LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Obama Supreme Court List May Have Four Names, Pro-Life Group Sends Letter
• Hillary Clinton Doesn't Want Supreme Court Job, Potential Picks Back Abortion
• Women Who Have Abortions Four Times More Likely to Abuse Drugs, Alcohol
• Terri Schiavo's Ex-Husband Michael Threatens to Sue Her Family Over Foundation
• Philadelphia City Officials Accused of Pressuring Foster Teen to Get Abortion
• NAACP Puts Politics Above Blacks by Opposing Bill to Stop Race-Based Abortions
• Sandra Bullock Adoption Story Highlights How Abortion Targets Black Children
• Planned Parenthood Building Huge New Abortion Business in St. Paul, Minnesota
• Kansas House Overrides Veto of Bill to Enforce Late-Term Abortion Law
• Oklahoma Law for Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Suspended as Lawsuit Begins
• Georgia House Leader Kills Pro-Life Bill to Stop Race-Based, Sex-Based Abortions
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Obama Supreme Court Short List May Have Four Names, Pro-Life Group Sends Letter
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama may have reduced his short list for the Supreme Court to as few as four names, including two strong abortion advocates. Meanwhile, a pro-life group is calling on the president to keep in mind the consideration of Americans who don't want to see abortion expanded further.
White House officials have said about 10 names are currently under consideration to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens.
The number on Obama's short list, however, is likely far fewer and the Wall St. Journal reports today that four people are seen as the likely nominee.
That list includes pro-abortion Solicitor General Elena Kagan, whom Obama interviewed Friday, pro-abortion Seventh Circuit Judge Diane Wood, D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland and Ninth Circuit Judge Sidney Thomas.
Obama on Friday interviewed Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court vacancy and he has interviewed Judge Thomas as well.
He is expected to announce the nomination by May 26, the date on which he nominated pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. However, reports today indicate he could name the nominee as soon as this week or next.
When Obama does, the pro-life women's group Concerned Women for America, has some advice for him.
CWA called on Obama in a new letter sent to him to select an "impartial" judge and that the group is "concerned" about some of his statements suggesting he wants a justice who is empathetic towards certain groups. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hillary Clinton Doesn't Want Supreme Court Job, Potential Picks Back Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the weekend said she has no interest in the Supreme Court opening coming about as a result of the retirement of pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens. However, taking Clinton's name off the list of potential replacements doesn't alleviate concerns over abortion.
When Clinton left the Democratic race for president in 2008, political observers speculated she may one day seek an appointment to the high court from Barack Obama.
Mentioned as a potential nominee for Obama's second Supreme Court appointment, Clinton told NBC's "Meet the Press" program on Sunday that she is not interested.
"I do not and have never wanted to be a judge, ever. I mean, that has never been anything that I even let cross my mind because it's just not my personality," Clinton said.
She added, "I intend to ... I think so," when asked if she planned to stay on as Secretary of State for the remainder of Obama's first term.
"But, I mean, you know, people have been asking me this, and in, in the interest of full disclosure, it is an exhausting job. But I enjoy it, I have a great time doing it," she said.
The White House, as early as April 12, nixed the rumors that Clinton would consider a nomination to the Supreme Court. Full story at LifeNews.com
Women Who Have Abortions Four Times More Likely to Abuse Drugs, Alcohol
Winnipeg, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Manitoba finds women who have had abortions are about four times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as those who carried their pregnancy to term. The authors confirmed a link between abortion and the substance abuse issues.
Natalie Mota, a PhD student in the U of M's clinical psychology department, co-wrote the study with authors Margaret Burnett and Jitender Sareen.
The study appeared in the April issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry and it showed women having abortions were 3.8 times more likely to have substance abuse disorders.
That was the case even when other factors such as exposure to violence were included that could have raised the risk outside of abortion.
The Canadian study also found abortion associated with other mental health conditions such as mood disorders, but substance abuse proved to be the strongest link when it comes to post-abortion problems for women.
The study provides more evidence that abortions hurt women as Mota told the newspaper hers was larger than many prior studies showing adverse mental health issues for women following an abortion compared with keeping the baby.
Mota and her colleagues told the Sun they also suggest abortion centers pre-screen women for substance abuse problems prior to abortions. Women who already have struggles with drug and alcohol abuse may see those problems exacerbated by the abortion. Currently, abortion centers typically don't provide such screening or encourage women who struggle with those mental health issues to carry to term. Full story at LifeNews.com
Terri Schiavo's Ex-Husband Michael Threatens to Sue Her Family Over Foundation
St. Petersburg, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's name could be back in court, but this time for a different reason. Her former husband says he is considering a lawsuit against her family because they started a foundation in her name to assist other disabled who may be deprived of their legal rights and medical care.
The foundation was once named Terri's Fight and existed before Terri's death, which saw Michael Schiavo starve and dehydrate her to death over 13 days after winning a court order to take her life.
The Schindler family -- Terri's mother and father and brother and sister -- headed up the foundation to defray legal expenses and costs to provide Terri the rehabilitative treatment and medical care Michael deprived her when he gave up on her recovery.
Following Terri's painful euthanasia death, the Schindler family change the name to the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation and it has raised a modest amount of money -- less than six figures -- to provide help and support for disabled people like her.
But, Michael, who said he never wanted anyone to profit from the use of Terri's name, claims the helpful nonprofit organization is doing just that.
Michael says a court document gives him rights to the name Terri Schiavo and he says it means no one can use her name without her permission. His attorney has written to the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation telling it that its use of the name violates that court order.
Schiavo's attacks are ironic given that he attempted to profit politically from Terri's death, by starting a political action committee that supported candidates until it closed down after the FEC repeatedly fined it for late reports and violating reporting guidelines. Full story at LifeNews.com
Philadelphia City Officials Accused of Pressuring Foster Teen to Get Abortion
Philadelphia, PA (LifeNews.com) -- A case worker form the Philadelphia Department of Human Services stands accused of pressuring a teenager to get a late-term abortion. The foster mother of the teen involved claims that not only did the DHS official push for the abortion, but threatened to take away the teen mother's child if she didn't get one.
DHS officials deny the allegations and tell the Philadelphia Daily News there was a misunderstanding because of language constraints.
The girls' social worker, Marisol Rivera, learned the teen was 22 weeks pregnant and the newspaper indicates DHS obtained a Family Court judge's order allowing it to take the girl for an abortion after the girl's birth mother refused to allow it.
By the time DHS officials got the order, the teenager was 24 weeks along and had to get the abortion in neighboring New Jersey because that is after the cutoff for abortions in Pennsylvania.
The abortion center initially refused to do the abortion because the teen was not accompanied by a DHS official, wouldn't accept her Medicaid card and wanted payment in cash. A DHS official took the teenager for an abortion again to the same facility, where the abortion was done without incident, the Daily News indicates.
Rivera says that, after the abortion, the firm Concilio, which subcontracts with DHS to provide social services, fired her because she refused to accompany the teen for the abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
NAACP Puts Politics Above Blacks by Opposing Bill to Stop Race-Based Abortions
by Star Parker
Why would a bill that criminalizes abortion motivated by race not have the support of the NAACP? Or, even more perplexing, why would the NAACP endorse such a bill and then rescind its endorsement?
This is exactly what just happened in Georgia.
The Georgia Senate passed a bill that would make it a crime to abort a child because of its race or gender.
The bill had the endorsement of Georgia s NAACP, along with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and over 100 local, mostly black, pastors.
After the bill moved to the House for passage, suddenly Edward DuBose, president of the Georgia NAACP, had a change of heart. In a statement withdrawing NAACP s support for the bill, DuBose claimed they didn't fully understand it when they endorsed it.
In NAACP s press statement, DuBose said they came to the realization that the bill amounted to nothing more than using women s health as a political tool.
It s not news that an abortion holocaust is taking place in black America. Blacks, about 12 percent of our population, account for almost 40% of the abortions that are performed nationwide each year. Full story at LifeNews.com
Sandra Bullock Adoption Story Highlights How Abortion Targets Black Children
by Marie Vitale
Among the typical tabloid fare at the supermarket checkout line, a picture of pure joy captures my eye. It shows a smiling Sandra Bullock lifting her adopted baby, Louis, into the air. The headline is no less eye-catching: Meet My Baby! 3 Months After the Secret Adoption.
Inside the pages of People magazine are more adorable pictures of mother and child, along with quotes celebrating the happiness of adoption: If you had told me that this would happen, Bullock tells People, I would have thought you were insane. I never imagined I would say the words my son.
Bullock recounts to People the day when she met Louis:
The first time I met Louis it was like the whole outside world just got quiet. He was so small, so still. All the trivial things that I had allowed to take up so much of my time just didn't have room in life anymore. All I said when I met him was, Oh, there you are. It was like he had always been a part of our lives.
There are many more adoption stories like Bullock s, stories of children and parents brought together miraculously by the bond of need and love. Yet, all too often, the major media ignore the adoption success stories, focusing almost exclusively on instances of adoptions gone awry, such as the recent case of a Tennessee woman returning her adopted boy back to Russia because of allegations of severe behavioral problems.
Another major story ignored by the mainstream media is the black genocide created by abortion. The fact that Bullock was able to adopt an African-American child is all the more compelling, given the high rate of abortions in the African-American community. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood Building Huge New Abortion Business in St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul, MN (LifeNews.com) -- The Planned Parenthood abortion business is building a massive new abortion facility in the Minnesota capital city. Plans unveiled today call for constructing the state's largest abortion center in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood, home to Hamline University and Concordia University.
The neighborhood has a growing ethnic population and will be home to the future Central Corridor light-rail line.
Scott Fischbach, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, told LifeNews.com this afternoon that Planned Parenthood expects to greatly expand its business under the new Obama health care law, and is building the new abortion center as a result.
"We're not surprised to see Planned Parenthood position itself to receive millions more taxpayer dollars under President Obama's new health care mandates," Fischbach said.
"Obama's intent has always been to pour much more public money into Planned Parenthood, and the Minnesota affiliate is poised to build an enormous receptacle for that money," he added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kansas House Overrides Parkinson Veto of Bill to Enforce Late-Term Abortion Law
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- After failing to override Governor Mark Parkinson's veto last week, the Kansas state House today voted 86-35-3 to override his veto of a bill that would help provide enforcement to a state law limiting late-term abortions. Last week's vote of 82-40 fell just two votes shy of the 84 votes needed to override.
The pro-life bill provides new reporting standards that could stop more abortions.
The legislation holds late-term abortion practitioners accountable by making them report to the state health department a precise diagnosis used to justify late-term abortions.
Kathy Ostrowski, the legislative director for Kansans for Life, told LifeNews.com today, "The Governor's veto would have welcomed late-term abortionists to set up shop in continued violation of Kansas' 1998 post-viability abortion ban, and the Kansas House rebuked that welcome."
"HB 2115 tells the state health agency to stop the abortion reporting abuse, tells the state Medical Board to take away medical licenses for abortion crimes, and tells the victims of criminal abortion to take it to court," she said.
Friday's first attempt at override was unsuccessful due to the absence of two pro-life advocates and what Ostrowski called games-playing by Democrats who sometimes vote pro-life. Full story at LifeNews.com
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Oklahoma Law for Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Suspended as Lawsuit Begins
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- A new Oklahoma law that would allow women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion has been suspended. That's as the new lawsuit filed by a Tulsa-based abortion business and Norman-based abortion practitioner moves ahead.
The state legislature voted overwhelmingly last week to override Governor Brad Henry on two pro-life bills, including the ultrasound measure.
Hours later, the Center for Reproductive Rights sued to stop enforcement of the pro-life law in Oklahoma County District Court.
Today, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson agreed to the court order abortion advocates requested to put a restraining order in place while the lawsuit proceeds. District Judge Noma Gurich informed the Associated Press of the decision.
Gurich said she would hold a hearing in July on a request for a temporary injunction that is longer lasting while the case moves forward and she said she expects to approve it.
Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans for Life, told AP he is disappointed the crucial law has to wait while abortion advocates deny women more information. But he believes the law will eventually be upheld. Full story at LifeNews.com
Georgia House Leader Kills Pro-Life Bill to Stop Race-Based, Sex-Based Abortions
Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) -- The statewide pro-life group Georgia Right to Life is disappointed in Georgia legislative leaders who, it says, ultimately destroyed a measure that would ban race-based and sex-based abortions.
The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, which also helps stop abortions in cases when women are forced or coerced into having one, had been approved in the Senate.
A state House committee had moved it forward but it then encountered problems when Speaker David Ralston drafted his own version of SB 529 so late in the legislative session.
Ralston asked that his version of the bill be approved with no committee hearings because, as GRTL says, he knew the organization and other pro-life groups would oppose his version of the bill.
"Speaker David Ralston stopped SB 529 dead in its tracks," GRTL legislative director Mike Griffin tells LifeNews.com. "Speaker Ralston single-handedly stopped the due process in vetting a bill in order to demand that things be done his way." Full story at LifeNews.com
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