LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Senate Democrats to Obama: Ignore GOP, Nominate Pro-Abortion Activist for Supreme Court
• New Abortion Screening Law Caps 25 Year Effort to Change Abortion Malpractice Laws
• Late-Term Abortion Practitioner LeRoy Carhart Hampered by New Nebraska Pro-Life Laws
• Americans Want Pro-Life President George W. Bush as Much as Pro-Abortion Obama
• Abortion Rates Lower in Red States Than Blue States Thanks to More Pro-Life Laws
• Maternal Mortality Declines Worldwide Despite More Nations Not Legalizing Abortions
• Lady Gaga: "It s OK Not to Have Sex," But Her Lyrics Speak Louder Than Words
• United Nations Commission on Population and Development Hears Pro-Life Presentation
• Country Music Stars Thrill Pro-Life Advocates at Concert for Terri Schiavo Foundation
• Right to Life Opposes Pro-Life Democrats in West Virginia Over Abortion-Health Care Vote
• Ohio Pro-Life Group Criticizes Governor Strickland Appointing Brown to Supreme Court
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Senate Democrats to Obama: Ignore GOP, Nominate Pro-Abortion Activist for Supreme Court
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Senate Democrats have some advice for President Barack Obama on choosing a replacement for retiring pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. They say he should ignore Republicans and simply nominate the most stridently pro-abortion activist to the high court while they still have a 59-41 vote advantage.
With a second chance to nominate a Supreme Court justice for Stevens' seat, Obama can go one of two directions.
He can stick with a safe choice -- someone like DC Court of Appeals Judge Merrick Garland -- who gives him a chance to avoid another bruising political battle in advance of the November elections that will likely see Democrats suffer big losses as a result of the pro-abortion health care bill.
Or, sensing that Democrats will not have near as many votes in the Senate after November should another nomination come his way, Obama can select from one of many pro-abortion activists like Judge Diane Wood or Solicitor General Elena Kagan and turn the court as far left as possible in this rare opportunity.
Democrats say Republicans are so jaded from the battle over the pro-abortion health care bill that they are unlikely to support any nomination -- so Obama may as well select the most liberal nominee possible.
I think we need to push someone who would be on the liberal side, on the progressive side, just as Roberts and Alito are on that side," pro-abortion Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin told Politico. Why do conservatives always get the conservatives, but we don t get to get liberals? What the hell is that all about? Full story at LifeNews.com
New Abortion Screening Law Caps 25 Year Effort to Change Abortion Malpractice Laws
Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) -- When the governor of Nebraska yesterday signed into law a measure that allows women to sue abortion practitioners for mental health problems following an abortion, that represented a culmination of 25 years of efforts to to change abortion malpractice laws to give post-abortive women more legal power.
The legislation was patterned after model legislation called the Protection from Coerced and Unsafe Abortions Act and developed by the Elliot Institute, a post-abortion research and education group based in Springfield, Illinois.
Elliot Institute director, Dr. David Reardon, told LifeNews.com that inspiration for the bill came from a 1985 article written by the pro-life women's group Feminists for Life of America.
"The article was identifying obstacles and loopholes in the law that made it nearly impossible for women to recover damages for abortion related injuries," Reardon said. "Plus, the short statute of limitations when dealing with medical procedures meant it was likely that women injured by abortion wouldn't be emotionally ready to come forward until it was too late. The article said this was similar to cases in which women who have been raped may feel too ashamed or afraid to come forward."
Reardon, who has since led numerous academic studies linking abortion to higher rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, said these observations shed new light on something he had been observing in the medical literature on abortion.
"Nearly every study done on abortion and mental health, whether before or since 1985, has found that certain subgroups of women were at higher risk of negative reactions," he said. "Most of these studies have been done by pro-choice researchers, so you can t accuse them of bias. Many of the researchers openly recommend that these risk factors should be used to screen for at-risk patients so they could be given more pre- and post-abortion counseling." Full story at LifeNews.com
Late-Term Abortion Practitioner LeRoy Carhart Hampered by New Nebraska Pro-Life Laws
Bellevue, NE (LifeNews.com) -- LeRoy Carhart, one of the few late-term abortion practitioners left in the wake of the death of George Tiller, has to be frustrated by legislation in Kansas and Nebraska that makes continuing or expanding his abortion business more difficult. Nebraska yesterday saw two new pro-life bills go into law that adversely affect his business.
In Nebraska, one new law makes abortion practitioners engage in better screening and gives women a chance to file lawsuits over post-abortion mental health problems.
The other bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy because unborn children can feel pain.
Operation Rescue president Troy Newman tells LifeNews.com the legislation will hamper Carhart's abortion business when they go into effect in October.
"We are extremely happy that the Nebraska fetal pain bill has been signed into law, along with another that will require mental health screening for abortion patients. These laws will essentially ban all abortions beginning at 20 weeks when it has been determined that pre-born babies can feel pain," he said.
Last year, Carhart threatened to reopen an abortion clinic in Kansas and continue post- viability abortions after the closure of Women's Health Care Services that Tiller ran.
Operation Rescue launched a campaign that successfully prevented Carhart from coming back to Kansas where he had worked for over 10 years doing abortions on women in their latest stages of pregnancy.
"It soon became clear that Carhart planned instead to conduct the late-term abortions at his existing clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska," Newman said. "[We] later confirmed that Carhart has in fact been doing a small number of post- viability abortions in Nebraska, possibly as late as the thirtieth week of pregnancy." Full story at LifeNews.com
Americans Want Pro-Life President George W. Bush as Much as Pro-Abortion Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new national poll shows Americans want pro-life former President George W. Bush as much as much as they want the current pro-abortion president, Barack Obama. The Public Policy Polling Institute says the polling data has a bearing on the upcoming congressional elections in that Democrats can't continue blaming Bush for the country's ills.
The PPP poll found 48% prefer Obama while 46% say they would rather have Bush back.
Some 87% of GOP voters now say they would prefer Bush, a number a good deal higher than Bush's approval rating within his party toward the tail end of his presidency.
Democrats predictably go for Obama by an 86-10 percentage point margin while independents go for Obama by a 49-37 percent spread.
The polling firm talked about the impact the numbers have on the future.
"These numbers suggest some peril for Democrats in making Bush a focus of their messaging this fall. A lot of folks who contributed to the former President's low level of popularity now like Obama even less. Figuring out a way to make voters change their minds about the current President would be a much more effective strategy for Democrats than continuing to try to score points off the former one," the PPP firm said.
Obama and Bush couldn't be further apart on the pro-life issues of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Full story at LifeNews.com
Abortion Rates Lower in Red States Than Blue States Thanks to More Pro-Life Laws
by Michael New
Andrew Koppelman’s claim that red states and the religious right increase abortions doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
In recent years the pro-life position has made impressive gains in the court of public opinion. Because of this, a number of political liberals have come to the realization that support for legal abortion is a losing issue politically. As such, many have attempted a clever switch in strategy.
Instead of trying to defend abortion rights, they have attempted to seize the moral high ground by claiming that 1) pro-life efforts have been ineffective and that 2) their preferred policy goals offer the best hope for reducing abortion rates. Indeed, over the past few years left-leaning groups have argued that a range of policies will reduce the abortion rate. These include more spending on welfare programs, greater access to contraceptives, and universal health care – in short, everything but providing greater legal protections for unborn children.
This argument occurs once again in a widely circulated essay entitled “How the Religious Right Promotes Abortion” by Northwestern University Law Professor Andrew Koppelman. Koppelman favorably cites Naomi Cahn and June Carbone’s book Red Families vs. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of Culture.
According to Koppelman, the hostility in red states to both contraception and comprehensive sex education leads to a greater incidence of abortion. Conversely, even though blue states are more tolerant of premarital sex, their support for comprehensive sex education and contraception actually lowers abortion rates. Koppelman spends much of the rest of the essay criticizing the religious right for their opposition to both sex education and government funding of contraception. Full story at LifeNews.com
Maternal Mortality Declines Worldwide Despite More Nations Not Legalizing Abortions
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Maternal morality numbers are declining worldwide according to a Lancet report even though more nations around the world are not legalizing abortions. The report makes it clear abortion advocacy groups are presenting false arguments when saying more pro-abortion laws are needed to cut maternal deaths around the globe.
A new study, published by the British medical journal The Lancet shows a dramatic decline in maternal deaths worldwide.
The Lancet reports 526,300 maternal deaths worldwide in 1980 and 342,900 deaths in 2008, a reduction of 35 percent. A total of 60,000 of the 2008 deaths were pregnant women in eastern Africa who died from AIDS.
This new study is further proof that it is clean water, clean blood and adequate access to health care not abortion on demand that will help pregnant women and their babies globally, Scott Fischbach, director of the MCCL Global Outreach program, told LifeNews.com.
The New York Times article quotes Dr. Richard Horton, who states he received pressure from maternal mortality advocacy groups not to release the new findings.
For years the advocates of abortion have used the maternal mortality issue to overthrow pro-life laws in country after country, Fischbach continued. Without the maternal mortality argument, another gaping hole exists in their push for abortion on demand.
The solution to illegal abortions and high maternal mortality rates is very simple Fischbach explains: provide hope, opportunity and support for pregnant women by ensuring a clean water supply, clean blood supply and adequate health care. Statistics confirm that these save women s lives -- not the legalization of abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Lady Gaga: "It s OK Not to Have Sex," But Her Lyrics Speak Louder Than Words
by Sarah Knoploh
Pop sensation Lady Gaga recently made news when she announced that she is going to be celibate. Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, cited the rise of women infected with HIV as part of the reason she has chosen to remain celibate. While the pop star s announcement was certainly a positive message to young fans, the lyrics in her hit songs promote anything but celibacy.
MTV.com reported Lady Gaga stated, I can't believe I'm saying this don't have sex. I'm single right now and I've chosen to be single because I don't have the time to get to know anybody. She continued, So it's OK not to have sex, it's OK to get to know people. I'm celibate, celibacy's fine.
But she didn t just stop there. You don't have to have sex to feel good about yourself, and if you're not ready, don't do it. And if you are ready, there are free condoms given away at my concerts when you're leaving! ... I remember the cool girls when I was growing up. Everyone started to have sex. But it's not really cool anymore to have sex all the time. It's cooler to be strong and independent.
Let s just hope that Lady Gaga s young fans listen to her statement about remaining abstinent instead of listening to her music lyrics The Culture & Media Institute has previously reported about some of her songs. Full story at LifeNews.com
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United Nations Commission on Population and Development Hears Pro-Life Presentation
by Raimundo Rojas
Jeanne E. Head, R.N., United Nations Representative for the National Right to Life gave an impassioned speech this morning at the 43rd Session of the Commission on Population and Development being held at United Nation s Headquarters in New York City.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Head intoned the message all pro-life NGOs here at the United Nations hope to impart on the delegations of the world.
We are dedicated to the protection of all innocent human life from conception to natural death. We see a woman s life as a continuum deserving compassionate protections and support, beginning at her conception and proceeding throughout her entire life cycle.
She continued by taking exception to the World Health Organizations long term claims that there has not been a significant decrease in maternal mortality since the Cairo Conference on Population and Development from 1994. Ms. Head states:
The world has failed to reach these goals because the resources were directed toward decreasing the number of children women deliver, rather than making the delivery of their children safe, and has failed to properly direct resources to save women s lives. I have grave concerns about the false and dangerous claims that the way to reduce maternal mortality in the developing world is to legalize abortion. I can assert without any equivocation that it is never necessary to directly attack and kill the unborn child to save the life or protect the health of the mother. Full story at LifeNews.com
Country Music Stars Thrill Pro-Life Advocates at Concert for Terri Schiavo Foundation
Indianapolis, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Last Saturday, two of country music's biggest stars lent their talents and abilities to the foundation started by the family of Terri Schiavo. Terri's brother Bobby Schindler says the concert was a spectacular event for the foundation, which seeks to help disabled patients like Terri not have their right to live revoked.
"It was a memorable night with both Randy Travis and Collin Raye giving incredible performances," he said.
Raye, in particular, was touched to participate given that he had lost his granddaughter Haley to a terminal brain condition, just days before the concert.
Schindler said the concert saw an outpouring of support from the pro-life movement both locally and across the country.
"Not only did we have wonderful volunteers that helped organize and promote the concert, but our family was greeted by friends and longtime supporters that came to Indianapolis from all over the country to share this special evening with us," he said. "We cannot adequately thank all those that were there to support our efforts so that we can continue helping the countless other brain-injured persons living in our nation today."
The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation will soon have a DVD available of Terri's Life & Hope Concert for pro-life people to purchase. Full story at LifeNews.com
Right to Life Opposes Pro-Life Democrats in West Virginia Over Abortion-Health Care Vote
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two Democrats in West Virginia previously regarded as strongly pro-life have drawn opposition from National Right to Life because they voted for the health care bill that contains massive taxpayer funding of abortions. Today, the political arm of the National Right to Life Committee endorses opponents against Allan Mollohan and Nick Rahall.
National Right to Life Political Action Committee endorsed four candidates seeking to replace the two West Virginia Democrats, who occupy the 1st and 3rd congressional districts.
For the May 11 primary election, NRLC backed Republican David McKinley and Democrat Mike Oliverio in the first congressional district and Republican Elliott "Spike" Maynard and Democrat Bruce Barilla in the third congressional district.
"Congressmen Alan Mollohan and Nick Rahall voted for the most abortion-expansive single piece of legislation ever to reach the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives," said NRLC PAC director Karen Cross.
The move is somewhat ironic given Cross' former status as the executive director of West Virginians for Life, where she maintained a close working relationship with the two pro-life Democrats before they decided to endorse the pro-abortion health care bill in exchange for an executive order falsely purporting to ban taxpayer funding of abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
Ohio Pro-Life Group Criticizes Governor Strickland Appointing Brown to Supreme Court
Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com) -- An Ohio pro-life group says Governor Ted Strickland has politicized the Ohio Supreme Court with is appointment today of Franklin County Probate Judge Eric Brown to replace the late Thomas Moyer. The decision is coming under criticism from Ohio Right to Life, which says it affects the upcoming 2010 election.
Brown had already been selected by Strickland and other Democratic Party leaders as the Democratic candidate for Chief Justice in the 2010 election.
Strickland's decision to name Brown to the state's high court sets up a race between two sitting members of the Supreme Court, Brown and current Justice Maureen O'Connor, the Republican candidate.
Ohio Right to Life tells LifeNews.com that Brown is married to Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown, who has voted to use tax dollars to support Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio, an organization that performs abortions.
"Governor Strickland's choice of Eric Brown for Chief Justice is a blatantly political decision," said Mike Gonidakis, director of Ohio Right to Life. Full story at LifeNews.com
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