LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Stupak Says No Abortion Funding Deal, Won't Back Down on Health Care
• Top Democrat Contradicts Pelosi on Abortion, White House on March 18 Vote
• Senate Republican Leader: Reconciliation Can't Stop Health Care Abortion Funds
• Republican Poll of Iowa Caucus Voters: Mike Huckabee Leads Romney, Palin
• Planned Parenthood Looks for Hard Abortion Stories to Promote Health Care
• House Bill Would Expand Obama's Promoting Embryonic Stem Cell Research
• Man Who Shot Pro-Life Advocate: I Have No Remorse, Killed Him Over Abortion
• Arizona Pro-Life Advocates File Appeal in Case Involving Law Limiting Abortions
• West Virginia House Panel OKs Bill Allowing Women Ultrasound Before Abortion
• Connecticut Court Holds Hearing on Lawsuit to Overturn Assisted Suicide Ban
• Kansas Pro-Life Billboard Campaign Gets Women Help Instead of Abortions
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Stupak Says No Abortion Funding Deal in Place, Won't Back Down on Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Bart Stupak, the Michigan congressman whose pro-life Democratic colleagues have the ability to determine whether the Senate health care bill that contains massive abortion funding lives or dies, said in a late Tuesday interview that no abortion deal is in place and he won't back down.
Stupak sparked some concerns with comments that he was optimistic that a deal could be reached on a sidebar bill that concerns some pro-life advocates.
They worry such a bill would enable the pro-abortion Senate bill and Obama would sign it but not the abortion funding limits.
"Obviously they don't know me," Stupak told The Weekly Standard this afternoon about pro-life advocates who say he may be caving on stopping the pro-abortion health care bill.
He pointed to his wrangling with pro-abortion Democratic leaders last December in November to get the House to vote on his amendment to stop abortion funding in the House bill as evidence that he is willing to play hardball.
"If I didn't" compromise back then, "why would I do it now after all the crap I've been through?" he told reporter John McCormack.
"Everyone s going around saying there s a compromise -- there s no such thing," Stupak said.
He told the Weekly Standard the only thing that has changed from his comments saying he and his colleagues will oppose the Senate bill over abortion funding and now is that he has finally been able to have realistic conversations with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman Henry Waxman about stopping abortion funding.
TWS indicated Stupak made it clear that there is significant confusion on the part of Democratic leaders on how to ban abortion funding in a way that would get the Senate bill enough votes -- and that it may not happen. Full story at LifeNews.com
Top Democrat Contradicts Pelosi on Abortion, White House on March 18 Vote Date
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a Tuesday morning interview, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the Maryland lawmaker who is the second highest ranking Democrat in the House, contradicted Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the seriousness of the abortion funding debate and the White House on its March 18 vote timeline.
Hoyer told reporters at a press conference that the concerns a coalition of pro-life Democrats have about the Senate health care bill's massive abortion funding "has to be resolved."
Although not having a plan on how to do so, Hoyer acknowledged "it is a serious issue that confronts the Congress" and added "we will talk" -- referring to conversations with top pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak.
"I think it will be resolved one way or the other, and I think the bill will pass," Hoyer said, refusing to answer a direct question about whether Democrats had the votes for the pro-abortion health care bill with abortion funding intact. "It's got to be resolved."
Hoyer also said he has not yet talked with Stupak or about his idea of a sidebar bill to eliminate abortion funding.
"I have had no negotiations with Mr. Stupak," Hoyer said, according to Politico. "Mr.Stupak came up to me on the floor and said I would like to talk to you. I said okay. We have not yet talked -- about substance." Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Republican Leader: Reconciliation Can't Stop Health Care Abortion Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As the process of the health care debate moves forward this week, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is reminding colleagues and the media that the reconciliation process will not be able to be used to stop the abortion funding in the Senate health care bill.
That is important because it places the emphasis for the pro-life movement on killing the Senate bill in the House -- although some pro-life Democrats are considering the option of a sidebar bill.
In an email LifeNews.com received from McConnell's office this morning, he points to several people who have said reconciliation won't stop abortion funding.
Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who backs abortion but opposes abortion funding, confirmed last week that reconciliation isn't a solution for pro-life advocates.
"I think changes to abortion would probably not be permitted under reconciliation and the Byrd Rule requirement," he told MSNBC.
McConnell also points to Robert Dove, the former Senate parliamentarian who is considered the preeminent expert on the rules of the Senate.
Dove helped write the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which contains the filibuster-busting provision called "reconciliation" and has presided over several uses of the process. Full story at LifeNews.com
Republican Poll of Iowa Caucus Voters: Mike Huckabee Leads Romney, Palin
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With pro-life advocates longing for 2012 thanks to the extensive pro-abortion record of President Barack Obama, it's never too early to think about the next election. In a survey of caucus voters in Iowa, the state that will kick off the battle for the Republican nomination, Mike Huckabee has the lead.
The polling results may not be much of a surprise considering Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, won a surprising victory in the Midwestern state in the 2008 race.
Right Way Marketing of Nashville conducted the poll for the Rightosphere web site.
It found 21 percent of likely Republican voters favor the pro-life Fox News show host.
Another 14 percent back former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who campaigned as a pro-life candidate in 2008, and 12 percent support pro-life former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The poll had pro-life Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at 1 percent, and a whopping 52 percent of Iowa Republicans were undecided -- an indication of the clear lack of a frontrunner within the GOP heading towards the next presidential election. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood Looks for Hard Abortion Stories to Promote Health Care Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Hoping to promote the Senate health care bill that funds abortions and could direct millions more to its abortion centers, Planned Parenthood is looking for stories from women of hard cases where they felt they needed an abortion for medical reason to give it a new lobbying tool.
Planned Parenthood officials sent the request via Twitter to its pro-abortion followers.
"Now more than ever, we are fighting to protect women s health and ensure access to safe abortion," the group claimed.
"Help us tell the real story. Your story. Right now, Congress needs to hear from women who have experienced wanted pregnancies where there was a severe health risk to the fetus, causing the women to choose abortion," the abortion business continued.
"This is just the type of real and compelling story to illustrate how an abortion ban would affect women all over America," Planned Parenthood said -- misleading its supporters into thinking abortion itself would be banned and not merely forcing taxpayers to fund abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
House Bill Would Expand Obama's Promoting Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two members of Congress have introduced new legislation designed to expand President Barack Obama's decision to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The measure could pave the way for a battle over federal restrictions on research destroying human embryos.
Reps. Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat and Michael Castle, a Delaware Republican, are behind the legislation.
They say it is designed to codify Obama's executive order -- which would prevent a future pro-life president from overturning it.
Instead of issuing a subsequent executive order, a future pro-life president would be forced to rely on Congress to approve a bill putting the Bush protections back in place. With a Congress strongly in favor of embryonic stem cell research funding, that appears unlikely.
"Congress must still enact legislation so that both scientists and individuals who stand to benefit from the promise of this research will have some stability backing their quest for life-changing cures," DeGette said -- despite the fact that embryonic stem cell research has yet to help any human patients. Full story at LifeNews.com
Man Who Shot Pro-Life Advocate: I Have No Remorse, Killed Him Over Abortion
Owosso, MI (LifeNews.com) -- The man who is on trial for killing local pro-life advocate James Pouillon and a businessman says he has no remorse over the shooting. Harlan Drake told a jury that he should be put to death because he killed Pouillon and businessman Mike Fuoss, and said he shot Pouillon over abortion.
Prosecutors have already pointed out that Drake confessed to shooting Pouillon and said he did so because of abortion.
They played a recording of Drake after his arrest admitting to the shootings and saying they came because he didn't like how Pouillon would hold graphic signs showing the victims of abortions.
Drake confirmed that reasoning when he appeared on the stand in his own defense. According to local news reports, Drake confirmed that he and his mother had a conversion over lunch the day before about not liking Pouillon's signs.
"Kind of under my breath I said 'I'll take care of that tomorrow,'" he said, claiming his nieces saw the signs and had nightmares. Full story at LifeNews.com
Arizona Pro-Life Advocates File Appeal in Case Involving Law Limiting Abortions
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- An Arizona pro-life legal group has filed an appeal in a case in state court filed by abortion advocates seeking to stop a set of pro-life laws designed to reduce abortions. Meanwhile, abortion advocates have dropped their companion federal lawsuit challenging the same legislation.
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund and Center for Arizona Policy have appealed an Arizona judge s order to halt new state laws protecting the health and safety of women on abortion.
At the same time, a Tucson abortion facility represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, a New York-based pro-abortion law firm, is making the rare move of dropping its federal lawsuit against the same laws.
Its decision to drop the federal lawsuit came after both a district and appellate court rejected its request for an injunction.
We're appealing the injunction the state court granted to Planned Parenthood because these laws protect the health and safety of women. The protection of women should not be on hold while Planned Parenthood ties things up in court," ADF Senior Legal Counsel Steven Aden told LifeNews.com on Monday. Full story at LifeNews.com
West Virginia House Panel OKs Bill Allowing Women Ultrasound Before Abortion
Charleston, WV (LifeNews.com) -- A West Virginia state House committee signed off on a Senate-backed bill that would allow women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn children before an abortion. With ultrasounds showing the humanity of the unborn child, pro-life advocates expect the bill to change minds and help women choose life.
The Ultrasound Option bill (SB 597) already received a 25-7 vote in favor of passage and now the House Health and Human Resources Committee passed it 16-9.
The committee discussed the bill for nearly four hours Monday and several amendments to change the bill all failed.
Delegate Barbara Fleischauer, a Democrat from Monongalia County, opposed the bill during the committee hearing but Delegate Patrick Lane, a Republican from Kanawha County, supported it.
"It provides women with one more piece of information when they're making such a crucial life and death decision," Lane said, according to WSAZ. "They have an opportunity to take a look at the ultra sound and allow that to inform their decision whether or not to go forward with the abortion." Full story at LifeNews.com
Connecticut Court Holds Hearing on Lawsuit to Overturn Assisted Suicide Ban
Hartford, CT (LifeNews.com) -- A state judge held a hearing on Monday in the first step of a lawsuit by euthanasia advocates seeking to overturn the Connecticut ban on assisted suicides. Should they be successful, the northeastern state could become the fourth after Oregon, Washington, and Montana to allow assisted suicides.
During the hearing, attorneys for the state sought to convince Judge Julia Aurigemma that the state legislature, and not state courts, is the proper venue for deciding assisted suicide law.
Gary Blick and Ronald Levine, two Fairfield County doctors, brought the lawsuit with the support of the pro-euthanasia group Compassion & Choices and state attorneys are hoping Judge Aurigemma will dismiss it.
According to a report in The Day newspaper, Perry Zinn-Rowthorn, an associate attorney general, argued the court should not determine "by advisory opinion what the legislature has consistently refused to do." Full story at LifeNews.com
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Kansas Pro-Life Billboard Campaign Gets Women Help Instead of Abortions
Overland Park, KS (LifeNews.com) -- When billboards went up last November in Johnson County, Barb Gosa hoped they'd see an increase in clients at her Advice and Aid Pregnancy Centers in Shawnee and Overland Park. Not only did they get an increase in clients, but the type of clients surprised her.
It s really exciting that God has been bringing us clients at risk for abortion, Gosa stated. But, we've had more women come to us with abortions already scheduled than we've ever seen!
The billboards were part of a partnership between Advice and Aid and the Vitae Foundation. Vitae Foundation is a national organization, based in Jefferson City, Mo., that promotes a culture of life through mass communications. Vitae partners with pro-life groups and local Pregnancy Help Centers to help pregnant women know there is help in their community. Full story at LifeNews.com
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