LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, February 13, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Top Democrat Confirms Reconciliation on Table to Push Pro-Abortion Health Care
• Republicans Want Democrats to Disavow Reconciliation Deal for Health Care Bill
• Obama Budget Rewards Law-Breaking Planned Parenthood Abortion Centers
• More Reports Confirm Obama Admin Preparing for Supreme Court Opening
• YouTube Censors Pro-Life Tim Tebow Commercial on Super Bowl Ad Voting Site
• Poll: Americans Becoming More Opposed to Euthanasia, Worry About Elderly
• New Study Undercuts Claims Abortion Reduces Maternal Mortality Numbers
• Chris Smith Tells United Nations of Duty to Protect the Inalienable Right to Life
• Pro-Life Catholic Group Launches Campaign to Support Stamp for Mother Teresa
• Planned Parenthood Opens Big New Abortion Center Sunday in Portland, Oregon
• Kansas Bill Would Ban Insurance Coverage of Abortion, Require Extra Payment
• British Pro-Life Group Urges Parliament to Oppose Sex Ed Bill Promoting Abortion
• Oklahoma Senate Panel Approves Three Key Pro-Life Bills Limiting Abortions
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Top Democrat Confirms Reconciliation on Table to Push Pro-Abortion Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A top Senate Democrat confirmed today that Democrats are going to push ahead with the plan to use the controversial reconciliation process to push through the pro-abortion health care bill. At minimum, they are using the idea as a means of trying to land some Republican support. Reconciliation is a budget process the Senate can use to pass financial items on a majority vote by denying a filibuster.
With the House not supporting the pro-abortion Senate health care bill without major changes and a filibuster stopping the House bill in the Senate, the idea is to get the House to approve the Senate bill and another bill with changes while the Senate approves the bill with the changes on a majority vote.
The process would not appear to allow pro-life advocates any chance to stop the massive abortion funding in the bill or correct the other pro-abortion problems.
As LifeNews.com has reported, an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed the reconciliation plan is in place and Pelosi herself argued for reconciliation in an interview with this week.
Now, pro-abortion Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, is confirming the reconciliation plan is on the table. "I think a decision has just been made -- we're just going to go ahead," he told reporters. Full story at LifeNews.com
Republicans Want Democrats to Disavow Reconciliation Deal for Health Care Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- House Republicans have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid asking them to disavow use of the reconciliation process to railroad the pro-abortion health care bill through Congress. The process has come up in advance of the White House health care summit.
As LifeNews.com outlined today, Democrats appear ready to use the controversial process to slam the bill through without honoring the filibuster rights of Republicans or using it as a threat during the summit talks.
Responding to the concerns, House Republicans sent a letter seeking assurances that they are not planning to use the reconciliation process.
To ensure we can move forward in good faith, we ask that you publicly disavow these reports and assure the American people that Democratic leadership is not putting together any kind of backroom deal or plotting any kind of legislative trickery to pass it," wrote Minority Leader John Boehner, Minority Whip Eric Cantor, and Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence.
"Your response will help clarify whether Democratic leadership is serious about genuine bipartisan negotiations and whether the proposed summit will be a truly open forum or merely an intramural exercise," they continued. Full story at LifeNews.com
Obama Budget Rewards Law-Breaking Planned Parenthood Abortion Centers
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The head of a national pro-life group says there is a lesson to be learned from the Alabama health department's placing a Planned Parenthood abortion center on a one year probation. However, President Barack Obama doesn't appear to have learned that lessen because he wants more funding for Planned Parenthood.
As LifeNews.com has reported, the Alabama health department responded to an undercover video showing a Birmingham Planned Parenthood staffer covering up a potential sexual abuse case and ignoring the state's parental consent on abortion law.
Alabama officials reviewed the evidence, conducted their own probe -- which found numerous violations of both the consent and the statutory rape reporting law -- and they slapped the Birmingham clinic with a year-long probation.
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, tells LifeNews.com that this isn't the first time Planned Parenthood has been under fire for breaking the law. But, he points out that the Obama administration's response is to give the abortion business more government money.
"Unfortunately, these same crimes have been committed by Planned Parenthood clinics all across the country--and yet the federal government's only response has been to reward the corruption with more money," Perkins says. Full story at LifeNews.com
More Reports Confirm Obama Admin Preparing for Supreme Court Opening
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- More reports are confirming the Obama administration is preparing for a potential Supreme Court vacancy in the next few months. Reports surfaced weeks ago that pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens was considering retiring and today, CNN said more recent reports indicate that as well. CNN indicates the White house has begun "quiet preparations" for a high court vacant but cautions that top Obama officials have not named any names of potential Supreme Court retirements.
The latest session of the Supreme Court ends in June and the most likely scenario is that one of the justices would announce a retirement this Spring or Summer so a newly-confirmed replacement can join the court when its next term begins in October.
The machinations on the Supreme Court are of monumental importance to the pro-life community because of the wide-ranging effect the court has to abortion and pro-life issues.
The high court paved the way for 52 million abortions with the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions that still stand and still, despite modifications, allow virtually unlimited abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
YouTube Censors Pro-Life Tim Tebow Commercial on Super Bowl Ad Voting Site
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- More than 106 million people saw the pro-life Tim Tebow commercial on Super Bowl Sunday with an introduction to the story of Pam Tebow's decision not to have an abortion when pregnant with him. While YouTube has the video of the ads, it appears to have censored it from its Super Bowl Ad voting site.
YouTube created AdBlitz, a special section designed to let users of the popular video sharing web site vote on their favorite Super Bowl ads.
Dozens of commercials appear on three pages of the YouTube AdBlitz web site -- except for the Tebow commercials.
Americans United for Life Action, the pro-life group that co-sponsored the popular Support Tim Tebow FaceBook page that garnered 270,000 fans of the Focus on the Family video noticed the omission.
"After looking at YouTube s Ad Blitz page earlier today, we were able to see 72 separate Super Bowl ads. The Focus on the Family ad featuring Tim Tebow was not one of them," AUL informed LifeNews.com Friday afternoon. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: Contact YouTube ask it to include the Tebow ad in its AdBlitz voting web site. YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA (p) 650-253-0000, (f) 650-253-0001, press@youtube.com Also, contact YouTube with your comments at http://www.youtube.com/t/contact_us
Poll: Americans Becoming More Opposed to Euthanasia, Worry About Elderly
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new national poll finds Americans are largely split on the idea of legalizing euthanasia, but the opposition to the practice is growing. The new survey from Angus Reid Public Opinion, a Canadian polling firm, contains a flawed polling question but the results are still somewhat useful.
Although three states -- Oregon, Washington, and Montana -- have allowed assisted suicide, Angus Reid uses the term "euthanasia" when asking Americans about it.
"Generally speaking, do you support or oppose legalizing euthanasia in the U.S.?" the February 4-5 poll of 1,001 Americans asked. The survey found 42 percent support euthanasia while 37 percent are opposed and 22 percent are unsure.
Breaking the polling results down further, 14 percent answered "Strongly Support," 28 percent "Moderately Support", 14 percent "Moderately Oppose," and 23 percent "Strongly Oppose." The poll found little partisan difference on the issue with 47 percent of Democrats supporting euthanasia while 51 percent of Republicans oppose it. Some 47 percent of independents backed legalized euthanasia.
Although a plurality supported the vague concept of euthanasia, the level of support is down from the August 2009 poll Angus Reid conducted. That survey found support for euthanasia at a 45-32 percent clip with 23 percent undecided.
Also, the poll asked a follow-up question asking if people felt legalizing euthanasia "would leave vulnerable people without sufficient protection." Fifty-two percent agreed, 32 percent disagreed, 15 percent were unsure. Full story at LifeNews.com
New Study Undercuts Claims Abortion Reduces Maternal Mortality Numbers
Santiago, Chile (LifeNews.com) -- Preliminary findings by a prominent biomedical researcher examining the dramatic decrease in maternal mortality, over the past fifty years in the Latin American nation of Chile, appear to undercut claims by global abortion lobbyists that liberal abortion laws are necessary to reduce maternal mortality rates.
According Dr. Elard Koch, an epidemiologist on the faculty of medicine at the University of Chile, Chile's promotion of "safe pregnancy" measures such as "prenatal detection" and accessibility to professional birth attendants in a hospital setting are primarily responsible for the decrease in maternal mortality.
The maternal mortality rate declined from 275 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1960 to 18.7 deaths in 2000, the largest reduction in any Latin country.
Because Chile is a nation that protects unborn life in its penal laws and constitution, the decline is therefore not attributable to access to legal abortion. In fact, the preliminary study shows, maternal mortality in Chile declined over the last century regardless of whether abortion was legal or illegal. Chile tightened its restrictions on abortion in the late 1980s. Full story at LifeNews.com
Chris Smith Tells United Nations of Duty to Protect the Inalienable Right to Life
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Congressman Chris Smith, the New Jersey Republican who is the co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, presented the following speech to a lunch briefing Focus on the Family hosted.
The briefing was titled, "The Inherent Right to Life: the First and Most Fundamental Human Right" and it was held at the United Nations. Representatives of more than 30 nations attended and Smith was the keynote speaker for the event.
Smith: Reeling from the unprecedented agony and depravity--of global war, world leaders came together to chart a new, enlightened way forward based on the recognition and promotion of fundamental human rights, respect for the rule of law and appropriate venues where disputes could be resolved without resorting to armed conflict.
The UN founders were compelled to action by an unspeakable nightmare.
Hated and unwanted by the Nazis, an estimated 9 to 11 million Jews, Roma, ethnic Poles, Russians, disabled persons and others were systematically exterminated immediately prior to and during World War 2.
In like manner, the wanton atrocities committed by Imperial Japan shocked the world. While the Nuremburg and Tokyo war crimes tribunals held at least some of the most egregious perpetrators to account clearly, more needed to be done. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Catholic Group Launches Campaign to Support Stamp for Mother Teresa
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A Catholic group has launched a new campaign to show support for the U.S. Postal Service's decision to honor pro-life luminary Mother Teresa with a special postage stamp. The stamp has come under fire from atheist groups who say the government shouldn't be honoring a pro-life religious figure.
The USPS Mother Teresa stamp is one of 23 new issues the United States Postal Service recently unveiled for 2010.
Honoring the pro-life champion Mother Teresa on a postage stamp shouldn't be a big controversy given her highly-respected work for the poor. But anti-religious groups are working overtime to try to get the Post Office to reverse its decision.
Brian Burch, the president of CatholicVoteAction, emailed LifeNews.com about the new petition campaign his group is sponsoring to show support for the stamp.
"We are shocked and saddened by reports that atheist groups are now mobilizing to stop the USPS from issuing a new stamp honoring Mother Teresa," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood Opens Big New Abortion Center Sunday in Portland, Oregon
Portland, OR (LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood is opening a massive new abortion center in northwestern Oregon on Sunday. The new abortion business will serve as the headquarters of the Planned Parenthood affiliate Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette and was built in the heart of an African-American community.
The building of the abortion business has upset residents because it is located at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Beech Street.
Despite boycotts of contractors, builders and plumbers, Planned Parenthood was able to complete the new abortion facility.
The abortion business also received a grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development department to help it build the new center.
Gayle Atteberry, the director of Oregon Right to Life, tells LifeNews.com that Planned Parenthood officials have been telling state and local residents that much of its mission centers on non-abortion activities.
But she points to the organization s 2007-2008 national annual report as revealing its "commitment to its abortion business."
Despite its humanitarian-sounding talk and non-profit status, Planned Parenthood is a business focused on making money, Atteberry said. Tragically, a significant portion of their booming clinic business is ending the lives of unborn babies. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kansas Bill Would Ban Insurance Coverage of Abortion, Require Extra Payment
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- While Congress is still pushing a government-run health care bill that would force taxpayers to fund abortions and could result in mandating that insurance companies pay for them, the Kansas legislature is considering a bill that would move the state in the other direction.
House Bill 2564 would prohibit insurance companies from automatically covering abortions under their plans except in very rare instances.
As a result, people who don't want their insurance premiums to pay for abortions would be protected and people who want to get abortions would pay for them with their own money by purchasing a rider for such coverage.
The Kansas House Insurance committee heard testimony on the bill yesterday remove abortion from standard inclusion in all health care policies.
Kansans for Life, a statewide pro-life group, strongly supports the measure and told LifeNews.com on Thursday that, since 1978, abortion has been excluded from standard health care policies in seven other states.
"In 2007, Kansas joined nine other states in freeing their taxpayers from paying for abortion in state employee insurance plans," KFL said. "However, too many private businesses in Kansas remained frustrated that they were unable to offer abortion-free policies to their staff." Full story at LifeNews.com
British Pro-Life Group Urges Parliament to Oppose Sex Ed Bill Promoting Abortion
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A British pro-life group is calling on Parliament to oppose a sexual education bill that would force all state schools to provide sex and relationships education (SRE) for all primary and secondary school pupils. The sexual education teaching would also promote abortion.
The House of Commons will hold the final main day, the report stage and third reading of the bill, next Tuesday.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC Pro-Life) is asking pro-life Britons to call on their MPs to vote against the SRE bill.
"The government's Children, Schools and Families bill would force schools to teach SRE according to principles of 'equality,' 'diversity' and 'rights,'" SPUC tells LifeNews.com. "The government's draft SRE guidance interprets those principles to include abortion and birth control."
"The government wants SRE to include signposting and links to abortion and other anti-life/anti-family services in schools, including faith schools," SPUC adds. Full story at LifeNews.com Contact your MP at http://www.spuc.org.uk/mps
Oklahoma Senate Panel Approves Three Key Pro-Life Bills Limiting Abortions
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- An Oklahoma state Senate committee on Thursday approved three key pro-life bills designed to reduce abortions. The measures address legal changes to two state laws that an Oklahoma judge last year tossed out as unconstitutional.
The Oklahoma state Senate Health and Human Services Committee advanced Senate Bill 1891 which would protect health care professionals' freedom of conscience by affirming their right to refuse to participate in the taking of a human life.
They also supported SB 1902, regulating the use of the dangerous abortion drug RU 486, which has claimed the lives of more than 13 women worldwide and injured countless others. And the panel backed SB 1890, which would prohibit abortions that are done for sex-selection reasons.
The three bills had been in a package of legislation the legislature approved last year, but the court determined the bill violated a constitutional requirement that legislation only address one subject even though the bills were all about stopping abortions.
Sen. Todd Lamb, a Republican from Edmond, was the main sponsor of the bills along with other legislators. Full story at LifeNews.com
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