LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
| For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
• Pro-Life Groups Seek Probe on Kagan and Partial-Birth Abortion Before Vote
• Election 2010 Heats Up For Pro-Life Groups, 100 Days Until November Elections
• Pro-Life Orgs Hope Senate Will Defeat DISCLOSE Act in Tuesday Voting
• Americans Favor Repeal of Pro-Abortion Health Care, But Say It's Unlikely
• ObamaCare and Britain's NHS Move Forward With Rationing of Health Care
• Obama Appointment of Pro-Rationing Donald Berwick Hurts Special Needs Kids
• Mothers to Show Congress Babies Saved From Abortions to Help Pregnancy Ctrs
• Organizers: Pro-Life Freedom Ride a Success Despite Pro-Abortion Opposition
• Hundreds of People Participate in Rally Launching Pro-Life Freedom Rides
• Pennsylvania Officials Must Work to Ensure Obama Admin Doesn't Fund Abortions
• Massachusetts Pro-Life Group Reviews Endorsement of Cahill for Governor
• Alaska Abortion Advocates Spending Big to Stop Parental Notification Vote
• Pro-Life News: Embryo Adoption, Family Guy, Sarah Palin, Abortion, Colorado
---> Is your pro-life group or pregnancy center looking for an affordable speaker? Need a speaker for a conference, convention, church presentation or on short notice? Consider LifeNews.com Editor Steven Ertelt. Email us for details.
Pro-Life Groups Seek Probe on Kagan and Partial-Birth Abortion Before Vote
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A coalition of 30 pro-life organizations sent a letter to members of the Senate today asking for a thorough investigation of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. They are calling for a probe into her comments about partial-birth abortion and say she may have misled lawmakers.
The concern centers on comments she made about her time as a top policy staffer in the Clinton administration.
Although she told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that she merely served at the pleasure of the president and tried to implement his policy vision, documents from her time there clearly showed her attempting to manipulate the opinion of two medical groups to make it appear partial-birth abortions are somehow necessary to protect women's health.
The lobbying Kagan engaged in is important because it may have pressured Clinton to veto the proposed partial-birth abortion ban and it resulted in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists changing its opinion. The Supreme Court ultimately cited the Kagan-pressured opinion in its decision to overturn the partial-birth abortion bans of dozens of states.
A nominee to the highest court in the land must meet our nation s absolute highest standards of integrity and impartiality, said Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life Action and the main sponsor of the letter.
With serious outstanding questions clouding Ms. Kagan s nomination, we are leading a united effort to ask that the Senate investigate discrepancies between her Senate testimony and the written record on partial-birth abortion before proceeding to a floor vote," she told LifeNews.com today. Full story at LifeNews.com
Election 2010 Heats Up For Pro-Life Groups, 100 Days Until November Elections
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- There are now officially less than 100 days left until Americans head to the polls in what appears likely to become a significant victory for the pro-life community. Polling data has shown that allies of President Barack Obama, the pro-abortion Democrats who currently control Congress, will be losing numerous seats.
With just months before polls open -- and less time in states with early voting -- the push is on now by pro-life groups and political organization to get involved.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, a pro-life Ohio Republican, says now is the time for those upset with the pro-abortion health care bill Obama and his allies approved to stand up.
If you're fed up and want to put a stop to the Obama-Pelosi agenda, this is the time to get involved, he said this weekend, according to The Hill. Believe me, every minute you volunteer and every dollar that you contribute over the next 100 days will make a big impact."
Even though the polls are on the side of Republicans capturing a sizable number of seats in both the House and Senate, the GOP is facing a 2-1 fundraising disadvantage.
The Hill indicates the National Republican Congressional Committee, the parties top fundraising arm for congressional candidates, had $17 million in the bank compared with more than $33 million for the committee the Democrats run. The DCCC has already reserved $25 million in television airtime across the country for its candidates. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Orgs Hope Senate Will Defeat DISCLOSE Act in Tuesday Voting
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- When the Senate votes on Tuesday on the DISCLOSE Act campaign finance reform bill, pro-life groups hope senators will oppose the legislation. The National Right to Life Committee has been lobbying against the bill and the Family Research Council joins it.
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, says the bill is nothing more than an attempt by pro-abortion Democrats to hold onto their congressional seats in an election cycle
"This past weekend Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama told a gathering of the most hard-edged liberal activists that they need to pull out all stops to win this November so that they can push more of their damaging agenda on the American people," he said.
"Fearful of what Election Day could mean for their extreme ideology, a number of liberals in Congress are pushing S. 3628, the DISCLOSE Act, which amounts to Democrat incumbent protection legislation disguised as campaign finance reform," Perkins added.
Instead of addressing the problems that may be found in some election campaigns, Perkins says the Disclose Act "seeks to add to the already onerous burdens placed on organizations that act within the law by going after their donors and exposing them in public forums."
Democrats sponsoring the bill have added exceptions, or "carve-outs," that provide special treatment for select special interest groups -- something Perkins says is hypocritical.
"Too often, such tactics are used to intimidate donors. We saw this in the sixties during the civil rights struggles," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Americans Favor Repeal of Pro-Abortion Health Care, But Say It's Unlikely
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Americans favor repeal of the new law President Barack Obama signed that contains massive taxpayer funding of abortion and they believe doing so would be beneficial for the economy. However, a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows they don't think it is likely to happen.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of likely voters in the November elections finds 58 percent of voters favor repeal, including 48% who strongly favor it. Thirty-seven percent oppose repeal and that includes about 28 percent who are strongly opposed.
Support for repeal is up two points from a week ago but is consistent with findings recorded over the past several months, Rasmussen notes. Weekly tracking surveys have found support for repeal has ranged from 52% to 63%.
Forty-four percent believe repeal of the health care bill would be good for the economy while just 28 percent disagree.
Thirty-four percent of voters say the health care plan is good for the country, but most voters see its impact as bad. Fifty percent or more of voters have said the plan is bad for the country since late March.
But just 39% think it even somewhat likely that the new law will actually be repealed while 48% of voters see repeal as unlikely. Those figures include nine percent who say repeal is very likely and 10 percent who say it is very unlikely. Full story at LifeNews.com
ObamaCare and Britain's NHS Move Forward With Rationing of Health Care
by David Prentice
The U.K. is ramping up healthcare rationing under its National Health Service (NHS). According to The Sunday Telegraph, the NHS has drawn up plans for restrictions on the most basic treatments for the sick and injured. Operations including hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery will be rationed in a new attempt to save money.
According to the report, plans also include cuts for terminally ill patients (dying cancer patients will supposedly be sent home and told to manage their own symptoms), closure of nursing homes for the elderly, cost-cutting measures in pediatric and maternity services and care of the elderly.
Doctors have already been told that their patients can have some operations only if they are given prior approval by a primary care trust , with each authorization made on a case by case basis.
Why is this increase in healthcare rationing in the U.K. of concern for the U.S.? Because many of ObamaCare s nationalized regulations for treatment will be designed by Dr. Donald Berwick. The President used a recess appointment to put Berwick in as Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Berwick is an advocate for government rationing of health care and says I am romantic about the NHS; I love it. Full story at LifeNews.com
Obama Appointment of Pro-Rationing Donald Berwick Hurts Special Needs Kids
by Kristan Hawkins
While most of America was on vacation, President Obama bypassed the Senate confirmation process and on July 7 appointed a radical, Dr. Donald Berwick, to the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee the nation's Medicaid and Medicare system.
While I was helping my 1-year-old son, Gunner, do his life-prolonging breathing treatment, his president betrayed him and others who suffer from cystic fibrosis. Obama appointed a man who advocates rationing of health care and praises the disastrous British National Health Service to head one of the most important positions in the entire U.S. health care system.
Berwick's recent appointment is a clear signal of what the Obama administration is looking to accomplish with the new national health care system. Many in the media had speculated that it would be difficult for Berwick to pass through the Senate confirmation process because of his radical views, and, after looking deeper into Berwick's past, it is easy to see why so many were concerned with his appointment.
In 2004, Berwick worked closely with Great Britain to assist it in remaking its nationalized health care system. Details of his work with Britain can be found in a January 2004 Boston Globe article appropriately titled "The Revolutionary."
What is Berwick's plan for Medicare and Medicaid? One can only begin to see his plan by looking at another project of his, the British health care system. Full story at LifeNews.com
Mothers to Show Congress Babies Saved From Abortions to Help Pregnancy Centers
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Mothers who are glad they went to a pregnancy center and were given assistance in choosing abortion alternatives are headed to Congress. They want elected officials to know that these centers are providing both practical support and counseling that pregnant women need.
Sponsored by Heartbeat International, the Heartbeat s Babies Go to Congress campaign provides an opportunity on Capitol Hill for women to speak publicly about their gratitude for the pregnancy support they received when faced with an unexpected pregnancy.
Moms and babies will testify before elected officials that pregnancy help centers are good for America.
Danica Fountain of Arizona who felt pressured to have an abortion, is one of the mothers who will be present.
I was absolutely shocked to see that this so called blob of tissue, the term I so commonly heard people use when referencing a pregnancy this early on, was in fact a fully formed baby! She had a head, arms and legs," she said.
When I saw my baby s heart beating I knew I would do anything to protect my child, said Fountain, who is scheduled to meet with members of Congress this week.
The emotional support I received from the pregnancy center helped me realize that I could succeed as a single mom. So I continued in my full time position, knowing they were there if I needed more encouragement or practical help. I can never thank the Women s Center of Tucson enough," Fountain added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Organizers: Pro-Life Freedom Ride a Success Despite Pro-Abortion Opposition
Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) -- The first Pro-Life Freedom Ride was a resounding success, despite the fact that more than 150 Freedom Riders were turned away Saturday from the King Center in Atlanta, where they had planned a prayer vigil at the Tomb of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King and director of African-American Outreach for the New York-based pro-life ministry, and pro-life and civil rights leaders who had accompanied them from Birmingham, stood on a cramped bit of sidewalk across the street from Ebenezer Baptist church and prayed for the unborn.
Outside the church, about two dozen counter-protesters taunted the Freedom Riders with shouts of Trust black women and civil rights are women s rights. Some of them spoke out personally against Dr. Alveda King. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hundreds of People Participate in Rally Launching Pro-Life Freedom Rides
Birmingham, AL (LifeNews.com) -- More than 700 people found it hard to stay in their seats Friday night at the opening rally for Priests for Life's Pro-Life Freedom Rides in Birmingham, Alabama.
We've come to Birmingham to take a ride, the first of many that will criss-cross the country, Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said during the rally and concert at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Theater. He said the Freedom Bus that will travel from Birmingham to Atlanta will be moving to a particular destination: Equal protection for our young brothers and sisters.
The Pro-Life Freedom Rides pay homage to the courageous Freedom Riders of 1961 who rode buses throughout the South to test the still-divided nation s new anti-segregation laws. The 21st century rides also open a new chapter in the pro-life movement, according to Dr. Alveda King, director of African-American outreach for Priests for Life.
We are not just like the civil-rights movement, said Dr. King, the niece of Martin Luther King. We are the civil rights movement.
Father Pavone said the new movement aims not only to liberate the unborn, whose lives are worth nothing under the law, but also to free parents from the despair of thinking they have no choice but to abort their children. Full story at LifeNews.com
by Michael Ciccocioppo
How did the Pennsylvania Insurance Department find itself in the firestorm of the national abortion debate, and what must be done to keep federal money from being used in the commonwealth to pay for abortions on demand?
It all started when President Obama promised that federal funds would not be used to pay for abortions when he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March. One of the first new programs coming out of the law this year is the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan. This is intended to give health insurance coverage to folks who have been denied any coverage in the private sector.
Then, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department submitted a plan to the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington detailing how the state intended to run this plan. HHS approved the plan and sent it back to the Insurance Department to implement using $160 million of federal health care dollars.
After this approval was publicly announced, the National Right to Life Committee discovered that the plan contained a provision to include as a covered benefit abortions that are legal under Pennsylvania statutes. This means that most abortions up to six months gestation would be covered for almost any reason. Full story at LifeNews.com
| 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. |
Massachusetts Pro-Life Group Reviews Endorsement of Cahill for Governor
Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- Massachusetts Citizens for Life is reevaluating its endorsement of the gubernatorial campaign of independent candidate Tim Cahill. After issuing an endorsement last week, MCFL has learned Cahill may not be fully pro-life and it is seeking more information before promoting his candidacy.
Madeline McComish, the chair of the MCFL State Political Action Committee, told LifeNews.com last week that Cahill was her group's choice over pro-abortion Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick or Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker.
But, according to Fox News, even though Cahill supports a number of limits on abortions, he reportedly has an official position on abortion itself that is supportive of keeping it legal.
McComish told Fox News that MCFL will not reconsider the endorsement but wants Cahill to "clarify" his position before turning the endorsement into active support for him.
"It's contingent on his reaffirming these issues," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Alaska Abortion Advocates Spending Big to Stop Parental Notification Vote
Juneau, AK (LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood is bringing in the big bucks in its campaign to persuade Alaska voters that they should not support a ballot measure in August that would allow parents to know when their minor daughters are considering an abortion. Jim Minnery, the chairman of Alaskans for Parental Rights, is battling back.
Nearly 50,000 Alaskans signed a petition distributed by Minnery's group saying Alaska voters should be able to vote on parental involvement.
"Planned Parenthood, the $1 billion abortion corporation, is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to deceive Alaskans through radio and television stations statewide," Minnery said today.
"Currently, they are outspending us roughly 10 to 1. Their message is inundating the airwaves and there is a very real chance that they will defeat us at the polls on August 24," he added.
Alaskans for Parental Rights is fighting back and has just released a hard-hitting television to share the pro-life side of the debate with Alaskans across the state. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life News: Embryo Adoption, Family Guy, Sarah Palin, Abortion, Colorado, Canada
National Embryo Donation Center Seeks Families to Adopt Special Needs Kids
Knoxville, TN -- Couples who have gone through fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), often have excess embryos cryopreserved or frozen for future family building. When these couples complete their families and embryos remain, they are faced with the daunting task of deciding what to do with their embryos.
Family Guy Will Bait Sarah Palin Again With Return of Down Syndrome Character
Hollywood, CA -- You know the best way to get Family Guy to bring back a guest character? Protest vociferously in the media it helps if you're a publicity-magnet ex-VP candidate so as to create a rather grand controversy.
Pro-Life Advocates Head Acorss Canada With Walking Trip to Highlight Abortion
Ottawa, Canada -- A six-member group of religious students are walking across Canada to elevate discussion about what they say is the need to strike down abortion in this country.
New York Comptroller Candidate Tom DiNapoli Gets NARAL Endorsement
Albany, NY -- New York candidate for Comptroller Tom DiNapoli received the endorsement of NARAL today, and took time to hit his GOP opponent, Harry Wilson, on his views on abortion.
Durango, Colorado Group to Lead Protest of Hospital Working With Abortionist
Durango, CO (LifeNews.com) -- The local pro-life group LifeGuard will hold a press conference on Thursday to divulge the details of the ongoing relationship between Catholic hospital Mercy Regional Medical Center and abortion practitioner Dr. Grossman.
Full story at LifeNews.com
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
