LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, April 24, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Pro-Life Groups Condemn Obama Abortion Litmus Test for Supreme Court Pick
• Bill Would Apply Hyde Amendment to Obama's Pro-Abortion Health Care Law
• Democrats Lose Advantage to GOP in Poll After Pro-Abortion Health Care Vote
• GOP's Boehner to Get Pro-Life Award for Opposing Pro-Abortion Health Care
• National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week Starts Next Week for Youth to Oppose Abortion
• Physically Disabled People Deserve a Chance at Life, Not Condemned to Abortion
• Louisiana House Approves Bill to Opt Out of Some Health Care Abortion Funding
• Oklahoma Governor Henry Vetoes Bill to Give Women Ultrasound Before Abortion
• United Nations Commission on Population, Development Sees Abortion Lobbying
• Center for Reproductive Rights Continues Pushing Abortion on Pro-Life Nations
• Michigan Senate Passes Bill for Transparency on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
• Idaho Pro-Life group Endorses Raul Labrador for Congress Against Minnick
• Northern Kentucky Pro-Life Group Sees Abortion Display Vandalized Again
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Pro-Life Groups Condemn Obama Abortion Litmus Test for Supreme Court Pick
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Leading pro-life organizations are awaiting the upcoming Supreme Court battle and fully expect President Barack Obama to name a pro-abortion replacement for retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens. They say Obama, despite his protests to the contrary, issued an abortion litmus test this week.
During a meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders, Obama said he is "somebody who believes that women should have the ability to make often very difficult decisions about their bodies and the issues of reproduction."
He claimed he had no litmus test but, in the next breath, said he would appoint someone who "who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account" legal abortions.
Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, asks rhetorically, "President Obama may be picking a Supreme Court Justice for life, but will he choose someone in favor of it?"
"Without hesitation, President Obama made it abundantly clear that whomever he selects will be no friend to the unborn," Perkins said.
Perkins says Americans need to watch the nomination closely and the rhetoric Obama backers are using to give him an out to appoint a left-wing, pro-abortion nominee.
"Interestingly enough, Democrats are lobbying the White House to select someone outside of the judicial mainstream, perhaps to help avoid the scrutiny over prior opinions. It would also give President Obama an opportunity to plant a liberal activist on the court who would be potent on the bench but palatable in the confirmation process," Perkins warns. Full story at LifeNews.com
Bill Would Apply Hyde Amendment to Obama's Pro-Abortion Health Care Law
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new bill filed by pro-life members of Congress would apply the historic Hyde amendment language to the new health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law that calls for massive abortion funding.
The legislation would afford the same pro-life protections that were approved with bipartisan support in the House last year via the Stupak amendment that didn't make the final bill.
Stupak, the author of the previous amendment, eventually joined with other pro-life Democrats in voting for the pro-abortion health care bill in exchange for an Obama executive order that pro-life groups say won't truly ban abortion funding.
Congressman Todd Tiahrt, a Kansas Republican, filed the bill with Congressman Joe Pitts, a Pennsylvania Republican.
"Obamacare is the most pro-abortion piece of legislation ever passed by Congress," Tiahrt told LifeNews.com today.
"This is in stark contrast to the belief held by a majority of Americans who oppose federally-funded abortions and it should be amended immediately to reflect the will of the American people," he said. "Obama s fig-leaf executive order does nothing to change current law, and so we must take swift action to reverse this reckless decision by Democrats to devalue human life. With strong support on both sides of the aisle, it is my hope that we can reinstate the Hyde amendment without delay." Full story at LifeNews.com
Democrats Lose Advantage to GOP in Poll After Pro-Abortion Health Care Vote
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new Gallup poll is making the rounds today showing Democrats have squandered their advantage in partisan support thanks to the pro-abortion health care bill they railroaded through Congress. The poll shows Republicans could be in store for huge election victories in November.
During the first quarter of 2010, 46% of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, while 45% identified as or leaned Republican, Gallup noted.
Those results, based on aggregated data from Gallup polls conducted from January to March, show the closest party divide since 2005.
Democrats enjoyed double-digit advantages in party support in 11 of 12 quarters from the second quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2009, Gallup indicated.
But Gallup says, "The advantage in public support the Democratic Party built up during the latter part of the Bush administration and the early part of the Obama administration has all but disappeared."
"By the end of last year, the Democratic advantage had shrunk to five points (47% to 42%), and it narrowed further in the most recent quarter," Gallup noted. Full story at LifeNews.com
GOP Leader Boehner to Get Pro-Life Award for Opposing Pro-Abortion Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- When it come to exposing the massive abortion funding in the health care bill Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed, outside of pro-life groups House Republican Leader John Boehner was one of the leading elected officials urging opposition to it.
Boehner will receive an award from Americans United for Life at a May 5 event to thank him for speaking out.
During the health care debate, Boehner focused on the new "abortion premium" fee -- with the Obama proposal directing insurance companies to assess the cost of elective abortion coverage and charge a minimum of $1 per enrollee per month.
"President Obama s health care proposal is an affront to the American people and drastically moves away from current policy. The American people deserve more from their government than being forced to pay for abortion," he said.
Boehner also stood up with pro-life groups against the fallacy that Obama's executive order would somehow stop this and other examples of abortion funding and promotion.
Now, Americans United for Life will honor the GOP leader, who could become the Speaker of the House if republicans defeat enough Democrats in November, with its "Defender of Life" award.
Charmaine Yoest, president of AUL, told LifeNews.com today: "The Henry J Hyde Defender of Life Award memorializing the life and work of Representative Henry J. Hyde, former Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is given to an elected official who demonstrates outstanding leadership in the cause of Life." Full story at LifeNews.com
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week Starts Next Week for Youth to Oppose Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Thousands of young people across the country will take to the streets and the schools with a message for their peers: oppose abortion. National Pro-Life T Shirt Week is organizing youth and young adults in high schools and colleges across the nation to stand up for unborn children.
In addition to wearing pro-life T-shirts next week, students are urged to engage in sidewalk chalking a pro-life message and standing in front of top government buildings with the shirts.
Project director Scott Carroll tells LifeNews.com the event is organized by American Life League with the intent to increase awareness of the personhood of the child in the womb and the tragedy of abortion with a nationwide, positive, activism-oriented event.
"Primarily, we are concerned with getting people to think of the child as a person from the moment of his or her biological beginning," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Physically Disabled People Deserve a Chance at Life, Not Condemned to Abortion
by Maria Vitale
The couple had been anxiously awaiting the birth of their baby. There was no sonogram picture of him, so their first glimpse occurred after he had been delivered.
They were shocked by what they saw.
He had been born without arms and with shortened legs. This was not what they had expected.
The doctor had worked heroically to ensure that the baby would be born and that his mother would survive. However, after the physician determined to himself that the baby would be better off dead, little Chet McDoniel was placed in a crib in a corner of the room and left to die. But Chet survived. In fact, he thrived.
During a recent appearance at a fundraising banquet benefiting Morning Star Pregnancy Services in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he remarked, The doctor made a decision he didn't have the right to make.
Chet s parents were told that he would never walk, but he proved the doctors wrong.
I've enjoyed the life I've been given, Chet says. Full story at LifeNews.com
Louisiana House Approves Bill to Opt Out of Some Health Care Abortion Funding
Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- Louisiana is the latest state to move ahead with a bill that would allow it to opt out of some of the abortion funding on the national health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law. HB 1247 cleared the Louisiana House floor without any negative amendments by a vote of 76-13. Rep. Frank Hoffmann, a Republican, sponsored the measure that has the support of pro-life Gov. Bobby Jindal.
The bill states, "Nothing in this Act shall be construed or implied to recognize any independent right to abortion under the constitution or laws of this state, nor shall it be construed or implied to recognize the constitutional validity of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010."
Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, told LifeNews.com he was elated by the vote.
"With this passage, Louisiana is one step closer to opting out of federally subsidized abortions authorized through health care reform. In Louisiana, we know abortion is not health care, and HB 1247 makes sure that insurance dollars do not fund abortion," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Oklahoma Governor Henry Vetoes Bill to Give Women Ultrasound Before Abortion
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry vetoed two abortion bills including one that would allow women considering an abortion to have a chance to view an ultrasound beforehand. The second bill fosters respect for babies with disabilities by disallowing wrongful-life lawsuits that claim a baby would have been better off being aborted.
Henry said the first measure would create another expensive battle in the courts and didn't contain an exception for women who would abort their unborn children after a rape or incest.
This is the second time henry has vetoed a measure giving women the right to see an ultrasound of their baby before an abortion. Legislators overrode the veto last time and the head of Oklahomans for Life said before the vetoes that he expects the legislature would try again.
"If the Governor vetoes any of the bills, there will be a vote to override the veto in both the House and the Senate. The Senate is most crucial," Tony Lauinger of Oklahomans for Life told LifeNews.com.
"Pro-abortion groups want vetoes from the Governor and want Democrats in the Senate to sustain the pro-abortion vetoes. Planned Parenthood is the ringleader of the tragic campaign to continue the unrestrained killing of unborn babies across Oklahoma," Lauinger added. Full story at LifeNews.com
 On April 29th Wisconsin Right to Life will be tweeting LIVE from heir Annual Education Fund Dinner featuring Senator Rick Santorum. Make sure you log onto Twitter and search for #wrtlsantorum after 6:30pm to receive LIVE comments and reactions from former Senator Santorum s keynote address. |
United Nations Commission on Population, Development Sees Abortion Lobbying
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Observers were left scratching their heads trying to figure out what went wrong in the final few hours of the United Nations (UN) Commission Population and Development (CPD), which ended last Friday at UN headquarters in New York. After three days of marathon negotiating sessions, the UN Commission on Population and Development came together in the final plenary to adopt an eight-page text on "Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development."
Despite reassurances from governments that controversial language regarding "sexuality education" and "reproductive rights" would not be included in the final document, in the final few hours of the conference, behind closed doors, the controversial language came back into the document.
Despite an all night session that ended at 4 in the morning on the last day of the session, negotiators were far from reaching an agreement. Delegations were mired in battles over contentious language ranging from development funding to sexual and reproductive health and even to "foreign occupation," a reference to Arab and Muslim disputed land in Israel.
A bloc of nations pledged they would fight off any attempts to push an abortion agenda despite strong pressure from the European Union, the United States and others. Full story at LifeNews.com
Center for Reproductive Rights Continues Pushing Abortion on Pro-Life Nations
New York, NY (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- A top abortion-rights law firm recently released its conclusion that the last decade of international legal trends indicate that abortion is not only an international human right, but that government funding is part of that right.
They claim that the vicious health care debate in the United States over abortion funding shows that the U.S. is flouting international law.
In Reproductive Rights at the Start of the 21st Century: Global Progress, Yet Backpedaling on Gains in U.S., the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) argues that funding for abortion services has increasingly been recognized as a necessary tool for ensuring access to a fundamental human right.
To back this claim, CRR refers to 21 European countries, Colombia, and South Africa, which partially fund abortion, as well as Nepal and Mexico City, which provide funding for poor women as an element of the abortion right itself. Full story at LifeNews.com
| Looking for a pro-life speaker for your next banquet, conference or convention? LifeNews.com editor Steven Ertelt is a low-cost speaker who can entertain and educate your audience as well as help you with a fundraising pitch if necessary. He can also speak on any pro-life topic. For more information, email news@LifeNews.com. |
Michigan Senate Passes Bill for Transparency on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- The Michigan state Senate has approved a bill to require embryonic stem cell researchers to establish oversight committees and submit annual reports to the state. The measure is hailed by pro-life groups as providing regulations on the embryonic stem cell research voters approve over their objections.
In November 2008, Michigan voters voted to pass Proposal 2 and legalize the killing of human embryos in Michigan for research purposes.
"The language of Proposal 2 failed to provide any definitions or accountability. This package of bills draws clear parameters around this research as promised by the proponents and voted on by the people," says Right to Life of Michigan.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing added, "The debate over Proposal 2 is behind us."
"The Legislature's job is to properly implement and enforce the proposal. Voters approved this measure expecting research would be limited to only excess human embryos, that there would be no buying or selling of human embryos and that parents would consent to their embryos being used for research," she said. Full stories at LifeNews.com
Idaho Pro-Life group Endorses Raul Labrador for Congress Against Minnick
Boise, ID (LifeNews.com) -- An Idaho pro-life group has issued an endorsement for Republican congressional candidate Raul Labrador against incumbent pro-abortion Democrat Walt Minnick. Labrador must first get beyond a crowded Republican primary election contest set for May 25.
Idaho Choose Life, a grassroots pro-life organization, issued the endorsement.
"We've had the honor of working with Raul for a number of years now, and appreciate his integrity and commitment to pro-Life principles," ICL director David Ripley told LifeNews.com. "What separates the candidates running for Congress is Labrador's proven value under fire."
Labrador has served in the Idaho State House of Representatives since his first election in 2006. During that time he has earned a 100% pro-Life voting record. Full stories at LifeNews.com
Northern Kentucky Pro-Life Group Sees Abortion Display Vandalized Again
Highland Heights, KY (LifeNews.com) -- Students with the pro-life group at Northern Kentucky University saw their pro-life cross display vandalized again after a professor was dismissed and students charged with destroying a previous one years ago. The vandalism scandal placed a spotlight on the university in 2005.
On Wednesday morning, a pro-life cross display called the Cemetery of the Innocents display was vandalized.
Northern Right to Life, the pro-life student group at NKU, built the Cemetery of Innocents display in a high traffic area to create awareness not only to the issue of abortion but also to highlight the group s efforts to support their community.
The group s Cemetery of the Innocents featured four hundred crosses that were place in the lawn between University buildings with a sign that stated Each cross represents 10 abortions that occur every day." Full stories at LifeNews.com
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