LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
| For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
• Pro-Abortion Supreme Court Justice Stevens May Retire Soon, Will Under Obama
• Potential Supreme Court Picks Elana Kagan, Diane Wood Strongly Back Abortion
• Bishops Not Advancing Republican Agenda by Opposing Pro-Abortion Health Care
• FBI Raids Home of Philly Practitioner Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion
• National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week Will Reach Young Americans Against Abortion
• What About Abortion in Cases of Rape and Incest? Women and Sexual Assault
• Minnesota Sees Tax-Funded Abortions Drop 4% With Positive Alternatives Program
• New Jersey Governor Christie Eliminates Waiver for Planned Parenthood Funding
• Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry Signs Three Pro-Life Bills Limiting Abortions
• California Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina Opposes Abortion in New Interview
• Fort Wayne OKs Measure Requiring Abortion Practitioners to Notify Local Hospital
• New York Man Charged With Forcing Girlfriend to Have Abortion, Killing Baby
---> Is your pro-life group or pregnancy center looking for an affordable speaker? Need a speaker for a conference, convention, church presentation or on short notice? Consider LifeNews.com Editor Steven Ertelt. Email us for details.
Pro-Abortion Supreme Court Justice Stevens May Retire Soon, Will Under Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Justice John Paul Stevens, one of the five members of the pro-abortion majority on the Supreme Court, said over the weekend that he may retire soon. Stevens also indicated he will definitely retire during the term of President Barack Obama so the abortion advocate can choose his replacement.
Stevens has been the subject of retirement talk for months and that has increased in volume as a previously-mentioned mid-late April date for an announcement draws near.
Although he hasn't yet announced his intentions, ongoing health issues, advancing age and his decision to hire just one attorney for the Supreme Court's October session (justices typically hire four) has speculation rampant that he will step down after 35 years on the top bench.
Stevens said in newspaper interviews on Saturday that he "will surely" retire during Obama's presidency -- paving the way for the likelihood that he will be replaced by another abortion advocate who favors keeping Roe v. Wade and its 52 million abortions in place.
"I will surely do it while he's still president," Stevens told The Washington Post.
Stevens told the newspaper he still enjoys his position as a high court jurist and drafts the first copy of his opinions on his own without the help of legal assistants. He said if he gets to the point he stops writing his own opinions, he will decide it is time to retire.
But in a second interview, Stevens recognized he needs to make a decision for the replacement process to start up in earnest.
"I do have to fish or cut bait, just for my own personal peace of mind and also in fairness to the process," Stevens told The New York Times. "The president and the Senate need plenty of time to fill a vacancy." Full story at LifeNews.com
Potential Supreme Court Picks Elana Kagan, Diane Wood Strongly Back Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Should pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens decide in the coming days or weeks to retire, three potential replacements have been named as the most likely candidates to replace him. Two of the potential nominees for President Barack Obama are longtime pro-abortion activists.
The most talked about potential nominees include U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan and federal appellate judges Diane Wood and Merrick Garland.
Those names have been in the news before and a White House official confirmed Sunday to Bloomberg News that those names are prominent on Obama's list of replacements.
The problem for the pro-life movement is Kagan and Wood are extreme nominees and pro-life groups would likely strongly oppose their nominations.
LifeNews.com spoke today with Wendy Wright, the president of Concerned Women for America, who said news stories on Wood frequently "gloss over her radical, anti-Constitutional actions."
Wood, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, ruled against bans on partial-birth abortion in cases involving legislation from Wisconsin and Illinois. She joined the federal court in ruling that Wisconsin's law was unconstitutional under the Supreme Court's first ruling on partial-birth abortions in 2000. Full story at LifeNews.com
Bishops Not Advancing Republican Agenda by Opposing Pro-Abortion Health Care
by Deal Hudson
A March 23 story from CNS, written by Nancy Frazier O'Brien, featured an exchange with Cardinal George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in the aftermath of the health-care bill's passage in the House. Cardinal George registered his concern about the abortion funding in the bill and the inadequacy of an executive order to remove that funding.
O'Brien, who proposed a question to the cardinal about the USCCB's motives with regards to the health-care debate, wrote, "Cardinal George also rejected claims by some that the USCCB had allied itself in the health reform debate with groups that were primarily interested in advancing the Republican agenda."
No parallel suggestion was made regarding the possibility that the USCCB was trying to advance a Democratic Party agenda -- this despite the USCCB's strong support for universal coverage.
Indeed, given the visibility of the bishops' overall support for the bill, I can only conclude that those who accuse the USCCB of advancing a "Republican agenda" must have only the abortion issue in mind. Why? Because the only parts of the bill the bishops objected to were those allowing abortion funding and the lack of conscience protection for medical workers.
I also find it ironic that the implication here is that the pro-life cause is being lead by the Republican Party rather than the Catholic bishops. Full story at LifeNews.com
FBI Raids Home of Philly Practitioner Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion
Philadelphia, PA (LifeNews.com) -- On Friday, federal agents from the FBI raided the home of abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell of Pennsylvania, who is under investigation following the death of a woman in a botched abortion. They seized boxes of documents and removed them from Gosnell's home.
Authorities have been probing the Women's Medical Society after an abortion patient died last November.
Massive amounts of drugs found in the victim's system led authorities to suspect Gosnell was illegally prescribing pain-killers. He lost his license in both Pennsylvania and neighboring Delaware.
Meanwhile, news reports also indicate FBI agents executed a second search warrant at the now-closed Women's Medical Society abortion center.
William J. Brennan, Gosnell's attorney, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he wasn't surprised the 69-year-old saw officials go through his home. Full story at LifeNews.com
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week Will Reach Young Americans Against Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Tens of thousands of pro-life students will wear pro-life t-shirts to their middle school, high school and college campuses later this month. As they wear shirts with messages against abortion, they will be educating and informing their peers about the way abortion has killed 52 million Americans.
Seven years ago, the organizers of the Rock for Life youth pro-life group came up with the idea for a national pro-life t-shirt day.
Since the idea has become so popular with the youth and young adults -- who polls often show are more pro-life than their parents -- organizers expanded the day to a full week.
"Primarily, we are concerned with getting people to think of the child as a person from the moment of his or her biological inception. It is much harder to murder a person than it is to 'remove a lump of tissues,' and it is only when we finally get the nation thinking in those terms that we will be able to restore the right to life of our pre-born brothers and sisters," Scott Carroll, the project director for the event, explained. Full story at LifeNews.com
What About Abortion in Cases of Rape and Incest? Women and Sexual Assault
by Amy Sobie
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Many people, including those whose mission is to help women and girls who are victims of sexual assault and abuse, believe abortion is the best solution if a pregnancy occurs.
Yet our research shows that most women who become pregnant through sexual assault don't want abortion, and say abortion only compounds their trauma.
How can you deny an abortion to a twelve-year-old girl who is the victim of incest?
Typically, people on both sides of the abortion debate accept the premise that most women who become pregnant through sexual assault want abortions. From this fact, it naturally follows that the reason women want abortions in these cases is because it will help them to put the assault behind them, recover more quickly, and avoid the additional trauma of giving birth to a rapist s child.
But in fact, the welfare of a mother and her child are never at odds, even in sexual assault cases. As the stories of many women confirm, both the mother and the child are helped by preserving life, not by perpetuating violence.
Sadly, however, the testimonies of women who have actually been pregnant through sexual assault are routinely left out of this public debate. Many people, including sexual assault victims who have never been pregnant, may be forming opinions based on their own prejudices and fears rather than the real life experiences of those people who have been in this difficult situation and reality. Full story at LifeNews.com
| Please Help LifeNews.com |
| Please consider a donation to LifeNews.com, PO Box 270841, Fort Collins, CO 80527. We also accept donations through PayPal at news@LifeNews.com. |
Minnesota Sees Tax-Funded Abortions Drop 4% With Positive Alternatives Program
Minneapolis, MN (LifeNews.com) -- The number of taxpayer-funded abortions in Minnesota continues to drop thanks to the Positive Alternatives program that helps women find better choices. Taxpayer funded abortions fell more than 4 percent in Minnesota in 2008, according to a new Minnesota Department of Human Services report.
The 2008 figures show Minnesota abortion businesses filed claims for 3,754 abortions and were reimbursed $1,505,862 by the state (an average of $401 per abortion).
Taxpayer funded abortions peaked in 2004, when 4,104 abortions were done on women needing financial help for the abortion, but that total has dropped since the high in 2006, when taxpayers were forced to finance $1,652,977 worth of abortions.
The drop follows a several-year trend that coincides with the Positive Alternatives program that has provided practical help to pregnant women.
The state legislature approved the Positive Alternatives program in 2005 to provide grants to life-affirming organizations offering essential services in the following areas: medical attention for the woman and the unborn child, nutritional services, housing assistance, adoption services, education and employment assistance, child care assistance, and parenting education and support services.
The program has already served 12,000 women in its first two years. Full story at LifeNews.com
New Jersey Governor Christie Eliminates Waiver for Planned Parenthood Funding
Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken a second step in his bid to cut state taxpayer funding of the Planned Parenthood abortion business. He first proposed a state budget that cuts the funding and now he has eliminated a federal waiver that was used before his election to give it more.
Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life is delighted by the decision.
"Governor Christie recently put a halt to another funding boondoggle scheme for Planned Parenthood that was pushed through in the waning days of the Corzine administration," she told LifeNews.com.
"The state has rescinded an application to apply for a federal waiver to reimburse Planned Parenthood 90% for Medicaid services. This was Corzine's parting gift to Planned Parenthood," Tasy said.
Tasy points to a Planned Parenthood representative who said the elimination of the funding would potentially force the abortion business to close five of its centers. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: Contact Governor Christie at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact to thank him.
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry Signs Three Pro-Life Bills Limiting Abortions
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry today signed three pro-life bills to limit abortions in the state after courts truck them down before when they were combined into one measure. The courts said having them together in one bill violated a state provision saying bills could only focus on one subject.
Henry, a Democrat, signed Senate Bill 1891, which would protect health care professionals' freedom of conscience by affirming their right to refuse to participate in the taking of a human life.
He also signed SB 1902 regulating the use of the dangerous abortion drug RU 486, which has claimed the lives of more than 13 women worldwide and injured countless others.
And Henry signed SB 1890, which would prohibit abortions that are done for sex-selection reasons. It revokes or suspends the license of any abortion practitioner who violates the law.
The three bills had been in a package of legislation the legislature approved last year, but the court determined the bill violated a constitutional requirement that legislation only address one subject even though the bills were all about stopping abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
California Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina Opposes Abortion in New Interview
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Carly Fiorina, the Republican Senate hopeful looking to take on pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer in the November election, took a position against abortion in a new interview. Fiorina gave personal reasons for opposition abortion in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.
However, the newspaper did not indicate whether Fiorina took a pro-life position opposed legalized abortion and supporting overturning the Roe v. Wade decision that has led to 52 million abortions.
"I myself was not able to have children of my own, and so I know what a precious gift life is," Fiorina said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
She noted how she raised her two stepchildren with her second husband, Frank Fiorina, and one of the children, Lori Ann Fiorina, 35, died last year.
"My husband's mother was told to abort him," Fiorina said. "She spent a year in the hospital after his birth. My husband is the joy of her life, and he is the rock of my life. So those experiences have shaped my view." Full story at LifeNews.com
| Looking for a Pro-Life Speaker for 2010? |
| 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. |
Fort Wayne OKs Measure Requiring Abortion Practitioners to Notify Local Hospital
Fort Wayne, IN (LifeNews.com) -- A county commission in Indiana has approved a landmark measure that could eventually be seen in other states that helps limit abortions. The three-member governing body in Allen County approved an ordinance cracking down on botched abortions that injure women.
Because so many women suffer from botched abortions that require immediate follow-up medical care, the Fort Wayne, Indiana county commission approved what it said is a needed ordinance.
It requires any abortion practitioners coming to Fort Wayne from out of town to inform a local hospital because they would not have proper admitting privileges to admit women who ware victimized.
Fort Wayne officials had hoped to pass an ordinance that would require any abortion practitioners operating in the county to have admitting privileges at a local hospital so they can admit patients who are victimized by failed abortions.
They backed down when the state legislature looked at a bill to require that, but when the measure failed they moved ahead with a more limited proposal. Full stories at LifeNews.com
New York Man Charged With Forcing Girlfriend to Have Abortion, Killing Baby
Buffalo, NY (LifeNews.com) -- A New York man has been charged in connection with a case that saw him force his girlfriend to have an abortion by slipping her the dangerous misoprostol abortion drug. This is only the most recent case of a man trying to force his partner to have an abortion, in what is a growing phenomenon.
Orbin Eeli Tercero has been charged with criminal homicide of an unborn child, first-degree murder of an unborn child, aggravated assault of an unborn child, aggravated assault, hindering apprehension or prosecution, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Tercero was arrested last week by state police and was arraigned in Bath Village Court and remanded to Steuben County Jail.
He had reportedly had a two-year long fling with a 36-year-old pharmacist who worked at the same pharmacy despite his engagement to another woman.
The Star Bulletin newspaper indicates Tercero told his girlfriend, after she found out she was pregnant, that he could get her the misoprostol drug -- the second part of the two-part abortion drug process used to cause contractions. Full stories at LifeNews.com
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
