LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesay, May 11, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Barack Obama Names Pro-Abortion Activist Elena Kagan to Supreme Court
• Judicial Experts: Elena Kagan Has Little Experience, Backs Using Foreign Law
• Republicans, Pro-Life Groups Want Full Hearings on Elena Kagan Nomination
• First Republican Opposes Elena Kagan, Democrats Promise Vote by August
• Pro-Life Groups React to Obama Nomination of Pro-Abortion Elena Kagan
• Pro-Abortion Groups Respond to Obama's Supreme Court Pick Elena Kagan
• Coalition of Catholics Backing Pro-Abortion Barack Obama Meets in Washington
• Babies Movie Shows No Child Deserves Abortion, a Motion Picture Instead
• Minnesota Taxpayers: Abortions Are Done on Your Dime at Planned Parenthood
• University of Calgary Issues Warning to Pro-Life Students Over Abortion Display
• Pro-Abortion Democrat Saltonstall Challenging Bart Stupak Leaves Race
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Barack Obama Names Pro-Abortion Activist Elena Kagan to Supreme Court
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama named pro-abortion Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court today to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens. Kagan, if confirmed by the Senate, would join the current 5-4 majority that has kept Roe v. Wade and 52 million abortions in place.
Kagan, a former Harvard Law dean, is an ardent abortion advocate who, at 50, would leave a pro-abortion legacy for Obama on the Supreme Court for decades to come.
Leading pro-life advocates immediately responded with comments and analysis showing Kagan's pro-abortion credentials and saying they will urge senators to oppose her nomination.
"Elena Kagan has strong ties to abortion-advocacy organizations and expressed admiration for activist judges who have worked to advance social policy rather than to impartially interpret the law," Charmaine Yoest, the president of Americans United for Life, told LifeNews.com.
She said her group would "oppose President Obama's attempt to reshape the Court as an activist, pro-abortion institution through which unelected judges will work to impose an out-of-the-mainstream social agenda upon the American people."
Yoest called Kagan "an ardent abortion supporter" who fulfills Obama's pledge to nominate a justice who strongly supports abortion.
Kagan has publicly and repeatedly criticized federal regulations that prohibited recipients of Title X family planning funds, taxpayer dollars, from counseling women to get abortions -- arguing they amounted to the subsidization of "anti-abortion" speech.
She has spent most of her career in academia and government -- in part as a legal counsel in the administration of pro-abortion President Bill Clinton --and prior to becoming the attorney for the Obama administration before the Supreme Court. Kagan was Associate Counsel to President Bill Clinton and Deputy Assistant to him for domestic policy -- which, under Clinton, advocated abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Judicial Experts: Elena Kagan Has Little Experience, Backs Using Foreign Law
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The initial insight from leading conservative judicial experts is that pro-abortion Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has little experience. They also say she has promoted the use of foreign law in court decisions, which could further entrench the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions.
Ed Whelen writes at National Review that Kagan has no judicial experience herself yet, in a law-review article on the Supreme Court confirmation process she wrote in 1995, said such experience is necessary.
"It is an embarrassment that the President and Senate do not always insist, as a threshold requirement, that a nominee s previous accomplishments evidence an ability not merely to handle but to master the craft aspects of being a judge," Kagan wrote at the time.
Whelen says Kagan would seem to flunk the threshold test that she set forth for Supreme Court nominees.
"In particular, she seemed to put a much higher premium on the value indeed, the apparent necessity -- of previous judicial experience than those who now promote her candidacy," he says. "I see nothing in her record that indicates that she has "master[ed] the craft aspects of being a judge.'
"Among Supreme Court nominees over the last 50 years, Kagan may well be the nominee with the least amount of relevant experience," Whelen said.
David McIntosh, co-founder of the Federalist Society and former congressman from Indiana, also highlighted her lack of experience.
"Solicitor General Kagan has been nominated with no judicial experience, a mere two years of private law practice, and only a year as Solicitor General of the United States. She is one of the most inexperienced nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court in recent memory," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Republicans, Pro-Life Groups Want Full Hearings on Elena Kagan Nomination
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Senate Republicans and pro-life organizations responded to President Barack Obama's nomination of pro-abortion Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. They say she has no experience and little record to discern how she would rule on crucial cases.
They are calling for full hearings on Kagan's nomination so she can be pressed about her judicial views.
"As we did with Justice Sotomayor last year, Senate Republicans will treat Ms. Kagan fairly," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
But McConnell promised that "she has been nominated for a lifetime appointment on the nation s highest court, and we will carefully review her brief litigation experience, as well as her judgment."
"Fulfilling our duty to advise and consent on a nomination to this office requires a thorough process, not a rush to judgment," he said.
Kagan will likely receive a majority of the votes for her nomination, with Democrats holding a 59-41 vote advantage. Full story at LifeNews.com
First Republican Opposes Elena Kagan, Democrats Promise Vote by August
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The first Republican has already said he will oppose the nomination of pro-abortion Solicitor general Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Democrats say a vote on her nomination may not happen until August, as GOP lawmakers can delay it until then.
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, a pro-life Oklahoma lawmaker, said today he would oppose Kagan's nomination to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens.
Inhofe cited her "lack of judicial experience and her interpretation of the Constitution."
He also said he thinks she has "contempt" for the Senate confirmation process and a "lack of impartiality" for those who disagree with her positions.
"I remain concerned about Elena Kagan's record," Inhofe said in a statement. "Now as a nominee to the Supreme Court, her lack of judicial experience and her interpretation of the Constitution also play an important role in my decision to once again oppose her nomination."
"The position for which she has been nominated has lifetime tenure, and it is concerning that the President has placed such trust in a nominee that has not been properly vetted through a judicial career, having worked mostly in academia and never before as a judge," he added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Groups React to Obama Nomination of Pro-Abortion Elena Kagan
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following is a collection of statements form pro-life organization's on today's nomination of pro-abortion Solicitor general Elena Kagan to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens:
Americans United for Life president Charmaine Yoest: "Americans do not support a radical abortion-rights activist taking a fill-in-the-blank approach to the U.S. Constitution.
President Obama has chosen another activist who seeks to reshape the traditional understanding of the Constitution to suit her personal views. Kagan has been open in her admiration of activist judges who re-write the law to suit themselves and advocated that judges advance social policy rather than faithfully applying the law. "
"She is an ardent abortion supporter, even arguing the federal government is subsidizing anti-abortion speech when, in Title X, the federal government is prohibited from referring women for abortion."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List: "Kagan, a longtime Obama ally with a paper-thin legal record, having never served as a judge, is a strong supporter of abortion. If confirmed to sit on the Supreme Court, Kagan will serve as a rubber stamp for President Obama's radical pro-abortion agenda."
"Kagan publicly opposed Rust v. Sullivan, a Supreme Court decision that upheld the right of Health and Human Services to restrict funding for groups that performed or promoted abortion. Additionally, Kagan strongly believes that pregnancy resource centers should be barred from counseling teens in crisis pregnancies."
Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue: "Kagan's support for abortion and her predisposition for judicial activism makes her a poor selection. We need a justice that will uphold the Constitution, not rewrite it though judicial activism. It is clear that as long as Obama is president, we cannot expect anything other than the nomination of radical liberal pro-aborts, even though those with that political philosophy and agenda are opposed by the majority of the American people." Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Abortion Groups Respond to Obama's Supreme Court Pick Elena Kagan
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Immediately after President Barack Obama nominated pro-abortion Solicitor General Elena Kagan to become a Supreme Court justice, leading abortion advocacy groups climbed on board with their tentative support. NOW and NARAL issued statements less than an hour after Obama's announcement.
That prominent groups that support unlimited abortions paid for at taxpayer expense would strongly support Kagan tells pro-life advocates all they need to know about her position on abortion and how she would rule on the high court.
In a statement LifeNews.com obtained, NOW said it "applauds" Obama's decision to nominate Kagan, mainly because she is a woman.
"Women have been under-represented on the Supreme Court for far too long," said NOW President Terry O'Neill.
"When Justice Stevens announced his upcoming retirement, NOW called on President Obama to nominate a woman to increase women's representation to an all-time high of one-third. We are pleased that the president heard us and apparently agrees that it is about time for women to make up a critical mass on the Supreme Court," she added.
Still, O'Neill claimed she wanted to know more about Kagan with comments likely meant to make it appear she will not be biased in favor of abortion.
"We will listen carefully to Elena Kagan's answers, to determine if she will be a defender of the rights of women," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Coalition of Catholics Backing Pro-Abortion Barack Obama Meets in Washington
by Deal Hudson and Matt Smith
In the wake of the 2004 defeat of John Kerry, leftwing Catholics, aligned with the Democratic Party, got down to serious work. The result was a coalition of organizations, publications, writers, academics, and activists that helped convince a majority of self-identified Catholic voters to vote for the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in history, Barack Obama.
That same coalition met late last week at a Washington Briefing hosted by the National Catholic Reporter.
Coming on the heels of their victory in passing the abortion-funded health care bill, the standing ovation given to Sr. Carol Keehan comes as no surprise.
The recipient of personal attention from the President, Keehan used her Catholic Health Association, a trade association of Catholic hospitals, to pronounce the health care legislation acceptable for Catholics. Her role was aptly rewarded when she was given one of the pens used by President Obama to sign the pro-abortion health care law.
Prior to the election, the media accurately reported that Sr. Keehan s support of the health care bill was in opposition to that of the Catholic bishops. The bishops explained repeatedly they would not support a bill containing federal funding for abortion. Sr. Keehan refused to admit the presence of the funding along with her other differences with the bishops. Indeed, at the briefing she reiterated that she was in agreement with the bishops on the bill and on the non-presence of abortion funding. Full story at LifeNews.com
Babies Movie Shows No Child Deserves Abortion, a Motion Picture Instead
by Maria Vitale
I've often thought that the babies of the world need their own PR campaign -- they seem so often unappreciated in today s culture.
Now comes a film which gives the planet s youngest citizens the recognition they deserve. "Babies" by filmmaker Thomas Balmes paints a captivating portrait of four babies, each of whom has a unique place in the world.
Ponijao lives near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal is from Bayanchandmani, Mongolia. Mari hails from Tokyo, Japan, while Hattie is a native of San Francisco in the United States. There is no narration; instead, the real-life story tells itself through the eyes of the little stars.
What struck me was the preciousness of it all. Whether peeling a banana, dancing, crawling, smiling, or even throwing a temper tantrum, these children of vastly different nationalities and cultures were so precious. Why then do we destroy such preciousness 1.2 million times a year through abortion?
It would be interesting to take a poll of those who go to see the film -- both before and after a screening. I'd like to know what they thought of abortion before viewing the movie and what they thought afterward. It s mind-boggling to think that our society routinely discards human beings in the name of choice. Full story at LifeNews.com
Minnesota Taxpayers: Abortions Are Done on Your Dime at Planned Parenthood
by Bill Poehler
Last week's announcement that Planned Parenthood will build a large new abortion center in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood brings to light the contentious issue of government funding of elective abortions. While it is true that Planned Parenthood will use private donations of approximately $18 million to construct its new complex, its day-to-day operations will continue to rely heavily on taxpayer funds.
Many Minnesotans still do not realize that they fund abortions every day simply by paying state taxes -- sales tax, income tax and other taxes. This is the result of the Minnesota Supreme Court's 1995 Doe vs. Gomez decision, in which the court "found" a right to taxpayer-funded abortion in the state Constitution.
Since the ruling, abortion centers have been reimbursed with $15.6 million for 50,000 abortions, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In 2008, the most recent figures available, taxpayers paid $1.5 million for 3,754 abortions. Roughly 99 percent of these abortions are elective, meaning they are performed for reasons other than to save the mother's life, or in cases of reported rape or incest.
In addition to direct abortion funding, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the nation's largest abortion business, received a staggering $349 million in taxpayer dollars in the form of federal and state government grants and contracts in 2007 (latest figures). Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota received $5.26 million from federal, state and local governments in 2008. Full story at LifeNews.com
University of Calgary Issues Warning to Pro-Life Students Over Abortion Display
Calgary, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- University of Calgary officials stopped short of expelling the pro-life students who refused to succumb to their requests to take down a display opposing abortion. Instead, campus officials issued a formal warning to eight members of Campus Pro-Life.
They promised stiffer sanctions on the students if they put up a similar display in the future and found them guilty of non-academic misconduct.
The group put up the display on April 8, and was asked by campus security to turn the graphic abortion images inward so no one could see them. The students snubbed that request and refused to leave campus, according to the university's letter.
The pro-life students group issued a statement saying they will challenge the verdict.
"We did not break a single university bylaw or regulation, and so we will defend ourselves accordingly. We will also not cease exercising our rights to free speech just because they're threatening us," club president Alanna Campbell said.
"I'd rather be expelled as a principled person than graduate a coward." Full story at LifeNews.com
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Pro-Abortion Democrat Saltonstall Challenging Bart Stupak Leaves Race
Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Democrat Connie Saltonstall, the pro-abortion candidate who challenged retiring Rep. Bart Stupak after he upset pro-life advocates by supporting the pro-abortion health care bill, ended her campaign Monday after the party establishment closed ranks around another candidate. Several national pro-abortion groups rallied around Saltonstall's primary challenge against Stupak. But after the longtime congressman announced last month he would retire, others jumped into the race to succeed him in Michigan's mostly rural 1st Congressional District.
Local Democratic leaders favored Gary McDowell, a state representative who shares Stupak's pro-life stance.
Saltonstall, a former teacher and Charlevoix County commissioner, said in a statement that she would have difficulty raising enough money to compete against McDowell.
"I am forced to do this because it has become apparent to my campaign that the leadership of the Michigan Democratic Party has preemptively anointed Gary McDowell as their Democratic candidate," Saltonstall said. "They are replacing Bart Stupak with another Upper Peninsula, anti-choice, anti-women's health-care rights candidate."
Pro-abortion groups were disappointed by the news. Full story at LifeNews.com
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