LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Friday, January 15, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Poll: 67 Percent of Americans Oppose Funding Abortion in Health Care Bill
• Poll: Majority of Americans Would Vote Against Barack Obama for President
• Congressman: Stupak, Pro-Life Democrats Hold Fast on Health Care, Abortion
• Hillary Clinton Promotes Fundraising Push for Pro-Abortion Reproductive Health
• Pro-Life Group Launches New Campaign to Expose Abortion Center Abuses
• Tim Pawlenty to Headline Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life Gala in March
• Signs Declaring Women Do Regret Abortion Will Flood March for Life Event
• What if I Were Born After The Roe Abortion Decision? Two Reasons to Hate 37
• Record Number of Pro-Life College Students Attend Youth Conference on Abortion
• New Hampshire Defeats Assisted Suicide Bill OKing it for State Residents, Others
• Texas Pro-Life Group Chides Kay Bailey Hutchinson for Pro-Abortion Stance
• Battle for Christian Party Chairmanship in Council of Europe Centered on Abortion
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Poll: 67 Percent of Americans Oppose Funding Abortion in Health Care Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new Quinnipiac University poll finds 67 percent of Americans oppose funding abortions with government funds under the government-run health care bill pending in Congress. This is the latest of several recent polls all showing a majority of Americans oppose tax-funded abortions.
The new survey asked: "Do you support or oppose allowing abortions to be paid for by public funds under a health care reform bill?"
Some 67 percent of respondents said no while just 27 percent sided with President Barack Obama and pro-abortion groups favoring abortion funding.
Republicans were opposed to funding on a 87-10 percent margin as were independent voters on a 67-26 percent margin. Democrats were split 47-47 percent on abortion funding in the health care reform legislation. Quinnipiac found men and women about even on the question of opposing abortion funding with men opposing it 65-29 and women oppose it 68-26 percent.
White Americans opposed abortion funding on a 70-24 percent margin, while blacks oppose it 52-41 percent. Older and middle-aged voters were opposed on about the same margins while younger voters under 30 opposed it but by a slightly smaller percentage.
Upper income Americans were less opposed to abortion funding than lower income and middle income Americans. Conservatives and moderates opposed abortion funding at higher rates than liberals and evangelicals and Protestants were more opposed to funding than Catholics. Full story at LifeNews.com
Poll: Majority of Americans Would Vote Against Barack Obama for President
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Just one year after his inauguration as president, Barack Obama now finds himself facing an American public that is dissatisfied with his performance. A new poll indicates a majority of Americans would vote against him for president if his re-election bid were held today.
The Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll shows 50% say they would probably or definitely vote for someone else over Obama.
Almost as many voters (37 percent) say they would definitely vote against Obama as say they would vote for him (39 percent).
Only 23 percent of Americans say they would definitely vote for Obama for a second term as president.
Obama's approval rating is down to 47%, the poll showed, which constitutes a 14 percent drop since its April poll and 45 percent of Americans disapprove of his job performance, up 15 percent since then.
Conservative writer Ed Morrissey responded to the poll and said the "results are doubly bad" because "having half the country say they'd vote for a generic opponent isn't good, but the sample type is the most Democrat-friendly a pollster can use." The poll relied on adults -- and not likely or even registered voters -- which usually yields the most Democratic-friendly results. Full story at LifeNews.com
Congressman: Stupak, Pro-Life Democrats Hold Fast on Health Care, Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A prominent pro-life Republican congressman says Rep. Bart Stupak and his group of pro-life Democrats are holding firm on abortion and health care. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin says Stupak and 10-12 lawmakers are firm that they will vote against the health care bill if abortion funding is included.
The pro-life community is counting on Stupak and his pro-life colleagues who voted for the health care bill to change their vote if his ban on abortion funding is removed.
Over the last few weeks since the Senate approved its version of the bill that contains massive abortion funding and other pro-abortion threats, Stupak has repeatedly promised that he and his group will vote no.
In a policy speech delivered last night at the Center for Constitutional studies and Citizenship, a project of Hillsdale College, Ryan confirmed Stupak is holding his ground.
Ryan told the conservative publication Human Events he talked with Stupak earlier in the day about the status of the health care bill.
In my judgment Bart has been holding firm for his language, and from what I can tell, I see Bart holding firm for his language, Ryan said. And he says he has 10 or 12 people who will vote with him. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hillary Clinton Promotes Fundraising Push for Pro-Abortion Reproductive Health
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- In Washington last week, United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States would engage in a massive funding push over the next five years to promote 'reproductive health care and family planning'as a 'basic right'around the word.
Clinton has previously stated for the record that this includes abortion. The plan includes potentially siphoning off funds currently directed towards fighting HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria.
Commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the controversial International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Clinton said there were only five years left to achieve ICPD s goal that all governments will make access to reproductive healthcare and family planning services a basic right.
Last April, in testimony before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, when asked whether the United States' definition of reproductive health" includes abortion, Clinton replied that, "We happen to think that family planning is an important part of women's health and reproductive health includes access to abortion that I believe should be safe, legal and rare." Full story at LifeNews.com
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Pro-Life Group Launches New Campaign to Expose Abortion Center Abuses
Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion centers and abortion practitioners have been their own worst enemy over the years by getting themselves closed down, thrown in jail or havening their medical licenses revoked for shoddy, unethical, and sometimes illegal practices. One pro-life group is hoping to add to the list.
Operation Rescue informed LifeNews.com today that it is staring a new Abortion Whistleblower campaign designed to encourage current or former abortion facility staff to expose problems at their clinics or abortion practitioner abuses.
The pro-life group is willing to pay $10,000 to any whistleblower whose information leads to the arrest and conviction of abortion practitioners who are breaking the law.
Operation Rescue president Tory Newman says he knows that abortion centers will close down if whistleblowers come forward who will expose problems and abuses because so many abortion clinics have already run afoul of the law.
"We have yet to find an abortion clinic that complies with all laws," he told LifeNews.com.
"We are encouraging clinic workers, former abortion patients, or anyone else who has knowledge that crimes have committed been at abortion clinics to contact us immediately. Their information could literally save lives and earn them a $10,000 reward," Newman said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Tim Pawlenty to Headline Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life Gala in March
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Potential 2012 presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota, will headline a fundraising bash in March for the Susan. B. Anthony List. Pawlenty's speaking at the pro-life gala put him in league with Sarah Palin, who has spoken at two prominent events and has another in Ohio the same month.
The SBA List event gives Pawlenty a chance to shine in front of an audience that will appreciate the pro-life track record he compiled as the state's governor.
Pawlenty was widely considered as a possible running mate for 20080 GOP presidential candidate John McCain, who eventually went with the former Alaska governor to bolster his bid against Barack Obama. The event will also help Pawlenty raise his image within the Republican Party, as he largely trails Palin and former governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney in most polls of Republicans looking ahead to the Obama re-election battle.
Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser told Politico that the pro-life women's group appreciates the work Pawlenty has done to advance the pro-life cause in his Midwestern state.
"We're so pleased to have Gov. Tim Pawlenty headline our Campaign for Life Gala, she said. The governor s actions on behalf of Minnesota women and unborn children are exemplary. Full story at LifeNews.com
Signs Declaring Women Do Regret Abortion Will Flood March for Life Event
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- When hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates gather for the March for Life in Washington and the Walk for Life in San Francisco, they will encounter scores of new signs sponsored by Priests for Life. The pro-life Catholic group wants to get the message across that women regret their abortion decision.
Father Frank Pavone says his group is "getting tens of thousands of powerful, life-saving signs into the hands of men and women who will be marching against abortion" on the pro-life weekend. The signs will say, "Women Do Regret Abortion!"
"We've already shipped out over 30,000 of these signs [to pro-life people for the two events], with more requests coming in every day," Pavone told LifeNews.com today.
Those are in addition to the 10,000 "Women Do Regret Abortion!" signs Priests for Life and its Silent No More Awareness Campaign companion group are taking to the March for Life and Walk for Life to hand out in person. Full story at LifeNews.com
What if I Were Born After The Roe Abortion Decision? Two Reasons to Hate 37
by Bryan Kemper
My thirty-seventh birthday was probably the worst birthday ever for me; I dreaded that day all year leading up to it. For some reason the psychological trauma of knowing I was that close to being forty years old hit me when I was turning thirty-seven. I had no problems at thirty-six, but once thirty-seven hit I was a wreck.
I am now forty-two years old and it is no big deal; I kind of like the idea of being that old. In fact if I were turning thirty-seven this year, I don't know if I would even be alive. If I were turning thirty-seven this year then that would mean that I would have been born on July 19th of 1973 and I just don't believe I would have ever made it to my birth day.
I have always know that I was born out of wedlock and that my mother went through some rough times when she was pregnant with me. What I did not know until this year is that my grandparents were so ashamed of my mother that they sent her away to a home in San Francisco until she gave birth, so no one would know she was pregnant.
I was always told my mom was on vacation in San Francisco and that is why I was born there; I never knew how unwanted I really was.
So what if the year were 1973 instead of 1967? What if my mother told my grandparents about me just after January 22, of 1973? If my grandparents were willing to send my mother away to be alone and scared for months, would they have been willing to just "get it taken care of"? In my heart I truly believe that if my mother were pregnant with me in 1973, I would have never been born. Full story at LifeNews.com
Record Number of Pro-Life College Students Attend Youth Conference on Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Polling data form 2009 shows opinion on abortion moving in the pro-life indication and if the attendance at the upcoming Students for Life convention is any indication, the numbers are right on track. Students for Life of America will host a record number of students at their annual pro-life conference.
The event, on Saturday, January 23rd at the Catholic University of America in Washington, has been sold out for the last two years.
But SFLA is expecting a record number of registrants this year from nearly two dozen states and three countries.
Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America, tells LifeNews.com that the top agenda item for the event is equipping students to oppose government funding of abortion, organize fellow students on their own campuses, and showing them how to use the Internet and new media or the pro-life movement.
"The overwhelming response of students to this year's conference is very exciting," the young pro-life leader said. Full story at LifeNews.com
New Hampshire Defeats Assisted Suicide Bill OKing it for State Residents, Others
Concord, NH (LifeNews.com) -- The New Hampshire House of Representatives defeat a bill on Wednesday that would have made the state the fourth to legalize assisted suicide. Oregon, Washington and Montana already allow the practice and the New Hampshire bill would have targeted the elderly and terminally ill as well.
The House voted 242-113 against the measure, which would have allowed physicians to dispense lethal drugs to patients to use to kill themselves.
The vote came after a majority of the members of the House Judiciary Committee recommended the state House kill the bill. Some lawmakers wanted to send the legislation back to the panel for more study but a majority decided to defeat the measure.
The language of the bill could have turned the Granite State into a suicide haven because the measure, HB 304 by Representative Charles Weed, would not only have allowed assisted suicide but would have gone further by making it so a terminally ill patient need not be actually suffering serious symptoms to qualify for assisted suicide. Full story at LifeNews.com
Texas Pro-Life Group Chides Kay Bailey Hutchinson for Pro-Abortion Stance
Austin,TX (LifeNews.com) -- Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison came under fire today from a pro-life group that is backing Gov. Rick Perry in his bid for re-election. Hutchison is willing to give up her seat in the Senate to take on Perry but her less-than-pro-life position has earned her opposition from Texas Right to Life.
Hutchison is a Republican who frequently votes pro-life on abortion limits and restrictions but she has never been fully pro-life.
While Perry has built a long pro-life record, Hutchison supports legal abortions, including the Roe v. Wade case in 1973 that allowed about 50 million of them.
"My view on abortion has been the same, I do not think there should be government intervention on abortion before viability, but I do think states should have the right to make reasonable restrictions such as parental consent," Hutchison says in an old video from her first campaign for the Senate. "That has been my position all along," Hutchison adds. "I am very comfortable that Roe v. Wade is working very well." Full story at LifeNews.com
Battle for Christian Party Chairmanship in Council of Europe Centered on Abortion
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- A battle over leadership of the European People's Party (EPP), the Christian Democratic grouping in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is pitting an Italian pro-life stalwart against socially-liberal counterparts from Holland and Sweden.
The leading social conservative candidate is Luca Volontè, currently the chairman of the Italian Christian Democratic caucus within the Italian national parliament. He is a long-time associate of Europe's best-known Catholic politician, Rocco Buttiglione, sharing similar political positions and collaborating in the promotion of academic workshops on Catholic social thought.
Also seeking the nomination are Corien Jonker of Holland's Christian Democratic Alliance and Göran Lindblad of Sweden's Moderate Party. Linblad is also a fixture in the PACE establishment, being one of twenty PACE vice presidents.
Volontè has been vocal in his defense of life and family since his first appearance in the political arena thirteen years ago as a 30-year old Young Turk. In the 1990s, he had an important role in the rehabilitation of the Italian Christian Democratic Party, which had been racked by scandals. Full story at LifeNews.com
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