LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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Current Headlines
• Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid Will Push for Public Option With More Abortion Funding
• House Leader Says Stupak Amdt Cutting Abortion Funding in Health Bill May be Forthcoming
• Pro-Life Democrat Working to Stop Abortion in House Health Bill: Pelosi Hates Me
• Pro-Life Group Concerned Abortion-Funding Health Care May Sneak Through House
• Fake Embryonic Stem Cell Researcher Hwang Woo-Suk Convicted of Fraud
• Law and Order Television Episode Takes Surprisingly Balanced Abortion Approach
• Kill the Persistent Vegetative State Diagnosis, Not Patients Like Terri Schiavo
• Euthanasia Leader Accused of Lying About Top Pro-Life Bioethics Attorney Wesley Smith
• Spain Poll Shows Majority Oppose Proposal Allowing Abortions For Teens Without Parental Notice
• Chinese Police Arrest Dozens in Baby Selling Trafficking Ring, Result of One-Child Policy
• Virginia Polls Show Pro-Life Advocate Bob McDonnell May Have Governor's Race Sewn Up
-----> LifeNews.com will not be publishing regular news this week. We will return with regular full-length news stories Novermber 2, 2009. Below is a collection of newsbriefs to keep you updated on the latest pro-life news. These stories are collected online here.
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Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid Will Push for Public Option With More Abortion Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will push for a public option in the Senate version of the health care reform bill that will allow massive abortion funding. Senate committees had approved two versions of the bill -- one with the government-run option and another without it -- and Reid has said the option will be included when he and other Senate leaders combine the two measures together. That will likely make it so more abortion funding will be included in the legislation unless senators adopt a specific amendment, which has been rejected in both committees, to make sure none of the funding in the bill can pay for abortions. Reid dismissed White House worries and went against his own reputation as a pragmatic lawmakers by announcing the would push for the public option even though there do not appear to be 60 votes in the Senate to cut off debate on it. Reid is betting he can is betting that he can sway the last few moderate Democrats to support it who have said they can't. The White House said President Barack The White House, however, issued a statement praising Reid's move, saying that Obama is "pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out." Reid is hoping the opt out clause would make it so the bill will get the additional support he needs. Two Democratic holdouts, Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, have refused to commit to voting either way on the bill until they review it. And Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the mostly likely Republican to support the bill, has said it would be "difficult" to support any bill with a government insurance option. She said she was "disappointed" by Reid's decision. Reid seemed undeterred, saying "I believe we clearly will have the support of my caucus to move to this bill and start legislating." Reid could get 60 votes to begin debate on the bill but not the 60 he needs to end it. Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent Democrat from Connecticut, has already said he will filibuster Reid's bill. Meanwhile, pro-abortion House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Tuesday that Democratic leaders want to bring their massive health care overhaul legislation to the floor next week, if they can line up a majority behind a single "public option" proposal.
House Leader Says Stupak Amdt Cutting Abortion Funding in Health Bill May be Forthcoming
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A top congressional leader says the amendment from pro-life Rep. Bart Stupak to ensure that abortion funding is not in the House version of the health care reform bill may be forthcoming. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a pro-abortion Maryland Democrat, told CNS News that he thinks Stupak's amendment could be included in the manager's amendment that leaders of both parties agree to before bringing up for a vote on the House floor. Hoyer would not tell CNS News whether he would actually support having a vote on Stupak's amendment itself. Hoyer said he talked with Stupak recently and hopes to satisfy him. "The issue is being worked on and Bart Stupak is very much a part of the working group on this," said Hoyer. "I talked to Bart Stupak on the floor Thursday and he is very hopeful that something will be worked out that will accommodate the legitimate concerns that Bart Stupak and other members have, and I'm hopeful that will happen." Told that Stupak has said repeatedly that he and his pro-life Democratic colleagues will vote against the rules for debate on the bill and maybe the bill itself if an amendment is not included to stop abortion funding, Hoyer repeated that he hoped to work out the situation and include the Stupak amendment in the manager's amendment. "What I said was that I hoped that this will be worked out and it may be included in a manager's amendment and he's working on that and others are working on that," said Hoyer. Stupak's spokesperson, Michelle Begnoche, told CNS News the pro-life lawmaker is not optimistic. "While Representative Hoyer may be more optimistic that this issue can be worked out, Congressman Stupak remains hopeful they can come to an agreement on the issue of federal funding for abortion," said Begnoche. "However, at this point he has not seen language to indicate that there will be a manager's amendment on this issue." According to Stupak, House Rules Chairman Louise Slaughter has told him there is "no way" her committee would allow rules for debate on the bill that would allow his amendment an up or down vote on its own in the full House.
Pro-Life Democrat Working to Stop Abortion in House Health Bill: Pelosi Hates Me
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Michigan Democrat who is leading the charge in the House against abortion funding in the government-run health care bill now says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn't like him because he and his colleagues are willing to vote against the bill and rules of debate on it to make sure abortions are not financed with taxpayer funds. Rep. Bart Stupak told CSPAN Speaker Pelosi is not pleased with his effort During an interview on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" show, Stupak said he is undeterred in trying to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not pay for abortions. He acknowledged that some in his party are upset with his public campaign to change the bill. "The Speaker is not happy with me," Stupak said. Stupak pointed out that he and Democratic leaders have a fundamental disagreement on whether health plans that receive subsidies from the government should be allowed to provide coverage options on abortions. Stupak wants a vote on the House floor to strike the language, and predicts he would have the votes to pass such an amendment. "This has been federal law since 1976," he said. "We have to have a vote. Somewhere in this process, we have to be able to vote our conscience... If this language [funding abortion] is there, many of the 40 will not vote for this bill." If he doesn't get one, Stupak said he and as many as 39 other Democrats will vote no on a procedural motion to bring the health bill to the floor. A House vote on healthcare reform could be taken next week. Stupak stressed he wants to vote for healthcare reform and is "still somewhat optimistic" that the abortion funding problem can be resolved, though he won't back down until that happens. "I'm comfortable with where I'm at. This is who I am. It's reflective of my district. If it costs me my seat, so be it."
Pro-Life Group Concerned Abortion-Funding Health Care May Sneak Through House
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- One of the leading pro-life organizations issued a massive legislative alert today urging pro-life advocates to call their members of Congress now about the pro-abortion health care bill pending in the House. Although some political observers don't expect votes on the bill, HR 3200, until November, National Right to Life is worried that pro-abortion House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will attempt to sneak the legislation through the House on short notice. "Pelosi is planning to try to ram the massive health care bill through the House on short notice, without allowing consideration of a critical pro-life amendment," NRLC officials told LifeNews.com Monday. "National Right to Life is urging every pro-life citizen to immediately telephone the office of his or her representative in the U.S. House of Representatives with a clear and firm message urging a 'no' vote on the so-called rule, which is the procedural vote that would allow passage of H.R. 3200 with no amendments allowed, and also to vote against the pro-abortion bill itself." NRLC urged calls to legislators because so many members of Congress have changed their email systems to make it so only people who live in their congressional district can get through. The pro-life group also called on pro-life advocates to call again, even if they have called to oppose the pro-abortion health care bill before. "Even if you have already called and written your representatives in Congress about the health care bills, it is critical that you call again now," the group told LifeNews.com.
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Fake Embryonic Stem Cell Researcher Hwang Woo-Suk Convicted of Fraud
Seoul, South Korea (LifeNews.com) -- The South Korean scientist who brought international embarrassment to the field of embryonic stem cell research due to his fraudulent studies, was convicted today of embezzlement and illegally obtaining human eggs from his female subordinates. Supporters of Hwang, who was, at one time, a national hero because of his work, cheered as he was given a two-year suspended sentence instead of the four years in prison demanded by government prosecutors. He was also acquitted of one of the charges against him – fraudulently raising funds from private organizations. Hwang's lies were an international scientific scandal and a particular source of embarrassment to Science, the world renowned journal which published his fraudulent findings. In 2004 the magazine published a paper by Hwang and fellow scientists at Seoul National University, in which they claimed that they had created the world's first cloned human embryos, and extracted from them embryonic stem cells. A second paper announced that Hwang's team created lines of stem cells genetically matched to particular patients -- overcoming the immune system rejection issues that continue to plague embryonic stem cell research. Both claims, and virtually all of the information in the papers, were false. The judges found today that Hwang had misappropriated 830 million won ($600,000+) of research funds, but ruled that this had not been for his personal enrichment. He was acquitted of fraudulently obtained private donations worth another 2 billion won. Since his disgrace, Hwang, who first qualified as a veterinary scientist, has been stripped of his right to carry out stem cell research, and has focused on researching dog cloning at a private research center. To date, embryonic stem cell research and human cloning have yet to cure a single patient while the use of more ethical adult stem cells have helped patients with more than 100 diseases and conditions.
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The reaction from pro-life and pro-abortion advocates to last Friday's episode of Law & Order on NBC makes it clear that the program chalked up the opposite result from what pro-life advocates expected. Instead of upsetting pro-life advocates, abortion proponents are infuriated while pro-life people are pleasantly surprised by the fair treatment the program gave to abortion. The episode, titled "Dignity," began with the murder of a late-term abortion practitioner during a church service -- reminiscent of the shooting of George Tiller. After the murder, the assailant is captured and confesses and his attorney argues that the killing was justified because the attacker was protecting unborn children. While the attacker is eventually found guilty, the episode covers the abortion debate and uses arguments that are normally not seen when pro-life advocates are covered. National Right to Life blogger Dave Andrusko responds: "What makes the Law & Order episode so riveting is that virtually every pro-life argument you knew you would never hear on a network program is a part of 'Dignity.'" He continued, "More important, it occurred to me as I listened in utter astonishment that each of these observations could have been presented in a way that was artificial, forced, or (as so often is the case with network portraits of pro-lifers) something that you would expect from an idiot. None of that was the case. These were real flesh-and-blood people, not caricatures." In one instance, detectives Lupo and Bernard argue about abortions in the cases of rape or incest. Lupo says making a young girl have the baby is horrendous but Bernard responds: "You got it backwards, man! The horrible thing is the rape! Not the bringing of a life into the world." He talks about how he was born to an unwed mother and than Lupo almost had a different partner because she could have had an abortion. But abortion advocates are incensed. Sarah Seltzer of RHRC says: "Balanced it was not. An episode that was meant to focus on the prosecution of a cold-blooded murder ended up putting women's rights on trial--and viewers picked up on its slant right away." She pledged to fight the NBC producers, saying "we know how deeply seriously our anger is taken by the media."
Kill the Persistent Vegetative State Diagnosis, Not Patients Like Terri Schiavo
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following editorial comes from Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo: With all of the current debate in the United States over President Obama's proposed health care legislation, people seem to have firmly chosen sides—based on their political leanings and not necessarily the actual content of the bill, HR 3200. In a nation that professes a profound reverence for the lives and wellness of its citizens, it is no argument that our system of healthcare delivery fails many patients and that insurance companies and health maintenance organizations have long dodged the bullet of responsibility when they've rationed care or denied coverage for certain types of treatments and therapies. That rationing and denial of coverage is most rampant among our most vulnerable citizens—when such treatments and therapies are essential for daily living. And now the government wants in. Though our current system is in serious need of repair, many fear that a government-run system could open the doors for bureaucrats to make decisions in life and death for patients whose diagnoses are less than promising. This becomes most alarming when certain diagnoses can equal a death sentence for someone who is helpless to save themselves. On September 20, 2009, Scientific American published a report titled "Conditional Consciousness: Patients in Vegetative States Can Learn, Predicting Recovery." Citing a study published by Nature Neuroscience, the report states that patients who were previously diagnosed as being in a vegetative state were able to relearn behaviors—suggesting cognition in people who had failed more traditional tests for cognitive function and awareness. Read the full article here.
Euthanasia Leader Accused of Lying About Top Pro-Life Bioethics Attorney Wesley Smith
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following is an update from Wesley J. Smith, a top pro-life bioethics writer and attorney: Barbara Coombs Lee, head honcho at the assisted suicide advocacy group Compassion and Choices, has written a column in the Huffington Post that lies about me. She doesn't mention my name, perhaps because that would permit people to look me up and find out for themselves about whether what she writes about me is actually true. She references my recent National Review cover story on assisted suicide–"A Myth is as Good as a Mile"–but without the courtesy of linking it so that her readers can see whether she told the truth about what I wrote. There's a reason for that. In the article, I exposed the "Oregon Myth" that assisted suicide there has been without abuses in that state. Letting people have easy access to my piece would, thus, be shall we say, inconvenient to shoveling the propaganda. Coombs Lee is free to link or not link, grapple with my actual criticisms or pretend they don't exist, as she chooses. In fact, not doing so is par for the course with this crowd. The assisted suicide movement doesn't like to engage with their opponents' actual arguments. But she is not free to lie about my positions on unrelated issues. Lee writes, "As one might expect, the writer opposes personal choice in most important life decisions. A believer in intelligent design, he opposes contraception, stem cell research and choice in dying." Coombs Lee's mendacity illustrates something people need to know about her: Truth doesn't ultimately matter in her advocacy. What counts is the emotional narrative–including outright fear mongering and libeling doctors as "torturers"–and winning by any means necessary. Read more about Lee's antics here.
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Spain Poll Shows Majority Oppose Proposal Allowing Abortions For Teens Without Parental Notice
Madrid, Spain (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll shows a majority of the citizens of Spain oppose the government's proposal to allow teenagers to get abortions without any parental notification or consent. The NC Report conducted a survey for the La Razon newspaper that shows 58.4 percent of Spanish citizens oppose allowing 16-year-olds to get an abortion without the consent of their parents while another 46 percent oppose the proposal to expand legal abortions. The poll found 30 percent oppose abortion "in all cases," and another 30 percent support abortions only "in justified cases." Just 35.5 percent support legal abortions for any reason. A majority of respondents also opposed the distribution of the morning-after pill without a prescription. The survey found that, for 41.1 percent of residents of Spain, the main reason for obtaining an abortion is economic or job-related. Nearly 19 percent said abortions were for social, family or cultural reasons. Eighteen percent attributed abortions to the failure of contraceptives, and only 7.5 percent believe the majority of abortions are performed for medical reasons. La Razon indicated the results "contradict the claims of abortion clinics. According to official statistics of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy, around 99 percent of voluntary pregnancy terminations recorded in Spain occur for the life or health of the mother. In addition, on this point the youngest respondents (those aged 18-44) were the ones who attributed pregnancy termination to economic problems." The new poll also found 55.6 percent of Spaniards believe that a policy supporting childbirth would reduce the number of abortions in the country. Read more about the government's move.
Chinese Police Arrest Dozens in Baby Selling Trafficking Ring, Result of One-Child Policy
Beijing, China (LifeNews.com) -- Chinese police have arrested 42 alleged members of a trafficking ring that sold dozens of infants stolen or bought from their rural parents, the official Chinese news agency reported. Such trafficking rings are the results of the one-child policy whereby Chinese couples are prohibited from having any more than one baby and are fined, jailed or even subjected to forced abortions and sterilizations if they violate the rule. The ring had separate units to handle the procurement, transport and sale of the children, the Xinhua News Agency reported. It trafficked 52 children over two years, earning the equivalent of nearly $60,000, the report said. China has a thriving black market in girls and women, often used as laborers or as brides for unwed sons. A traditional preference for male heirs also drives the market in baby boys, who fetch a considerably higher price than girls. Some families sell their female babies in order to try for a boy, since they can only have one child. Xinhua said the ring had operated in impoverished rural areas of the country's north. It began to falter after officers stopped a van in May containing three men and a baby boy, the report said. It said the child had been rejected by his would-be new parents for not being healthy enough and was on his way to being returned to a pair of middlemen who had procured a total of 13 babies for the ring. The ring had earned 400,000 yuan ($58,600) from the sale of the 19 boys and 33 girls, Xinhua said.
Virginia Polls Show Pro-Life Advocate Bob McDonnell May Have Governor's Race Sewn Up
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- Two new polls released on Tuesday make it appear that pro-life advocate Bob McDonnell, the Republican candidate for governor, may have the race sew up against his pro-abortion opponent Creigh Deeds. A PPP survey of 729 likely voters puts McDonnell at 55 percent and Deeds at 40 percent. McDonnell is carrying more self-identified Republicans (94 percent) than Deeds is winning Democrats (84 percent), and McDonnell has a commanding 59 percent to 34 percent lead among political independents. Deeds continues to be hurt by a poor public image. Just 38 percent of respondents said they viewed him favorably, compared to 56 percent who said that about McDonnell. Just one in four voters thinks that Deeds is running a "positive" campaign, vs. 59 percent who think he is waging a "negative" campaign. Deeds is hurt by the fact that pro-abortion President Barack Obama is doing poorly in the state. The survey gives him an approval rating of just 42 percent and a disapproval rating of 52 percent in a state that he carried with 53 percent of the vote in the 2008 election. The other poll of Virginia voters from SurveyUSA and conducted Oct. 25-26 puts McDonnell up by 17 percentage points. It's the fifth public poll in the past week that gives him a commanding, double-digit lead over Deeds. The SurveyUSA poll, which canvassed 502 voters who say they are likely to cast a ballot on Nov. 3, has McDonnell up by 58 percent to 41 percent. McDonnell also has a strong lead among political independents, 60 percent to 38 percent. SurveyUSA says that McDonnell is winning 38 percent of those who support abortion and has a solid majority among pro-life voters.
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