LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Obama Administration OKs First Tax-Funded Abortions Under Health Care Law
• Kagan May Not Recuse Herself From Case on Pro-Abortion Health Care
• Lindsey Graham May Support Kagan for Supreme Court Despite Abortion Views
• Poll: Voters Want Republicans to Keep Pro-Abortion Obama's Policies in Check
• Democratic Rep Promises Retribution Probe on Pro-Abortion Kenya Constitution
• California Poll Shows Pro-Life Carly Fiorina Leading Pro-Abortion Barbara Boxer
• Media Applaud Teen Abortion in Episode of NBC's "Friday Night Lights"
• Colorado Pro-Life Republican Senate Candidates Top Pro-Abortion Democrats
• Missouri Pro-Life Senate Candidate Roy Blunt Gets Pro-Life Group's Endorsement
• Associated Press Refers to Newborn Infant as "Fetus" in Another Assault Story
• Northern Ireland Withdraws Abortion Guidelines Pro-Life Groups Condemned
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Obama Administration OKs First Tax-Funded Abortions Under Health Care Law
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Obama administration has officially approved the first instance of taxpayer funded abortions under the new national government-run health care program. This is the kind of abortion funding the pro-life movement warned about when Congress considered the bill.
The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million to set up a new "high-risk" insurance program under a provision of the federal health care legislation enacted in March.
It has quietly approved a plan submitted by an appointee of pro-abortion Governor Edward Rendell under which the new program will cover any abortion that is legal in Pennsylvania.
The high-risk pool program is one of the new programs created by the sweeping health care legislation, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama signed into law on March 23. The law authorizes $5 billion in federal funds for the program, which will cover as many as 400,000 people when it is implemented nationwide.
"The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million in federal tax funds, which we've discovered will pay for insurance plans that cover any legal abortion," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee.
Johnson told LifeNews.com: "This is just the first proof of the phoniness of President Obama's assurances that federal funds would not subsidize abortion -- but it will not be the last."
"President Obama successfully opposed including language in the bill to prevent federal subsidies for abortions, and now the Administration is quietly advancing its abortion-expanding agenda through administrative decisions such as this, which they hope will escape broad public attention," Johnson said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kagan May Not Recuse Herself From Case on Pro-Abortion Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan says she will recuse herself from a handful of potential cases that could come before the high court with her on it if the Senate confirms her. However, she has not said she would step down from considering the lawsuit on the pro-abortion health care law President Obama signed.
That's despite the fact she spent countless hours working with Obama and congressional allies to secure passage of the measure.
In a new editorial today, the Wall St. Journal says senators should press Kagan to promise not to participate in hearing the lawsuit against the law and its massive abortion funding if she is approved for the Supreme Court.
The WSJ editorial says "there's some crucial unfinished business the Senate should insist on before voting on her nomination to the Supreme Court" saying "she ought to recuse herself from participating as a Justice in the looming legal challenges to ObamaCare."
"In response to Senate queries, Ms. Kagan has said she'll recuse herself from participating in 11 cases on which she represented the government in her current job as Solicitor General. The challenge to ObamaCare isn't one of them, though the cases brought by Florida and 20 other states were filed in March, well before President Obama announced her nomination on May 10," the newspaper noted.
"Recusal arises as a matter of judicial ethics if as a government official she expressed an opinion on the merits of the health-care litigation. This is what she would have to render a judgment on were she to be confirmed for the High Court. It is also the question on which she is likely to have participated given her role at the Justice Department," the Journal continued. Full story at LifeNews.com
Lindsey Graham May Support Kagan for Supreme Court Despite Abortion Views
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan may become one of the more ardent pro-abortion activists on the high court if confirmed, but that may not be enough to stop normally pro-life Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina from supporting her when the Senate Judiciary Committee votes next week.
In a new interview with Politico, Graham appears to be voicing arguments that set the stage for him to depart from his Republican colleagues who are likely to vote against her.
Graham appears to base a potential vote for Kagan on two lines of reasoning -- that presidents are entitled to have their Supreme Court nominees confirmed due to their support from the American public in the election.
Graham also believes Kagan will not change the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court -- as she will replace retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens and keep the current 5-4 pro-abortion majority in place. Should Kagan have been nominated to replace one of the four conservatives who have been supportive of abortion limits, that may be enough to make Graham think twice.
When it comes to judicial nominations, elections have consequences, Graham said. My point of view is you're replacing Justice Stevens with someone that s of like mind who may actually be more friendly to national security issues. Full story at LifeNews.com
Poll: Voters Want Republicans to Keep Pro-Abortion Obama's Policies in Check
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll commissioned by ABC News and the Washington Post finds Americans are increasingly disenchanted with pro-abortion President Barack Obama. The new survey finds, by an 8 percent margin, voters want Republicans to control Congress to keep Obama's agenda in check.
Some 51 percent in the new ABC News/Washington Post poll would rather have the Republicans run Congress "to act as a check on Obama's policies."
That compares with 43 percent who want Obama's pro-abortion allies to remain in charge of Congress to further push his agenda.
Registered voters by a 62-26 percent margin are inclined to look around for someone new for Congress rather than to re-elect their current representative -- which presents bad news for the pro-abortion lawmakers who currently control Congress. That's the most solid anti-incumbent feeling the ABC/Post poll has measured since 1989 and predicts a potential change in the political landscape in the pro-life direction come November.
The poll also found more voters are identifying as independent and they are more likely to support Republicans.
Forty percent of Americans in this survey identify themselves as independents, among the most in 29 years of ABC/Post polls and one of the rare times in which independents have higher numbers of people saying they are so than other parties.
Among independents, it's 47 percent for the Republican candidate, 40 percent for the Democrat and among independents who say they're likely to vote, it's a wide 53-36 percent advantage for Republican candidates. Full story at LifeNews.com
Democratic Rep Promises Retribution Probe on Pro-Abortion Kenya Constitution
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- After pro-life members of Congress cried foul when it appeared the Obama administration illegally spent as much as $10 million supporting the campaign for a pro-abortion constitution in Kenya, now a pro-abortion member of Congress is calling for an investigation as well.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island appears to be calling for a retribution probe of pro-life groups supporting the No campaign, even though there is nothing illegal about them getting involved.
The battle revolves around the draft Constitution voters in Kenya will consider at the polls next month that would topple the African nation's historic pro-life laws protecting women and unborn children.
Kennedy claimed yesterday in an interview with The Standard, a Kenyan newspaper, that Christians in Kenya are conspiring with pro-life groups in the United States to mount a campaign against the constitution.
"The moral outrage of the Church should be on infant mortality occurring from preventable causes and poverty," Kennedy said, making it appear their opposition to the pro-abortion provisions are misplaced.
Kennedy told the newspaper he would write to the Congressional Oversight Committee this week seeking a full disclosure of groups in the United States that have provided funding for groups in Kenya opposing the constitution.
"We will write to the Committee on Oversight to ask for a hearing on all money donated to the No campaign," he said and added that about $250,000 has been disbursed to the organizations urging a no vote. "We will seek a subpoena to bring in folks involved. We need to know who they are." Full story at LifeNews.com
California Poll Shows Pro-Life Carly Fiorina Leading Pro-Abortion Barbara Boxer
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll from SurveyUSA is the first to show pro-life California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina leading pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer. The race is one of about 10-12 that could determine whether pro-life Republican leaders are able to wrest control of the Senate from pro-abortion Democrats.
Boxer is trailing the Republican challenger by two points, 47-45 percent, in the survey of likely voters released late Monday.
Fiorina has been closing in on Boxer's lead over the last several polls form different polling firms, so the new SurveyUSA results are not surprising.
In a statement on its poll, the firm says Fiorina benefits from more Democrats supporting her candidacy than Republicans who back Boxer. And independent voters back the pro-life candidate 49-40 percent.
"Twice as many Democrats cross-over to vote Republican as Republicans who cross-over to vote Democrat. The Republican has an ever-so-slight advantage in Greater Los Angeles and in the Central Valley," SurveyUSA said.
Looking at voters based on abortion, 71 percent of pro-life voters are behind Fiorina while 22 percent support Boxer, who is considered one of the most extreme pro-abortion members of Congress -- even supporting partial-birth abortions and forcing taxpayers to fund them.
Of pro-abortion voters, 59 percent favor Boxer and Fiorina is getting the support of 32 percent, showing the crossover appeal she has. Full story at LifeNews.com
Media Applaud Teen Abortion in Episode of NBC's "Friday Night Lights"
by Melissa Afable
NBC's "Friday Night Lights" wants to tackle more than football players.
In a bold move for scripted dramas, which usually shy away from taboo issues, the July 9 episode of the network drama featured a high school-aged character deciding to have an abortion, declaring it was "the right thing to do." The plotline earned praise from many in the media.
Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker praised "Friday Night Lights" for delivering "one of its finest hours ever."
In a July 10 blog post, The Atlantic's Tony Lee noted that he was impressed by the "nuanced, apolitical manner" that the writers used to convey the dilemma facing this pregnant teenage girl.
Lee described the episode as "devoid of political posturing or grandstanding," ignoring the fact that the writers' decision to include a pro-choice decision is itself a political statement.
While the characters did not deal lightly with the issue, the show's justification for the abortion relied on several common pro-choice arguments, including economics and self-interest. Full story at LifeNews.com
Colorado Pro-Life Republican Senate Candidates Top Pro-Abortion Democrats
Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Whether Colorado republican voters decide to select Jane Norton or Ken Buck as their Senate nominee, either pro-life candidate has a lead against either of the pro-abortion Democratic candidates seeking their party's nomination in the August 10 primary election.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters shows Buck, a county prosecutor, now running slightly stronger than former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton against the top Democratic hopefuls.
The poll has Buck earning 48% support against pro-abortion incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennett who gets 39% of the vote. If pro-abortion former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is his Democratic opponent, Buck leads by a narrower 47% to 42% margin.
A month ago, Buck posted a 46% to 41% lead over Bennet and a 45% to 39% lead over Romanoff -- showing Buck improving his standing slightly.
Norton, who has been the stronger GOP candidate in the contest for months, is in a virtual tie with Romanoff for the second month in a row, leading him 44% to 42%. A month ago, she held a 43% to 42% lead. Like Buck, Norton runs stronger against Bennett with 47% support to the Democrat s 40%. In June, she had a similar 46% to 40% lead. Full story at LifeNews.com
Missouri Pro-Life Senate Candidate Roy Blunt Gets Pro-Life Group's Endorsement
Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- Missouri pro-life U.S. Senate candidate Roy Blunt has picked up another endorsement from a pro-life organization -- this time from the Susan B. Anthony List. SBA announced its support today for the congressman, who faces pro-abortion opponent Robin Carnahan in November.
SBA List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser said of the endorsement: The Senate is in great need of the pro-life statesmanship."
"Roy Blunt has already proven time and again to possess. His commitment to rescind taxpayer funding of abortion in the federal health care legislation and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress," she added.
Ironically, Roy Blunt represents women s real views and needs on the issue of abortion far better than does his female opponent, Dannenfelser said of the pro-abortion EMILY s List-endorsed candidate and vocal abortion supporter Carnahan.
SBA List s endorsement of male candidates is rare as the group only endorses those opposing women who advocate abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Associated Press Refers to Newborn Infant as "Fetus" in Another Assault Story
by Tim Graham
Last year, Brent Bozell lamented the murder of Darlene Haynes in Worcester, Massachusetts, with her baby cut out of her womb, and how the media called it a "fetus" -- even after the baby was born in a violent kidnapping. Now there's a Massachusetts repeat, except this time, it was the baby that was killed in a Boston-area nail salon assault.
On the Boston Herald website, the AP headline was "Wellesley woman indicted in death of fetus." AP reported that "Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said Sunday that Ayanna Woodhouse will be arraigned on charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault Monday in Suffolk Superior Court."
AP added: "The female fetus was delivered by emergency Cesarean section, but did not survive."
The Herald also assigned its own reporter to the story, with the headline "Prosecutors: Unborn baby in deadly Dot attack 'had no chance'."
Reporter Laurel Sweet had more respect for the humanity of the baby (and the denial of the mother's "choice" to carry it), but the F-word crept into her copy as well.Full story at LifeNews.com
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Northern Ireland Withdraws Abortion Guidelines Pro-Life Groups Condemned
Belfast, Northern Ireland (LifeNews.com) -- The Northern Ireland health department has withdrawn the controversial abortion guidelines pro-life groups condemned. The guidelines, which explain the rare circumstances when abortions can be legally done, could be used to legalize abortion through the back door the pro-life organizations said.
In May, a Northern Ireland court granted leave to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) for a full legal challenge of the decision by the NI health department to re-issue controversial guidance on abortion.
Although the Northern Ireland health department lost a previous court case after pro-life groups challenged its abortion rules, the department released them again in February.
In a letter to Jim Wells, chairman of the Northern Ireland Assembly's health committee, the department has announced that it has withdrawn its interim guidance on abortion.
The department also said it is launching a public consultation on the guidance.
Liam Gibson of SPUC in Northern Ireland, told LifeNews.com in a statement: "We are very pleased that the health minister has withdrawn the interim guidance. This was the aim of the SPUC's application for a judicial review, due to be heard in September." Full story at LifeNews.com
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