LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Monday, March 8, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Survey Shows Men More Happy Than Women by News of Unplanned Pregnancy
• Republican Lawmakers Criticize Pro-Abortion Dawn Johnson After Committee Vote
• United Nation's Pro-Abortion Women's Super-Agency Draws Pro-Life Opposition
• Mom Who Starved Baby to Death Gets New Trial Because She Considered Abortion
• New Report Shows Female-based Abortion Infanticide Hurting China Gender Ratio
• Women Conceived in Rape Take Pro-Life Message to United Nations
• "Abortion Changes You" Post-Abortion Ads Reappear in New York City Subways
• Michigan: Kalamazoo County Wants to Stop Abortion Funding for Employees
• Maryland Follows California in Switching Focus to Adult Stem Cell Research
• Vermont Woman Pleads Guilty in Crash That Killed Pregnant Mom's Unborn Twins
• Utah House and Senate Ok Measure on Killing Unborn Outside of Abortion
• Pharmacy That Offered Comprehensive Pro-Life Approach Closes, Lack of Patients
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Survey Shows Men More Happy Than Women by News of Unplanned Pregnancy
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new survey that has an impact on the abortion debate shows men are more likely to be happy with an unexpected pregnancy than women. The survey gives further credence to the idea that women who have an abortion thinking their boyfriend or husband would not be supportive should think again. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy conducted the new survey, first reported in the Washington City Paper.
The campaign surveyed thousands of young men and women, ages 18-29, about their thoughts on pregnancy. Those who answered that it was very important or somewhat important to avoid pregnancy right now were then asked how they'd feel about an unplanned pregnancy. The question was worded: If you found out today that (you were/your partner was) pregnant, how would you feel: Very upset, a little upset, a little pleased, very pleased, wouldn't care.
While only 20 percent of women responded that they'd be a little pleased or very pleased, a larger 43 percent of young men answered the same. Among the 18-19 year old age range, 34 percent of men said they'd be pleased. That number jumps to 42 percent for 20-24-year olds, and more than 50 percent for guys aged 25-29. Only 16 percent of women ages 18-24 would be pleased by a surprise pregnancy. The percentage soars to 29 for 25-29 year-old women.
Republican Lawmakers Criticize Pro-Abortion Dawn Johnson After Committee Vote
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Republican lawmakers criticized the decision by the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve the nomination of pro-abortion Dawn Johnsen to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.
She has aggressively opposed even modest restrictions on abortion, such as partial birth abortion, and parental involvement, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said. She made the argument that, quote, legal abortion remains safer than childhood, end of quote. And that bans on abortion might undermine the 13th Amendment, which bans slavery. And that, quote, forced pregnancy requires a woman to provide continual physical service to the fetus in order to further the state s asserted interest, end of quote.
Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, also criticized Johnsen. Ms. Johnsen s statements demonstrate a record of extremism and blatant partisanship on sensitive issues such as abortion and voting rights, Coburn said. As a strong pro-life advocate, physician, and originalist, I cannot, in good conscience, support her nomination. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, criticized Johnsen as well. Professor Johnsen has spent nearly 20 years using legal analysis advancing far-left causes, and often dismisses outright views with which she disagrees, he said.
She has every right to be an ideological legal activist, but not as head of the Office of Legal Counsel. Democrats said for years that the Justice Department generally, and Office of Legal Counsel specifically, must be devoid of politics and ideology and Professor Johnsen fails that test.
United Nation's Pro-Abortion Women's Super-Agency Draws Pro-Life Opposition
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- The pro-abortion plan to gain control of the United Nations gained momentum last week when President Obama endorsed a new overarching agency that will unite feminist organizations in a bureaucratic take-over called, The Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign. Penny Young Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America, told LifeNews.com about the problems: "This new agency suddenly is becoming a reality.
With President Obama's support the radical feminists will have unprecedented power and clout throughout the world. They will determine what it means for nations to have 'gender equality' and insist on programs that will 'empower women.' In the past, such efforts have prompted the U.N. to slap nation's hands for celebrating Mother's Day or because husbands aren't helping enough around the house."
Janice Shaw Crouse, head of CWA's think tank, The Beverly LaHaye Institute, has written extensively about the GEAR takeover. Crouse said, "Establishing a U.N. agency for women's rights would dramatically strengthen the already-incredibly strong radical feminist influence at the U.N., and it would virtually ensure that abortion would become a human right around the world. Having a high-level, high-profile, highly-funded agency to promote the 'women's rights' agenda would establish yet another roadblock to addressing the real needs of women."
Mom Who Starved Baby to Death Gets New Trial Because She Considered Abortion
Miami, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The Miami Herald has the details about a case involving a mother who engaged in infanticide by letting her newborn baby starve to death. Now, she is getting a new trial because she considered abortion. Amy Stephenson, who has served two years of a 25-year sentence for letting her baby girl Jasmine starve to death in her home in Key Largo, may get a new trial.
The Third District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that while there was sufficient evidence to support the guilty verdict for aggravated manslaughter of a child, Stevenson did not get a fair trial. The reason: The prosecution prejudiced the 12-person jury against Stephenson by questioning her about contemplating an abortion while she was pregnant with her daughter and emphasizing that point in closing arguments. Senior Judge Alan R. Schwartz wrote in the opinion that abortion is one of the most inflammatory issues of our time, ``and, more important, that one who takes or even approves of this course is very adversely regarded by many in our society.''
The Florida Attorney General's Office is likely to file a motion for rehearing within 30 days. If the appellate court denies the rehearing or affirms the decision, the case will come back to Monroe County for retrial, said Donald Barrett, chief assistant attorney for Monroe County. In the meantime, Stephenson, now 29, will remain behind bars.
New Report Shows Female-based Abortion Infanticide Hurting China Gender Ratio
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A new report in the Economist is showing that the continued sex-selection abortion and female-based infanticide is harming China's gender ratio. New technology combined with ancient prejudices are producing communities in Asia with thousands more men than women, it has emerged.
Ultrasound scans which can detect the sex of babies have contributed to a massive rise in abortions of female unborn babies in cultures which value males much more highly. In China and Northern India, more than 120 boys are now being born for every 100 girls - up from an imbalance of 108 boys to every 100 girls in the 1980s, according to statistics published in The Economist. These rates are biologically impossible without human intervention. In rural areas, this ratio is even higher - in some Chinese provinces the ratio is an unprecedented 130 to 100.
According to The Economist, "It is no exaggeration to call this gendercide. Women are missing in their millions - aborted, killed, neglected to death." Statistics from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences estimate that by 2020, China will have 30-40 million more men aged 19 and below than women in the same age group. According to The Economist, the crime rate has almost doubled in China during the past 20 years of rising sex ratios, including bride abduction, the trafficking of women rape and prostitution.
Women Conceived in Rape Take Pro-Life Message to United Nations
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Several women who were conceived in rape are sharing their powerful stories at the United Nations Conference on the Status of Women. Juda Myers, conceived in an eight man rape, is among them. Speaking at Harvard University in October 2009 with Harvard's largest pro life attendance in years, Myers' witnessed brilliant minds turn from the acceptance of abortion in any case to the reality of the gift of life.
She speaks to all people from within the walls of prisons to the halls of the United Nations. "One can count the seeds in an apple but not the apples in a seed," Myers says referring to future generations that we may lose to abortions. Rebecca Kiessling from Michigan -- an adoptee who was conceived in rape when her birth mother was abducted at knife-point by a serial rapist, and then nearly aborted at two-back alley abortion practitioners, was also present.
"This is totally historic -- the most that have been convened to speak together before has been a small group of three. We'll be speaking out with one voice that every child conceived in rape is worthy of protection," she told LifeNews.com.
"Abortion Changes You" Post-Abortion Ads Reappear in New York City Subways
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Some 2,000 new ads stating abortion changes you will reappear this month on New York City subways. Similar ads were seen by hundreds of thousands of New York subway riders in 2008. New Yorkers responded by visiting the Abortion Changes You web site (abortionchangesyou.com) and sharing their stories of reproductive grief after abortion.
One young woman writes, I'm 24, confused and alone I felt like I was the only one suffering until I found this web site on the train. Another man shares that he was 18 when he and his girlfriend terminated a pregnancy. He didn't think about it until the birth of another child years later, I couldn't help but think about my first son. He would be 20 years old now. The new ads echo the experiences of men and women.
The image of a young woman shares: "I thought life would be the way it was before," while a male on another says: "I often wonder if there was something I could have done to help her." According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1 in 3 women will have an abortion by age 45.
When I had my abortion I kept it a secret for a long time because I was afraid of how people would react. Few people know how to talk about abortion in a safe way, says Michaelene Fredenburg, the creator of the ads and author of Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved One s Abortion Experience, Every person moves through reproductive loss and grief differently. An abortion experience can create a range of emotions, from feelings of relief, to confusion, to profound grief.
Michigan: Kalamazoo County Wants to Stop Abortion Funding for Employees
Kalamazoo, MI (LifeNews.com) -- A pair of Kalamazoo County commissioners from Portage want the county s health insurance to stop paying for abortions for employees and their family members. Republican John Zull and Democrat Michael Quinn proposed a resolution Tuesday that would eliminate abortion coverage in the health benefits for about 900 county employees as well as their family members covered under the policy.
Under the proposal, county employees would instead have to pay for their abortions using their medical reimbursement funds -- which is money deducted from their wages to pay for costs that are not covered by their health insurance. Since Jan. 1, 2003, county health benefits have covered $5,843 for four abortion procedures, according to the county s Human Resources department. No action was taken Tuesday, but the county board is expected to discuss the abortion policy at its March 16 meeting. Zull and Quinn introduced the resolution at Tuesday s meeting, leading to a testy debate among some commissioners. Supporters of the resolution said many people are divided over whether women should have the right to get an abortion.
But they are not divided on the issue of public-funded abortions, said Zull, citing opinion polls that show the majority of Americans oppose publicly funded abortions. In 2003, the last time abortion coverage became an issue at the county board, Zull was unsuccessful in his effort to have it removed from the county s health-care plans.
Maryland Follows California in Switching Focus to Adult Stem Cell Research
Annapolis, MD (LifeNews.com) -- Maryland is following the lead of California in acknowledging that adult stem cell research has shown much promise, while embryonic stem cell research has destroyed countless lives with no results. According to the blog A Catholic View: A proposed Maryland bill that would fund adult stem cell research for sickle cell disease has won the backing of the Maryland Catholic Conference.
One official with the conference says success in unfunded adult stem cell efforts suggests that a focus on embryonic stem cells has led to funding the wrong research. The legislation in the state s House of Delegates is sponsored by Delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, a Baltimore County Democrat. It would devote five percent of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund to adult stem cell research for sickle cell disease, the Catholic Review reports.
Del. Nathan-Pulliam s proposal comes two months after the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published the results of a clinical trial that used the research to reverse sickle cell disease in 90 percent of adult patients. Nancy Paltell, associate director for respect for life at the Maryland Catholic Conference, said that the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund had twice rejected applications for funding adult stem cell research in sickle cell disease.
Vermont Woman Pleads Guilty in Crash That Killed Pregnant Mom's Unborn Twins
Bennington, VT (LifeNews.com) -- In a case that prompted the Vermont Legislature to consider a law that could criminalize harm to an unborn child a Pownal woman has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a car crash that caused a pregnant woman to lose the twins she was carrying. Kelly M. Cook, 22, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two felony charges of driving with gross negligence resulting in serious bodily injury.
She could be sentenced to 30 years in prison. The woman who lost the twins, Patricia Blair of Bennington, said she supported the deal, which avoids a jury trial. "For me, it's always been partially about the babies, too, but, you know, we'll just take what we can get until we can change that law. I hate the idea of another family losing their daughter like we lost our daughters," Blair said.
Since the August accident, Blair has become a proponent of changing Vermont law to criminalize some cases in which a pregnant woman loses her unborn child. Under current law, Cook could not be charged for harm caused to the unborn children. Blair was injured when a car crossed the centerline of U.S. Route 7 and collided with her car nearly head-on. She was hospitalized and lost the unborn babies she was carrying about six months into the pregnancy. The legal issue of harm to a baby before birth is complicated by its relationship to the abortion debate and abortion advocates opposed protecting women and unborn children because they are more concerned with keeping abortion legal.
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Utah House and Senate Ok Measure on Killing Unborn Outside of Abortion
Salt Lake City, UT (LifeNews.com) -- A pregnant woman in Utah who intentionally causes the death of her unborn child outside the scope of a legal abortion could be prosecuted for criminal homicide under a bill that was introduced and approved by the Utah Legislature on Friday.
HB 462, which is an amended version of HB 12, removes the word "reckless" in reference to behavior but retains "intentional" acts by the woman that cause an abortion as grounds for a charge of aggravated murder. he measure doesn't change the state's legal abortion statutes but establishes Utah as the only state to set parameters on when a woman can be held criminally responsible for causing the end of a pregnancy at her own hand or means outside a doctor's care.
The law comes after a case that saw a teenager not prosecuted when she hired someone to cause a miscarriage and kill her unborn child. The bill, which is almost certain to be signed by Gov. Gary Herbert as well as induce immediate calls for court actions to stop it was passed by the Senate 23-4 about two hours after a 55-5 vote in the House. Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, said that e-mails to lawmakers claiming that the measure essentially makes prosecution possible for every woman who happens to miscarry "are an absolute farce and a lie." That didn't stop the ACLU from drumming up opposition by threatening a lawsuit against it.
Pharmacy That Offered Comprehensive Pro-Life Approach Closes, Lack of Patients
Fairfax, VA (LifeNews.com) -- The Divine Mercy Care pharmacy located in northern Virginia has closed. The pharmacy opened in October 2008 offering a new approach to pharmaceutical care by offering competitive pricing and highly personalized service in an environment free of contraceptive devices and anti-life messages.
In the end, with profit margins shrinking and a customer support base growing only incrementally, the Board of Directors of Divine Mercy Care opted to close the pharmacy.
On behalf of DMC Pharmacy, I sincerely thank those thousand plus souls who patronized our pharmacy, Dr. John Bruchalski, Divine Mercy Care President, told LifeNews.com. Thanks to their commitment and the generosity of our donors, DMC Pharmacy, even if short lived, made a real difference in the lives of real people right here in Northern Virginia and for that we are grateful. DMC Pharmacy was not consumer-driven but Christ-driven, stated Dr. Bruchalski.
As a result, we practiced faithful medicine that honored God and reached out to our fellow man. We created an environment where a pharmacist could dispense according to his conscience and clients could be free from the culture of death. Such a noble effort was not a bad concept; rather, it was a concept ahead of its time.
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