LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, May 29, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Poll: Abortion Morally Wrong, Embryonic Research OK, Assisted Suicide Split
• Republicans Introduce Bill to Repeal Pro-Abortion Health Care Law Obama Signed
• Senate Committee OKs Amdt to Allow Abortions at US Military Hospitals
• Abortion Drug EllaOne Concerns Pro-Life Advocates, Gets FDA Hearing Soon
• Pro-Life Group Opposes Disclose Act Campaign Finance Bill Over Free Speech
• Pro-Life Students Hit the Road Again to Raise Awareness Against Abortion
• California Pro-Life Group Says Top Gubernatorial Candidates Pro-Abortion
• Ohio Senate Passes Pro-Life Bill to End Abuse of Abortion-Judicial Bypass
• Illinois Parental Notification Law Delayed Again, Pro-Life Attorneys Respond
• Oklahoma Won't Override Veto of Bill Stopping Abortion Funding in Health Care
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Poll: Abortion Morally Wrong, Embryonic Research OK, Assisted Suicide Split
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The latest national poll of thousands of Americans from Gallup finds people believe abortion is morally wrong, are split on assisted suicide, and believe research involving the destruction of human embryos is okay. The results show pro-life advocates have more educational work to do on bioethics issues.
The findings are from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey, conducted May 3-6.
Respondents were given a list of actions or contentious issues and asked to say whether they believed it morally acceptable or morally wrong.
On abortion, Americans found it morally wrong by a 50-38 percent margin, Americans approved of "medical research using stem cells obtained from embryos" on a 59-32 margin, and they split on assisted suicide 46-46 percent.
Americans also opposed human cloning by a 88-9 margin and opposed animal cloning on a 63-31 percentage point margin.
Breaking down those results further, only 39 percent of independents and 26 percent of Republicans believe abortion is morally acceptable and just 51 percent of Democrats agree.
Some 68 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents and 47 percent of Republicans are okay with embryonic stem cell research. And 52 percent of Democrats, 46 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans say assisted suicide is morally acceptable. Full story at LifeNews.com
Republicans Introduce Bill to Repeal Pro-Abortion Health Care Law Obama Signed
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- House Republicans have introduced a bill designed to repeal the government-run health care system President Barack Obama put into place that includes massive abortion funding. The measure would repeal the law and replace it with an alternative GOP lawmakers support to improve the current system.
Although pro-abortion Speaker Nancy Pelosi would likely never allow hearings and a vote on the measure, Republicans say it helps them frame the health care debate heading into the November elections.
Rep. Roy Blunt, a pro-life Republican leader from Missouri, says the bill is needed because polling data shows Americans increasingly opposing the pro-abortion health care law.
As unpopular as this healthcare bill is today, it s at the height of its popularity, Blunt said, according to The Hill. The more the American people know about it, the more concerns they are going to have, and the more they are going to look at alternatives.
In total, 20 Republican lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors of the repeal legislation including pro-life House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, pro-life Majority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, and pro-life GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana.
Rep. Wally Herger, a pro-life Republican from California who is the top GOP member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Healthcare, is the official sponsor of the legislation given his committee position. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Committee OKs Amdt to Allow Abortions at US Military Hospitals
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A Senate committee yesterday approved an amendment to a bill that would turn U.S. military base hospitals into abortion centers. The amendment, sponsored by pro-abortion Sen. Rolland Burris of Illinois, would have the military break with current longstanding policy.
Abortion advocates have tried for years to force military bases hospitals to do abortions on female service members. The Burris amendment is more expansive than a 2006 effort because it allows abortion on both domestic and overseas military bases.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 15-12 for the amendment with all Republicans and Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson voting against it and all other Democrats voting for it.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi led the fight in the committee against the amendment and spoke out about it today on the Senate floor.
"The committee yesterday decided to reverse this long-standing policy and to say that indeed abortions, for whatever reason, will be performed in these facilities that are paid for by taxpayer expense," he said. While military base hospitals should be "there for the care of our service members to keep them healthy and to repair their injuries," Wicker said "we're going to use those facilities for elective abortions."
Wicker promised pro-life lawmakers would do everything possible in the House and Senate to stop the amendment from going forward. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: Go to http://armed-services.senate.gov/members.htm to see the members of the committee and express your opinion about their vote.Abortion Drug EllaOne Concerns Pro-Life Advocates, Gets FDA Hearing Soon
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The relatively new abortion drug ellaOne still concerns pro-life advocates, who are monitoring the Food and Drug Administration and whether it will allow the drug to come to the United States from Europe. Billed by abortion backers as a morning after pill, the drug works much differently.
While the morning after pill has the ability to cause an abortion when used after implantation ellaOne, also known as Ulipristal, works as an abortion drug.
That's because the drug is meant to be taken by women longer after sexual intercourse -- not just 24-48 hours but as much as five days later. At that point, if a pregnancy has occurred, the drug will undoubtedly cause an abortion and kill a unique human being immediately after conception.
Bradley Mattes, the director of Life Issues Institute, talks more about the problems associated with ellaOne.
"Unveiled in Europe last year, ellaOne is classified as emergency contraception, but it works much like the abortion pill RU 486 by blocking progesterone from reaching the womb. Both drugs ultimately kill an unborn baby," he explains.
Mattes says abortion advocates can get away with calling the drug a morning after pill that prevents pregnancy or conception because a physicians group pro-abortion activists control has redefined the medical terms.
"As word starts to spread, you'll likely hear much like we did with the Plan B Pill that ellaOne only prevents pregnancies," Mattes adds. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Group Opposes Disclose Act Campaign Finance Bill Over Free Speech
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The National Right to Life Committee is asking members of Congress to oppose the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175), on free speech concerns. The pro-life group called the legislation a "bullying political power grab," which is "not a curb on corruption, but itself a type of corruption.
NRLC says the measure is "a corruption of the lawmaking process, by which incumbent lawmakers employ the threat of criminal sanctions, among other deterrents, to reduce the amount of private speech regarding the actions of the lawmakers themselves."
The pro-life group is so concerned about the measure that it will include the dispositive roll calls on it in its scorecard of key pro-life votes for the current Congress.
In a four-page letter to members of the House, NRLC Executive Director David O'Steen and Legislative Director Douglas Johnson said the bill "has been carefully crafted to maximize short-term political benefits for the dominant faction of one political party, while running roughshod over the First Amendment protections for political speech that have been clearly and forcefully articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court." Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Students Hit the Road Again to Raise Awareness Against Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- They're back -- the pro-life college and high school students who literally walk a mile, or thousands, for the pro-life cause. To raise awareness against abortion, the students associated with the Crossroads are again trekking from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle to the nation's capital.
The students typically find a warm welcome in the cities and towns the pass through on their way through dozens of states.
Since 1995, Crossroads has organized 12 week long walks across America from the Pacific coast to Washington and Canadian participants head from coast to coast as well.
During the journey, each walker averages over 1,000 miles and takes an active role in the organization's mission by speaking to parishes and pro-life groups. Crossroads walkers also engage local communities through peaceful, prayerful protests and sidewalk counseling at abortion centers in the cities they travel through along the way.
From the Pacific coast to the Capital, these simultaneous walks for life will cover over 13,000 miles, pass through 38 states, 4 provinces and thousands of towns and cities, Crossroads said in a statement.
Crossroads was founded in 1995 by Steve Sanborn, a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) as a response to Pope John Paul II's call to take an active role in the pro-life movement in order to establish a culture of life. Full story at LifeNews.com
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California Pro-Life Group Says Top Gubernatorial Candidates Pro-Abortion
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- There are three major candidates seeking to become the next governor of California, to replace outgoing pro-abortion Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar. However, the California Pro-Life Council has nothing good to say about the positions of any of the three candidates.
Although there are several candidates vying for the nomination of both the Republican and Democratic parties, the three top candidates are all pro-abortion.
"During his previous term in office, Jerry Brown embraced the abortion industry's positions on key issues," the pro-life group says about the leading Democrat. "He appointed pro-abortion judges that twisted the state constitution to mandate taxpayer funding of abortion in California."
"Brown embraced the decision and never wavered from a pro-abortion policy. Pro-abortion groups support him now," CPLC added.
About Meg Whitman, one of the Republican candidates, CPLC says she tells people she supports legalized abortion. The group says she backs modest abortion limits but it ultimately no friend of unborn children.
"In newspaper accounts she supports protections for unborn children from partial-birth abortion and supports parental involvement laws. But Whitman supports the current unlimited state funding of abortion, even those that are later term or done on minors," CPLC explains.
The other leading Republican, Steve Poizner, also calls himself an abortion supporter -- but he opposes some modest abortion limits Whitman backs but backs one she opposes. Full story at LifeNews.com
Ohio Senate Passes Pro-Life Bill to End Abuse of Abortion-Judicial Bypass
Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com) -- The Ohio Senate yesterday passed a bill to end the abuse of the judicial bypass provision in the Ohio parental notification law. The bypass is designed to be used in very rare instances when a teenager telling her parents about her desire to have an abortion might cause her physical abuse.
However, abortion centers routinely flout the law by getting pro-abortion attorneys to file requests with judges in numerous cases where teens simply don't want to inform their parents they are pregnant and considering an abortion.
Judges approve the lion's share of the requests for a judicial bypass preventing parents from knowing when their minor daughter is requesting an abortion.
Sen. Tim Grendell and Sen. Karen Gillmor, both Republicans, introduced S.B. 242, a bill to revise the process of judicial bypass under Ohio's Parental Consent for Abortion statute.
Under federal court rulings, parental consent statutes must permit a minor girl to "bypass" the parental consent requirement by convincing a juvenile judge either: 1) that she is mature and well enough informed to decide whether to have an abortion; or 2) that the abortion is in her best interests.
The bill addresses the fact that some judges are giving virtual "rubber-stamp" approval to these judicial bypass requests. Full story at LifeNews.com
Illinois Parental Notification Law Delayed Again, Pro-Life Attorneys Respond
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- The Illinois law allowing parents to know when their minor daughter is considering an abortion has been on hold since 1995 and the delay in implementing it continues much to the chagrin of the pro-life attorneys at the Thomas More Society.
Today, they filed an appeal in an effort to vacate the stay Judge Daniel Riley imposed on the implementation of the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act.
They are there is no legal basis to further delay the law.
"The Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act has held up numerous times against attacks by the ACLU and other opponents, and we believe there is no legal reason to prevent implementation of this long-overdue and much- needed law in Illinois," said Peter Breen, Thomas More Society executive director and legal counsel.
He told LifeNews.com today, "It is time to enforce this law and put an end to secret abortions in Illinois."
Earlier this spring, Judge Riley dismissed a lawsuit brought by the ACLU that challenged the constitutionality of the parental notification law and imposed a stay of his decision until the ACLU's appeal of that decision is complete -- a process that could take years. Full story at LifeNews.com
Oklahoma Won't Override Veto of Bill Stopping Abortion Funding in Health Care
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- The Oklahoma state legislature will not attempt to override a veto by Governor Brad Henry of a fourth pro-life bill. This measure would have allowed the state to opt out of the massive abortion funding found in the government-run health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law.
The bill would have made the state the fourth to opt out of at least some of the abortion funding -- following Arizona, Tennessee, and Mississippi.
Rep. Skye McNiel, a Republican who is the House sponsor of the bill, is not going to press for a veto override vote.
That's because the legislature has to adjourn by 5:00 p.m. today and there is not enough time to get a veto override vote in before the session adjourns. McNiel said lawmakers can come back next year and approve the opt-out bill before the government-run health care scheme takes effect.
Tony Lauinger, the head of Oklahomans for Life, the statewide pro-life group, told LifeNews.com today that he understands the problems with getting a vote.
As a coach once said, "We didn't lose; we just ran out of time," Lauinger recalled. Full story at LifeNews.com
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