LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Friday, March 26, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Americans Want Pro-Abortion Health Care Law Repealed, Hope GOP Will Do It
• Pro-Life Lawmakers Shot At, Threatened For Opposing Pro-Abortion Health Bill
• Senate Votes to Keep Coverage of Abortion Drugs in New Health Care Law
• Obama Admin Urged to Not Expand Embryonic Stem Cell Research Further
• Sarah Palin to Headline May Breakfast for Pro-Life Women's Group in Washington
• Pro-Life Gov Tim Pawlenty Heads Susan B. Anthony List Dinner, Bashes Abortion
• Catholic Health Association Would Benefit Financially From Pro-Abortion Health Bill
• NPR Ditches "Pro-Life" Label for "Abortion Rights Opponent" Tag in News Reports
• Secret Abortion on Seattle Teenager Draws Pro-Life Condemnation, Outrage
• Texas Pro-Life Group Looks to Runoff Election to Build on Primary Victories
• South Carolina Abortion Waiting Period Bill Gets Amendment Pro-Lifers Oppose
• Pro-Abortion American Legal Group Pushes Report Advocating Abortion in Kenya
• Western Nations Pressure Nicaragua on Abortion at United Nations Meeting
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Americans Want Pro-Abortion Health Care Law Repealed, Hope GOP Will Do It
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two new national polls show Americans want the pro-abortion health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law repealed. They also show voters want Republican lawmakers to keep fighting against the government-run health care system and to promote legislation to repeal it.
Just before the House passed and Obama signed the health care bill that funds abortions, Americans opposed it on a 54-41 percentage point margin, according to Rasmussen.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the first two nights after the president signed the bill, shows 55 percent want the law repealed whiled 42 percent oppose that. Those figures include 46% who strongly favor repeal and 35% who strongly oppose it.
Republicans overwhelmingly favor repeal while most Democrats are opposed. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 59% favor repeal, and 35% are against it.
There is little divide between older and younger Americans as both favor a repeal of the pro-abortion health care law. Most senior citizens (59%) favor repeal but 58% of those 18 to 29 also support repealing it.
And when it comes to the November congressional elections, 52% say they'd vote for a candidate who favors repeal over one who does not. Forty-one percent would cast their vote for someone who opposes repeal.
Several states are already challenging the health care law in court and an earlier poll found 49 percent of Americans, a plurality of those polled, favor the lawsuits. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Lawmakers Shot At, Threatened For Opposing Pro-Abortion Health Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two pro-life Republican lawmakers announced today that they were the victims of harassment and violence from people upset that they voted against the pro-abortion health care bill. Rep. Eric Cantor's Richmond campaign office was shot at while Rep. Jean Schmidt received a harassing phone call.
Other members of Congress have also reported receiving threatening and harassing calls and emails.
Wednesday night, according to Fox News, the Richmond campaign office of Cantor, the number two Republican in the House, was victimized by a shooting when a bullet flew through the window of the office.
Because he is a member of the leadership in the House, as is the case with both parities, he is entitled to security protection from U.S. Capitol Police, but Fox indicates he has asked for additional protection.
The Department of Homeland Security is also involved in the investigation because it involves a top member of Congress.
According to CNN, Cantor also said he has received threatening phone messages.
"Enough is enough," Cantor said. "It has to stop."
Although Democrats who supported the pro-abortion health care bill have received threatening calls and other harassment as well, he said they should not use them as "political weapons" to attack Republicans because the threats have gone both ways, calling it "reprehensible." Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Votes to Keep Coverage of Abortion Drugs in New Health Care Law
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Coverage of the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug responsible for killing more than 13 women worldwide and injuring at least 1,100 in the United States will remain in the health care law President Barack Obama signed. The Senate, late Wednesday voted against an amendment to the reconciliation bill to strike it.
Senator Tom Coburn, a pro-life Oklahoma Republican, sponsored the amendment, but Democrats filed a motion to table it.
Senators voted 57 to 42 to kill the Coburn amendment and the vote saw pro-life Democrat Ben Nelson, who came under fire for putting abortion funding in the Senate health care bill, join all Republicans in voting against the motion to table.
All Democrats voted for the pro-abortion motion to kill the pro-life amendment, including Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat who claims to be pro-life.
The amendment to the reconciliation bill, that Democrats are working to approve to make changes to the health care law Obama signed, would have prohibited coverage or reimbursement for abortion drugs.
According to Coburn's office, the amendment "would save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars a year by preventing payments for fraudulent prescriptions by Medicaid and prohibiting coverage of unnecessary drugs such as RU-486 and other abortion drugs" in the new health care exchanges. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: See how your senator voted here, and contact your senators via http://www.Senate.gov and respond to their vote.
Obama Admin Urged to Not Expand Embryonic Stem Cell Research Further
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Attorneys with Americans United for Life are urging the Obama administration not to expand embryonic stem cell research beyond the ways in which it has already promoted the life-taking and ineffective research.
Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced it was proposing a "technical change" in their guidelines for destruction of human embryos.
The change would allow use of younger human embryos in experiments.
Although the NIH ignored the majority of comments from the public opposing its implementation of the executive order President Barack Obama issued forcing taxpayers to fund the destruction of human life to obtain embryonic stem cells, AUL hopes NIH will listen this time around.
In its comment, AUL demonstrates that embryonic stem cell research violates applicable law and is unnecessary in light of advances in adult stem cell research.
The NIH has proposed an improper new definition of human embryonic stem cell that will allow even more funding for the destruction of human embryos, said William L. Saunders, a senior AUL attorney.
But this change would violate current law that forbids public funding for any research that places an embryo at risk of injury. It is also not necessary, given the incredible advances we have already seen in treatments using ethical forms of stem cell research, such as adult stem cell research," Saunders adds. Full story at LifeNews.com
Sarah Palin to Headline May Breakfast for Pro-Life Women's Group in Washington
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Sarah Palin will headline yet another pro-life event, this time serving as the keynote speaker for the Susan B. Anthony List at their Celebration of Life Breakfast in May. The former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.
Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said Palin's status as a pro-life women's leader is consistent with Anthony's pro-life heritage as a woman's suffragist.
Susan B. Anthony would be proud of Governor Palin s consistent, passionate witness for women and the unborn, and especially her commitment to the families of children with special needs, Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com.
Governor Palin is the modern personification of the authentic leadership modeled by early women s rights trailblazers like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Our nation s earliest women leaders understood that women s rights could never be advanced at the expense of the broken rights of innocent unborn children," Dannenfelser added.
Governor Palin sees the value, necessity, and joy inherent in every human life, continued Dannenfelser, and that quality rises above and beyond politics. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Gov Tim Pawlenty Heads Susan B. Anthony List Dinner, Bashes Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a pro-life advocate seen as a potential 2012 presidential candidate, keynoted the Susan B. Anthony List gala last night at the posh Willard Hotel in Washington. Rep. Michele Bachmann, also of Minnesota and a rising conservative star, join him and both bashed abortion.
Pawlenty and Bachman both took the administration of President Barack Obama to task and criticized the pro-abortion health care bill he signed.
And Congressman Bart Stupak, the recipient of much pro-life venting over his decision to trade votes against the abortion funding bill for an executive order that doesn't effectively stop it, found himself on the receiving end of boos from the crowd.
Pawlenty told the audience, "This administration and this Congress is being more hostile and challenging the pro-life position and values than any time since Roe v. Wade."
"We don't honor the Constitution when we elevate a vague idea that is the right to privacy over the right to life, Pawlenty added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Catholic Health Association Would Benefit Financially From Pro-Abortion Health Bill
by Anne Hendershott
From the earliest battles over health care, Sr. Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) has been out on the front lines defending the plan and attacking those who criticize her tactics.
In her most recent offensive, on March 11th, Sr. Keehan wrote a letter to the House of Representatives which urged the Members to move quickly to enact health reform by passing the Senate-approved legislation. This, despite the fact that the USCCB continues to reject passage of the Senate bill.
In some ways, Sr. Keehan s letter to the House on March 11 was simply confirmation of what many of us already knew that Sr. Keehan s organization has been supporting the President s plans for health care reform from the earliest days.
And, although her support for health care reform always adds the qualifier that any health care reform package will provide no federal funding for abortion, she must know, as the Bishops continue to point out, that unless a correction is applied to the Senate bill, the bill she is defending will greatly expand public funding for abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
NPR Ditches "Pro-Life" Label for "Abortion Rights Opponent" Tag in News Reports
by Lachlan Markay
Words matter. They speak volumes about issues. So when individuals or groups try to change the words associated with a heated political issue, take note and take care.
The folks at National Public Radio understand the power of words. Managing Editor David Sweeney announced yesterday that the station would no longer refer to people in the abortion debate as "pro-choice" and "pro-life." Instead, the station will say "abortion rights advocates" and "abortion rights opponents," according to a memo circulated to NPR staff.
In making this change, NPR is shifting the terms of the debate to make it more friendly to the pro-choice position.
Being pro-something sounds much nicer than being anti-the other thing. So while the pro-choice and pro-life labels may not be particularly profound -- neither group is anti-choice or anti-life, after all -- they do convey each side's position on a level playing field. One believes women should be able to choose whether to keep a pregnancy, the other believes that even the unborn have an inviolable right to life. Full story at LifeNews.com
Secret Abortion on Seattle Teenager Draws Pro-Life Condemnation, Outrage
Seattle, WA (LifeNews.com) -- News of a secret abortion done on a Seattle, Washington teenager without her parents' knowledge or consent is drawing outrage and condemnation from pro-life advocates. One group that monitors Planned Parenthood says it is not surprised by the news given its expose's of the abortion business.
As LifeNews.com reported, the mother signed consent forms for her daughter, who attends Ballard High School, that she thought would allow her to go to the clinic for a headache or other minor problems.
Little did she know the clinic would set up a secret abortion resulting in the death of her grandchild.
David Schmidt of Live Action noticed the story and said it reminded him of some of the undercover videos his group has taken.
The videos have shown its staff pretending to be teenager who are victims of sexual abuse. In the video footage, Planned Parenthood employees in nearly a dozen states have encouraged secret abortions and even counseled girls in how to avoid parental involvement laws.
"We know that this commonly happens all across the country, but it is nice to see these disgusting tactics of abortion giants like Planned Parenthood being shown to the public," Schmidt said of the attention the Seattle story is getting. Full story at LifeNews.com
Texas Pro-Life Group Looks to Runoff Election to Build on Primary Victories
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- Seeking to build on the election victories it experienced in the March 2 primary elections, Texas Right to Life has endorsed a crop of state and federal candidates for the upcoming runoff elections. The pro-life groups is also drawing voters' attention to marquee races this November.
The main race for Texans is the gubernatorial contest and the primary election set up a hotly contested battle between a pro-life and pro-abortion candidate.
Governor Rick Perry won his race soundly, avoiding a runoff despite two primary opponents seeking to unseat him. The governor will now face former Houston Mayor Bill White in the November general election.
"White keeps strong ties to Planned Parenthood, earning its endorsement and appointing its national chair to oversee Houston s health department. Texas Right to Life PAC will keep working for Governor Perry right through till November," the pro-life group told LifeNews.com today.
For Supreme Court Place 3, Rick Green made the runoff election and Right to Life says voters need to support him because it can affect pro-life legislation. Full story at LifeNews.com
South Carolina Abortion Waiting Period Bill Gets Amendment Pro-Lifers Oppose
Columbia, SC (LifeNews.com) -- The South Carolina Senate passed a troubling amendment to the 24-hour waiting period before an abortion and sent the amended bill back to the House of Representatives. If the House concurs with the Senate changes, the bill becomes law. If the House refuses to agree with the Senate, the bill goes to a conference committee.
On a voice vote, the Senate agreed to a very disturbing amendment by militant pro-abortion Senator Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, to waive a 24-hour waiting period for an abortion if the unborn child would not survive until birth.
Pro-life Senator Phil Shoopman, R-Greenville, opposed the Hutto amendment telling his colleagues he and his wife had been misinformed that their now six-year-old child had died in the womb. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Abortion American Legal Group Pushes Report Advocating Abortion in Kenya
New York, NY (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- Earlier this month, the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), a New York-based public interest law firm that seeks to expand abortion access globally, released a report titled, In Harm s Way: The Impact of Kenya s Restrictive Abortion Law.
The report and a related video (which was highlighted on CNN this week) were first made public at a CRR side event at the Beijing +15 UN Commission on the Status of Women.
The report follows closely on another CRR report that was designed as a guide for advocacy and litigating for liberalized abortion laws in Africa.
While the report acknowledges the enormous problem of maternal mortality in Kenya, the only solution offered is increased access to family planning, including safe and legal abortion: Unsafe abortion claims the lives of thousands of Kenyan women each year. Their deaths are entirely and easily preventable.
Among its many conclusions, the report complains of lack of access to contraception, including emergency contraception, particularly among Kenyan adolescents. It also claims that the stigma of abortion and its criminalized legal status imperils women s health and harms medical providers who provide abortion-related care. Full story at LifeNews.com
Western Nations Pressure Nicaragua on Abortion at United Nations Meeting
New York, NY (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- At the recently concluded session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Nicaragua came up against intense and concerted international pressure from fellow United Nations (UN) member states over the abortion ban the Latin American country s National Assembly adopted unanimously into law four years ago.
Despite promising initial evidence that the prohibition on abortion has helped lower maternal mortality rates, Nicaragua has been the target of international pressure and scrutiny from UN agencies, donor governments and non-governmental organizations.
Last month, Nicaragua underwent the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which is an opportunity for the UN Human Rights Council - an inter-governmental UN body made up of 47 States responsible for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them - to examine the human rights record of all member states.
Each country is reviewed every four years with the aim of ensuring compliance with international human rights obligations. Full story at LifeNews.com
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