks he knows the reason why: the nation's underpopulation crisis. In the elections, opposition Democrats swept to power by winning 308 of 480 seats in the lower house of parliament. Barry McLerran, producer of both "Demographic Winter" and the just-released sequel, "Demographic Bomb," sent a statement to LifeNews.com to explain why. He says that, lost in the election analysis, is the role declining birth rates and a rapidly aging population are playing in Japan's ongoing economic crisis. Full story at LifeNews.com
Australia Doctor Reprimanded for Offer of Drug-Induced Abortion at 20 Weeks
Brisbane, Queensland (LifeNews.com) -- A physician in Australia has been reprimanded by a medical board for offering a drug-induced abortion to a woman 20 weeks into pregnancy. The dangerous abortion drug mifepristone is only intended for abortions to kill unborn children who are several weeks along. Adrienne Freeman received a letter from the Medical Board of Queensland warning her that she would be putting the life of the pregnant woman at risk if she went through with the drug-based abortion. According to a Courier Mail report, Dr. Mary Cohn, the chair of the board, authored the letter telling Freeman that she would also breach the conditions of her medical license by going through with the abortion. "A woman being treated as an outpatient is unlikely to fully understand the implications of the procedure and would be unable to properly assess whether they required further treatment," Cohn said. "This type of procedure should only be performed in a facility where patients have the required level of professional support and post-procedure care." Full story at LifeNews.com
