LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Monday May 3, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Komen Giving to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Down as Donations Drop
• Nancy Pelosi Helps Pro-Abortion Group Emily's List Mark 25 Years of Activism
• Florida Becomes the Latest State to Opt Out of Abortion Funding in Health Care
• Michigan Senator's Bill Would Stop Some Tax-Funded Abortions in Health Care
• Pro-Life Student Groups Announce Winner of Pro-Life Activism Awards
• Houston Planned Parenthood Celebrants Greeted by Pro-Life Prayer Vigil
• Edmonton, Canada March for Life Targets Abortion, Legislative Assembly
• Pro-Life Group Backs Florida Republican Attorney General Candidate Pam Bondi
• Stealth Liberal Judge John Bradbury Seeks Idaho Supreme Court Post
• Rhode Island Committee Chairman Joseph McNamara Kills Pro-Life Abortion Bill
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Komen Giving to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Down as Donations Drop
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The amount of money Komen for the Cure gives to the Planned Parenthood abortion business in grants declined from 2008-2009.
In addition, the donations Komen took in during the same time period are down and one pro-life advocate suggests it is because of Komen's ties to the abortion giant and its refusal to acknowledge that abortion increases the breast cancer risk for women.
According to new research from pro-life activist Jill Stanek into Komen's annual report, Komen donations to Planned Parenthood is down slightly. The organization has had close ties to the abortion business for years.
"The Susan G. Komen Foundation decreased its giving to Planned Parenthood by 10% from 2008 to 2009. That's not much, but it may be an indication their bond is weakening," Stanek says.
A link on the Komen web site titled "Komen's Message Points" previously read: "For our fiscal year '08, Komen Affiliates contributed nearly $805,000 to Planned Parenthood programs."
Stanek notice that total changed since late March and now reads: "For our fiscal year '09, Komen Affiliates contributed $731,000 to Planned Parenthood programs."
"That represents a $74,000 decrease, or just about 10%," she says -- pointing out that both sets of talking points added, "less than 1 (one) percent of the total granted by Affiliates that year." Full story at LifeNews.com
Nancy Pelosi Helps Pro-Abortion Group Emily's List Mark 25 Years of Activism
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco was the star of the show this past week at the 25th anniversary luncheon of EMILY's List in Washington. EMILY's List is the pro-abortion group that supports Democratic women candidates who support partial-birth abortions and taxpayer funding of abortion.
Pelosi, the nation's most powerful elected woman, thanked the group at a luncheon at the Hilton Hotel and credited the network for helping pass the historic health-care overhaul signed into law by President Barack Obama last month.
"Being a woman is no longer a pre-existing medical condition!" she said, according to a Sacramento Bee report.
Pelosi said the group had much to celebrate because, in 1985 no Democratic woman had ever been elected to the Senate and there were only 23 women serving in the House. Today, the number of women in Congress has more than tripled, with 17 in the Senate and 73 in the House.
However, many of the women now on Capitol Hill strongly oppose the radical pro-abortion position of Emily's List and were assisted in their elections by the Susan B. Anthony List, the pro-life alternative.
Florida Becomes the Latest State to Opt Out of Abortion Funding in Health Care
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Florida just became the fourth state to pass legislation opting-out of taxpayer-funded abortion provisions established by the new federal health care reform law. Florida s legislation ensures that insurance plans that cover abortions and participate in new health care exchanges cannot receive tax dollars.
The right to life is fundamental to all that we do, and this ensures that taxpayer dollars are not hijacked to fund abortions. Thanks to Americans United for Life for helping to make this a reality, said Florida State Representative Matthew Gaetz.
Florida legislators used the "Abortion-Mandate Opt-Out Act" drafted by Americans United for Life as a model to draft this bill. AUL would like to recognize Florida Rep. Matthew Gaetz for his tireless work in getting this bill passed.
The bill now goes to Florida Governor Charlie Crist for signature.
Legislatures in Arizona, Tennessee, and Mississippi have already passed similar bills.
AUL has been in contact with elected leaders and groups in 28 states on opting-out of the abortion mandate.
Michigan Senator's Bill Would Stop Some Tax-Funded Abortions in Health Care
Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Legislation introduced Tuesday by state Sen. Wayne Kuipers is designed to stop taxpayer funding for abortion by banning coverage for the procedure in Michigan health insurance plans even those subsidized by the federal or state under the recently passed national health care measures.
"For nearly 35 years, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited federal taxpayer dollars from paying for elective abortions," said Kuipers, a Republican from Holland.
"Sadly, those strict protections were not included in the final version of federal health care legislation. I introduced this measure because it is the only way to ensure that our limited state resources are not used to pay for terminating innocent human life," he said.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act did not include the language of the Hyde Amendment, which has been attached to the federal Department of Health and Human Services' appropriations bill every year since 1976. The Hyde amendment bans federal taxpayer funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the mother's life.
Kuipers' bill is expected to be referred to the state Senate Health Policy Committee for consideration.
Several states are also considering bills similar to his measure and they have been passed in Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona.
Pro-Life Student Groups Announce Winner of Pro-Life Activism Awards
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Human Life Alliance (HLA) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) announced the winners of the second annual Campus Impact Award last week.
Designed to encourage students to develop pro-life activism on campus, this year's award winners include clubs that sponsored a major first time event and two unique African American student outreach projects.
"It was difficult to select a winner this year," stated HLA Executive Director Jo Tolck. "Student clubs from around the country worked on a variety of projects -- many faced great opposition. We're proud of each and every one of them."
First Place: Northeastern University Right to Life (Boston, Massachusetts). This newly created pro-life club hosted its first "Respect Life Week" on campus. Among the many events designed to generate campus wide discussion of life issues were a memorial of innocents, pro-life pamphlet distribution, tabling and fetal model displays.
Second Place: Students for Life at Clarion University (Clarion, Pennsylvania). Creation of a campus collation designed to explore the impact of abortion on the African American community was the main outreach. Co-sponsoring organizations included Minority Students Services, Brothers of Christ and the local NAACP chapter. HLA's "Did You Know?" publication was distributed to create an early demand for information, which culminated in a screening and discussion of the pro-life documentary "Maafa21."
Third Place: Dukes for Life at James Madison University (Harrison, Virginia). A unique approach to communications and advertisement allowed Dukes for Life to develop a pro-life Facebook event for their campus. Students used HLA materials to create pro-life campus bulletin boards and posters to co-sponsor an event with the Student Black Alliance to focus on the genocidal consequences of abortion in the African American community.
SFLA Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said, "These students for life clubs have worked hard to present a pro-life message on campus. In many cases they must stand up to classmates and professors who ridicule them and belittle their deeply held belief that all life is worth protecting, including life in the womb."
Winners received cash prizes of $500, $250 and $250, respectively, to develop ongoing pro-life efforts on campuses.
Houston Planned Parenthood Celebrants Greeted by Pro-Life Prayer Vigil
by Joanne Schmidt
Houston, TX (LifeNews.com) -- More than 2,000 pro lifers participated in a peaceful prayer vigil April 30 outside Houston's Corinthian Hotel, where Planned Parenthood "celebrated" the grand opening of what's been called the largest abortion facility in the Western Hemisphere. T
he new facility is set to open May 4, and will do late term abortions through 25 weeks.
Houston Coalition for Life and Life Advocates organized the vigil. As mounted police watched, the pro lifers processed the half mile from Annunciation Catholic Church across from the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park downtown to the Corinthian, singing hymns and reciting prayers all the way.
The crowd maintained a peaceful, prayerful presence as partygoers exiting their cars at the hotel entrance were greeted by signs such as "Planned Parenthood Exploits Women," "Abortion Kills Babies," and "I regret my abortion." Several women in evening dress were seen from the hotel windows pointing to the walls of pro life witnesses.
Pro lifers have been holding prayer vigils outside the construction site consistently for more than a year. It has been a focal point for Forty Days for Life and other pro life groups.
Edmonton, Canada March for Life Targets Abortion, Legislative Assembly
by Chris Miller
Edmonton, Canada -- Edmonton's March for Life has never garnered the participation organizers have hoped for.
2010 marks the third year this anti-abortion rally and remembrance of life will be held in the city. Sister Elisabeth Coulombe, chair of the Alberta March for Life Association, is inviting everybody to take part in the May 13 rally.
The city's inaugural March for Life in 2008 attracted some 400 people from across the province. Last year brought a slightly larger crowd, supported by all of Alberta's Roman Catholic bishops, as well as clergy from Eastern Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic churches.
A new component to this year's event is a 13-hour, overnight prayer vigil at St. Joseph's Basilica, starting at 8:30 p.m. May 12.
"The prayer vigil is mostly to get people on their knees, to pray for the abortionists. We have to pray for the doctors who want to kill our elderly when they don't have families," said Coulombe. "If we don't speak up, the doctors will take advantage of this. The doctors will get rid of the elderly because no one is talking on their behalf."
Coulombe said saying simple prayers at the vigil is a means of uniting them and having their pleas heard in heaven.
Pro-Life Group Backs Florida Republican Attorney General Candidate Pam Bondi
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, a group of more than 280,000 pro-life activists who back female candidates, endorsed Republican attorney general candidate Pam Bondi on Tuesday.
"This year, attorneys general races are a top priority for the pro-life movement, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the fund.
She added: Pam Bondi's 18 years of experience as a prosecutor make her an exceptionally qualified woman to defend the pro-woman, pro-life legal position -- especially when it comes to abortion funding in healthcare.
The group raised more than $1 million for elections in 2008. Bondi is in a close battle with Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and former Agency for Health Care Administration chief Holly Benson for the Republican nomination for attorney general.
Stealth Liberal Judge John Bradbury Seeks Idaho Supreme Court Post
by David Ripley, Idaho Chooses Life
Boise, ID (LifeNews.com) -- District Judge John Bradbury is challenging incumbent Justice Roger Burdick in the May Primary Election for a seat on Idaho's Supreme Court. Bradbury very narrowly lost a similar bid in 2008, challenging Justice Joel Horton in that race.
There are interesting - indeed, disturbing - backstories to Bradbury's quest for higher office.
Part of that story is the very unusual lawsuit he has pending against the Idaho Supreme Court in federal court, because it had the audacity to require that he live in the judicial district over which he presides - a requirement laid out in Idaho Code. It seems Judge Bradbury doesn't much care to live in Grangeville, and prefers to remain in Lewiston.
After being ordered to move to Grangeville, Bradbury sued the Supreme Court in federal court. Judge Lynn Winmill struck down his lawsuit. Bradbury has an appeal pending before the 9th Circuit.
It seems his back-to-back campaign(s) for the Supreme Court is driven by a mixture of ambition and revenge against the high court. That is a bit disturbing.
What is most important, however, is to realize that Judge Bradbury has a rather long political history.
In the early 1990's John Bradbury sought a seat in the Idaho legislature as a Democrat. During his first quest in May of 1991, Bradbury wanted a nomination from the Democrat Central Committee. He told his fellow Democrats that he was "pro-Life" on abortion. For whatever reason, he failed to get the seat.
Less than a year later, he challenged incumbent Democrat Representative Chuck Cuddy in a primary. By this time, apparently, his views on the most important moral issue of our time had "evolved". He was now a "woman's right to choose" kind of guy.
Bradbury told the Lewiston Tribune (05.15.92), "I personally think forcing women to have children they don't want won't stop abortions." In a later interview (05.23.92), he explained to this same paper that his views had "evolved" to the point where he sought, and earned, the endorsement of "Freedom Means Choice" in that primary election.
On many levels, John Bradbury seems to be a dangerous candidate for the state's highest court.
Justice Burdick appears to be a temperate, conservatively-inclined member of the court - though we cannot absolutely declare him to be "pro-Life" in his moral and judicial philosophy. All we can say with certainty is that pro-Life Idahoans need to make darn certain that Bradbury does not win a seat on the Supreme Court, packing the ACLU's agenda under his robes.
| 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. |
Rhode Island Committee Chairman Joseph McNamara Kills Pro-Life Abortion Bill
Providence, RI (LifeNews.com) -- In a Wednesday afternoon hearing before the R.I. House Committee on Health, Education, and Welfare, Committee Chairman Joseph McNamara tossed the rule book out the window in order to kill a pro-women, pro-life informed consent bill.
The Women s Right to Know Act (H7377) sponsored by Rep. Peter Palumbo (D-District 16, Cranston), along with 34 cosponsors, was held for further study for the 16th year. First introduced in 1995, by then Rep. Frank Anzeveno, the bill has been passed by the Senate 3 times, but has never gotten out of committee in the House.
Some form of the Women s Right to Know Act has already been passed in nearly 30 states. When women considering abortion are presented with simple, unbiased medical facts, abortion rates drop dramatically. The bill has been repeatedly challenged and upheld by the United States Supreme Court.
Fireworks erupted as pro-life Rep. Jon Brien (D-District 50, Woonsocket) made a motion, seconded by pro-life Rep. Karen MacBeth (D-District 52, Cumberland), to call for a vote. Apparently realizing that he did not have the votes present to kill the bill, McNamara refused to recognize the motion and sent for backup.
Even after McNamara s ruling was questioned by members present on the committee, he continued to stall, claiming that the motion was not in order until he recognized it as such. Shortly thereafter, pro-abortion Reps. Arthur Handy, Grace Diaz, and Frank Ferri came running through the door, upon which McNamara called for a vote and the bill was held for further study on a vote of 7-5.
According to Barth E. Bracy, Rhode Island Right to Life Executive Director, the dozens of pro-lifers present for the hearings were absolutely dumbfounded by McNamara s tyrannical behavior. Joe McNamara threw the rule of law out the window, and in so doing threw countless women and unborn children under the bus. The citizens of Rhode Island must be made aware of the outrageous tactics being employed by the House Leadership team.
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