LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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Current Headlines
• Bipartisan Lawmakers Sponsor Stupak Amdt to Cut Abortion Funds in Senate Bill
• Senate Health Care Bill Amendment Would Define Abortion as Preventative Care
• Conscience Protections for Pro-Life Medical Professionals Not in Senate Health Bill
• Barack Obama Establishes New Presidential Bioethics Council, Could Push Cloning
• Patrick Kennedy Ignores Questions About Attacking Catholic Church on Abortion
• Just 500 People Heading to DC to Demand Abortion Funding in Health Care Bills
• Los Angeles Times Attacks Pro-Life Manhattan Declaration Signers as "Dangerous"
• European Court to Hear Case Next Week Seeking to Overturn Ireland Abortion Ban
• Man Who Killed Pro-Life Advocate Protesting Abortions Will Head to Trial Soon
• Mainline Protestant Churches Criticized for Promoting Pro-Abortion Health Care
• Australia Pro-Lifers Excited New Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott Opposes Abortion
• Missouri Representative Files Bill to Stop Funding of Abortion, Cloning, ESCR
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Bipartisan Lawmakers Sponsor Stupak Amdt to Cut Abortion Funds in Senate Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Sen. Ben Nelson, a pro-life Democrat from Nebraska, confirmed today that he is working on an amendment to the Senate version of the government-run health care bill that would remove abortion funding from it. He said the amendment would be similar to language adopted in the House.
Nelson is joined by Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, for a bipartisan amendment they hope will attract more of their colleagues.
During the House debate on the health care bill, lawmakers adopted the Stupak amendment on a strongly bipartisan vote. That amendment removed the abortion funding found in the government-run public option and the affordability credits -- both of which are contained in the bill Senate leader Harry Reid proposed.
Nelson said today he plans to offer an amendment that is virtually identical to the Stupak amendment in the House, saying the only difference is in what is changed in the differently-worded bills but adding that the thrust is the same.
"I'm working on an abortion amendment," Nelson told reporters. "It's as identical to Stupak as it can be."
Nelson said he is working on the amendment with other senators but declined to name any lawmakers who are supporting his effort, adding that "perhaps" other Democrats are involved.
"The only thing I'm talking about is the Stupak plan, which is referred to as an abortion issue but I think the president was right when he said this bill's not about abortion. It's about how you account for federal dollars to stay consistent with Hyde and the long-term federal policy of not using tax dollars or federal monies to fund abortions," Nelson said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Health Care Bill Amendment Would Define Abortion as Preventative Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With polls showing as many as 63 percent of Americans oppose abortions and strong majorities against taxpayer funding of it, abortion advocates are desperate to mainstream abortion. One pro-abortion lawmaker has an amendment to the Senate health care bill to do just that.
Yesterday, the Senate began the process of considering amendments to Senator Harry Reid's pro-abortion health care legislation.
The first amendment offered was Mikulski Amendment No. 2791, sponsored by pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, dealing with federally mandated coverage of "preventive care."
The amendment would essentially define abortion as preventative care and could result in mandates to private insurance plans that they define abortion as such and provide coverage of it.
Because of that, the National Right to Life Committee issued a letter to members of the Senate urging them to strongly oppose the Mikulski amendment.
"If Congress were to grant any Executive Branch entity sweeping authority to define services that private health plans must cover, merely by declaring a given service to constitute 'preventive care' then that authority could be employed in the future to require all health plans to cover abortions," NRLC explains. "Therefore, NRLC opposes both the Mikulski Amendment No.2791, and the underlying language of Section 1001, unless additional language is added to explicitly exclude abortion from the universe of services that might be mandated as 'preventive care.'" Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: Contact your senators today and urge a No vote on the Mikulski amendment, the vote on which could come as early as Wednesday. Go to http://www.Senate.gov to find contact information.
Conscience Protections for Pro-Life Medical Professionals Not in Senate Health Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion funding has received most of the coverage and notice when it comes to the pro-life concerns about the health care bills pending in Congress. While rationing and assisted suicide have also gained attention, the plight of pro-life medical professionals has not.
In a recent speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, outlined the concerns present in the Senate bill for pro-life health care workers. He noted that, while the House bill contains language to support their conscience rights on abortion, the Senate does not have the same language.
"The House provisions, in contrast to the terribly flawed provisions in the Reid bill, contained language that would not only safeguard the rights of the unborn but also would prevent medical providers from being coerced into performing procedures that violate their conscience," Hatch said.
Hatch discussed the amendment he proposed during the committee consideration of a version of the health care bill to protect the right of pro-life doctors and nurses.
He said his amendment "provided conscience clause protections to medical providers opposed to abortion. This language was based on the Hyde/Weldon provision contained in every Labor/HHS appropriations bill since 2004. It also was included in the House-passed bill."
Hyde-Weldon is a federal law that President George W. Bush signed into law in December 2004 that protects hospitals, health insurance companies and medical professionals who don't want to pay for or perform abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
Barack Obama Establishes New Presidential Bioethics Council, Could Push Cloning
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama has established a new presidential bioethics council that may feature advisors who could push his decision to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research even further. They could advise Obama that his administration should push human cloning.
Last week, under the cover of the death of news given the Thanksgiving holiday, Obama signed an executive order to create the new council.
Obama created the Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues and named Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, to serve as its chair and James W. Wagner, president of Emory University, as vice-chair.
Dr. David Prentice, a former science professor at Indiana State University who is now a fellow at the Family Research Council, talked with LifeNews.com last week about the new council.
"The previous President's Council on Bioethics was terminated before its time by President Obama back in June. Its charter was scheduled to expire in September, and there was some thought it was booted early to clear the deck for a new bioethics group aligned with the president," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Patrick Kennedy Ignores Questions About Attacking Catholic Church on Abortion
Providence, RI (LifeNews.com) -- Patrick Kennedy, the pro-abortion Rhode Island congressman, ignored questions about his feud with the Catholic Church. Kennedy came under fire from his bishop for questioning the pro-life credentials of the church and disclosed a private letter he had received in 2007 urging him not to receive communion.
At a health care forum on Monday, his first public appearance since the scandal, Kennedy tackled questions about health care but avoided any on the incident.
Acknowledging the divide between himself and Bishop Thomas Tobin, Kennedy joked to reporters after the event, saying "I'm so glad that all of you are so interested in health care."
In fact, the issue of abortion came up only once during the event -- when pro-life advocate and perennial local government candidate Christopher Young accused Kennedy of supporting a health care bill that would fund abortions.
"You're not Catholic if you force Catholics into funding abortion," he said. Young attempted to give Kennedy a pro-life DVD to watch, but was escorted from the event by police when he tried to do so. Full story at LifeNews.com
Just 500 People Heading to DC to Demand Abortion Funding in Health Care Bills
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates have been planning a massive rally in the nation's capital for weeks, urging them to join their call for Congress to ensure the health care bills fund abortions with tax dollars. Yet, as of Monday evening, a Planned Parenthood representative said just 500 people would attend the combined rallies.
Seeking tens of thousands of people for their protest, Planned Parenthood joined with NARAL, other pro-abortion groups, pro-homosexual organizations and labor unions to jointly sponsor the event.
But, in an interview conducted late yesterday, Tait Sye, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood, admitted to The Hill, a Congressional newspaper, that only a few hundred people would show up.
"It has certainly struck a nerve," Sye said, yet The Hill indicates she informed it that the "lobby day is expected to draw around 500 abortion-rights advocates to rally in the Dirksen Senate Office Building and door-knock on Capitol Hill."
In an indication that even the most zealous abortion advocates don't care much about forcing taxpayers to fund abortions, The Hill reports that Planned Parenthood is delivering a petition with 70,000 signatures and NARAL has one with 90,000 signatures that both groups plan to deliver to lawmakers on their lobbying day. Full story at LifeNews.com
Los Angeles Times Attacks Pro-Life Manhattan Declaration Signers as "Dangerous"
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The signers of the new Manhattan Declaration put pen to paper to articulate their concerns about conscience issues for medical professionals. What they regard as a right -- making sure doctors and nurses aren't forced to participate in abortions -- the Los Angeles Times is calling "dangerous."
More than 150 Christian leaders, both evangelicals and Catholics,signed onto the Manhattan Declaration.
The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not-under any circumstance-abandon their Christian consciences when it comes to pro-life issues.
"Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act," it says.
In a recent editorial titled, "Christian leaders' stance on civil disobedience is dangerous," the Times says they are "going too far when they declare they will break laws on abortion." Full story at LifeNews.com
European Court to Hear Case Next Week Seeking to Overturn Ireland Abortion Ban
Strasbourg, France (LifeNews.com) -- The European Court of Human Rights will hold a hearing next week on the lawsuit from three women who traveled from Ireland to Britain to obtain abortions. The women hope to overturn Ireland's strong pro-life laws that prohibit abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger.
They say they were denied their rights because the Irish pro-life abortion law requires them to travel out of the country for an abortion.
In their lawsuit, they claim the law jeopardizes their health and well-being and they are basing their argument on four articles in the European Convention on Human Rights.
The case, known as A, B and C versus Ireland and brought at the behest of the Irish Family Planning Association pro-abortion group, has been called the European version of Roe v. Wade by pro-life advocates on the continent.
John Smeaton, the head of the British pro-life group SPUC Pro-Life: "If it is successful, countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world will be affected. The effect could be similar to the Roe v Wade judgment in America, which struck down all restrictive laws on abortion in the United States by recognizing a right to abortion," he said today. Full story at LifeNews.com
Man Who Killed Pro-Life Advocate Protesting Abortions Will Head to Trial Soon
Owosso, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Harlan Drake, the man accused of shooting a local businessman and pro-life advocate James Pouillon as he protested abortion at a high school, will head to trial soon. Drake faces a Thursday hearing and his defense attorney says he will ask the judge that the case go directly to trial.
Defense lawyer Robert Ashley told the Associated Press today that there is no reason for the court to hold a hearing on probably cause. As a result, he will waive Drake's right to the hearing later this week.
Drake is charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of 63-year-old James Pouillon and 61-year-old Mike Fuoss.
Pouillon was holding a pro-life sign outside Owosso High School, as he frequently did. Drake has already admitted to killing Pouillon and Fuoss and said he killed Pouillon because he didn't like his use of graphic pictures of babies victimized by abortions.
Drake was hospitalized in a mental hospital shortly after he was apprehended so he could be rehabilitated to the point that he could stand trial. Full story at LifeNews.com
Mainline Protestant Churches Criticized for Promoting Pro-Abortion Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Several of the mainline Protestant church denominations have historically advocated abortion even though doing so conflicts with Christian Biblical teachings. These denominations are continuing to promote abortion under the guise of touting health care reform.
The lobbying offices of the mainline churches have joined with abortion advocacy groups in opposing the Stupak-Pitts restriction against taxpayer funding of abortion.
Unlike the evangelical left, which has sought to consolidate liberal evangelical support behind Obamacare by promising (perhaps disingenuous) protections against government funded abortion, the old religious left is urging constituents to tell the Senate to defeat any attempt to ban abortion funding.
Reverend Carlton Veazey of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which includes such denominations as the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ, recently sent a letter to members of the Senate. Full story at LifeNews.com
Australia Pro-Lifers Excited New Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott Opposes Abortion
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- Australia pro-life advocates are excited that the new leader of the Liberal Party, conservative Catholic MP Tony Abbott, is pro-life on abortion. They say that, while he hasn't made any policy promises to them, his past comments condemning abortion are encouraging.
Abbott has previously called the legalization of abortion a stain on the character and history of Australia.
Right to Life Australia president Veronica Andrews told the AAP news service that she hopes Abbot will use his position to speak out against abortion and euthanasia has the head of the Liberal Party.
"He hasn't promised us anything for sure but we're excited by the idea of Abbott," Andrews said. "I don't think he'll have the time to devote to our issue." "We'd like to think we'd get one all the time from now on but I don't think it's likely," Andrews added about how rare it is that a leader of the party would be pro-life. Full story at LifeNews.com
Missouri Representative Files Bill to Stop Funding of Abortion, Cloning, ESCR
Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- Today, the first day Missouri lawmakers can file legislation in advance of the next legislative session, one pro-life state representative has filed a bill to stop taxpayer funding of abortion, human cloning, and embryonic stem cell research because they all destroy human life.
Representative Cynthia Davis, a Republican from O'Fallon who is the chair of the Special Standing Committee on Children and Families in the Missouri House, is behind the new bill.
Davis filed a House Joint Resolution, H.J.R. 49, along with six other members of the House.
"This Joint Resolution I filed will allow Missouri taxpayers to make sure their hard-earned tax dollars will not go to pay for abortions not medically necessary to save the life of the mother, abortion services, human cloning or embryo destructive research," she said in a statement LifeNews.com obtained today. Full story at LifeNews.com
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