LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Thursday, August 5, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Pro-Abortion Obama Health Care Bill Takes Major Hit, Proposition C Passes
• Gallup Poll: Pro-Abortion Kagan's Numbers Lower Than Past Supreme Court Picks
• Kenya Voting Results Show New Constitution Allowing Abortions Likely Winning
• Senator Tells Obama Nominee Abortions at Military Hospitals Would Strain Troops
• Nancy Pelosi Ditches Catholic Credentials, Can't Say if Jesus Has Right to Life
• British Advertising Standards Authority OKs Marie Stopes International Abortion Ad
• Canadians Don't Know Abortions Legal Throughout Pregnancy, New Poll Finds
• Missouri Results Set Up Battle Between Pro-Life Blunt, Pro-Abortion Carnahan
• Florida Governor Candidates Feud on Abortion, Right to Life Backs Them Both
• Pro-Life News: South Carolina, Oregon, Rockford, Illinois, Adult Stem Cells
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Pro-Abortion Obama Health Care Bill Takes Major Hit, Proposition C Passes
Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- The pro-abortion health care bill President Barack Obama signed received a major blow on Tuesday from voters in Missouri. They voted overwhelmingly to reject a federal mandate to purchase health insurance -- important because some of the plans in the program will pay for abortions with federal funds.
Proposition C passed by almost a 3-1 ratio as Show Me State residents voted to exempt Missouri from the insurance mandate in the new health care law.
Sen. Jane Cunningham, a Republican who was one of the prime sponsors of the measure, lauded the vote afterwards.
"The citizens of the Show-Me State don't want Washington involved in their health care decisions," she said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I've never seen anything like it. Citizens wanted their voices to be heard."
Missouri was the first of four states seeking to opt out of the insurance purchase mandate portion of the health care law Obama pushed and the vote on Tuesday could prompt others to move forward.
"It's like a domino, and Missouri is the first one to fall," Cunningham said. "Missouri's vote will greatly influence the debate in the other states."
Proposition C is a non-binding referendum on ObamaCare that asked voters whether state law should be amended to "deny the government authority to penalize citizens for refusing to purchase private insurance or infringe upon the right to offer or accept direct payment for lawful health care services." Full story at LifeNews.com
Gallup Poll: Pro-Abortion Kagan's Numbers Lower Than Past Supreme Court Picks
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll released by Gallup finds pro-abortion Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan enjoys less support from the American public than recent Supreme Court nominees. The numbers come as the Senate has started debate on her nomination, which will likely be confirmed in a vote on Thursday.
The survey finds Americans support Kagan's nomination, but with numbers that are much lower than they did prior nominees for the nation's highest court that authorized 52 million abortions.
According to the poll, 46% of Americans support Kagan's nomination while 36% would prefer a no vote and 18 percent are undecided.
The 46% support for Kagan is lower than the 55 percent who backed Obama's last nominee, pro-abortion Sonia Sotomayor, before her confirmation vote.
It is also lower than the pre-confirmation support of the two justices President George W. Bush placed on the Supreme Court: Samuel Alito, who received the support of 54 percent, and John Roberts, who enjoyed the support of 60 percent.
Despite the lower numbers, Democrats enjoy high numbers in the Senate and will likely confirm Kagan despite the defection of Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
They will be supported by five Republicans who will vote for Kagan, including normally pro-life Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and pro-abortion Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kenya Voting Results Show New Constitution Allowing Abortions Likely Winning
Nairobi, Kenya (LifeNews.com) -- Voters in Kenya appear to have cast their ballots on Wednesday in favor of a new constitution that may quell some of the political violence the nation has experienced but would allow the violence of abortion. The vote was the subject of controversy as the Obama administration appeared to finance the Yes campaign.
With more than 60 percent of the ballots counted at 13,156 of 20,750 polling stations, unofficial results from the Daily Nation indicate 66 percent of Kenyans voted for the pro-abortion constitution while 34 percent voted no.
Some 12.5 million people were registered to vote,and more than 3.3 million appear to have voted for the constitution while 1.7 million voted against it. Reuters indicated there were long lines at many polling stations with the Rift Valley centers of Eldoret and Nakuru seeing especially heavy turnout.
William Ruto, a cabinet minister who led the No campaign, told Reuters he would accept the outcome.
"This is an historic moment in our country and I'm sure Kenyans will make the right decision," he told reporters. "Everyone has an obligation to accept the decision of the people of Kenya."
Leading pro-life and church groups both in Kenya and across the world, tried to educate voters that the new constitution would allow abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senator Tells Obama Nominee Abortions at Military Hospitals Would Strain Troops
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Yesterday, Senator Roger Wicker questioned Dr. Jonathan Woodson, President Barack Obama s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, about how a pro-abortion provision allowing abortions at taxpayer-funded military bases hospitals would strain American troops.
He told Woodson a strain may be placed on the military if Congress removes the ban on the use of military medical facilities to perform abortions.
At a time when we are fighting two wars and facing a severe shortage of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, Congress should not be adding unnecessary pressure to these professionals by allowing abortions at military medical facilities, said Wicker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Our military health care facilities should be a place for healing our men and women who serve in uniform and treating their families, not diverting the attention of our understaffed personnel to assist in the destruction of innocent human life," he added.
Earlier this year, Senator Roland Burris, an Illinois Democrat, included language in the Defense Authorization bill that would reverse a long-standing ban on the use of Department of Defense (DOD) medical facilities both foreign and domestic to perform abortions.
Under the current law, DoD is restricted from using funds for abortions to be performed by medical personnel or in medical facilities except in the cases where the life of the mother is at risk or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Full story at LifeNews.com
Nancy Pelosi Ditches Catholic Credentials, Can't Say if Jesus Has Right to Life
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Nancy Pelosi further ditched her Catholic credentials again as she was unable to answer a reporter's question about whether Jesus Christ should have had his right to life protected from conception.
Earlier this year, Pelosi said she has an obligation to pursue public policy in keeping with the values of Jesus. Yet, asked by a CNS News reporter late last week whether Jesus has the right to life, Pelosi couldn't agree.
At her July 29 press briefing, CNSNews asked: You said at a recent Catholic Community Conference that your favorite word was The Word, as in the word made flesh, and that we need to quote, give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the Word. "
The reporter continued: "So, when was the Word made flesh? Was it at the Annunciation, when Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Sprit, as the Creed says, or was it at the Nativity when he was born of the Virgin Mary? And when did the Word get the right to life?
Whenever it was, we bow our heads when we talk about it in church, and that s where I'd like to talk about that," Pelosi said in response.
The conservative news web site then sent an email to Pelosi's press secretary Nadeam Elshami seeking clarification.
Elshami responded in an email with the words, The speaker answered the question. Thanks. Full story at LifeNews.com
British Advertising Standards Authority OKs Marie Stopes International Abortion Ad
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- The Advertising Standards Authority has issued a ruling in favor of a television advertisement by Marie Stopes International (MSI), the large Britain-based abortion business. The decision is drawing opposition from pro-life groups in England and Northern Ireland.
The ASA, an advertising watchdog, rejected complaints about the first UK television advertisements for abortion, which were broadcast on Channel 4.
In May, Precious Life, the Northern Ireland pro-life group, launched a campaign with other pro-life groups like UK's SPUC urging people to contact the ASA to complain about the screening of advertisements for abortions on television.
Over 1000 complaints about the ad's misleading nature went to the agency, but it announced today that they have rejected the complaints, claiming the ads did not mislead viewers because abortion wasn't mentioned.
Paul Tully, the general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), one of Britain's leading pro-life groups, reacted to the latest decision.
Advertising abortion, whether directly or under the guise of so-called pregnancy advice , is indecent and dishonest. Yet the ASA has approved showing TV ads from one of the biggest abortion-providers in the UK," he told LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.com
Canadians Don't Know Abortions Legal Throughout Pregnancy, New Poll Finds
Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll of Canadians finds they are very uninformed about abortion law in Canada and are unaware that abortions are allowed throughout pregnancy for any reason. That's the finding from an online survey of 1,022 Canadian adult conducted by the Angus-Reid polling firm.
The survey found just 21 percent of Canadians know a woman can request an abortion at any time during her pregnancy, with no restrictions whatsoever.
Conversely, 41 percent of Canadians are under the impression abortions are only available to women during the first three months of pregnancy.
Another 15 percent of respondents think abortions are only allowed in the first trimester and only if the woman s life is in danger, if there has been a rape, or if the unborn child has severe medical problems. And 10 percent believe women can only have an abortion if their life is in medical danger.
Despite what Canadians think the current status of abortion law is nationwide, they continue to strongly support legal abortions, the Angus Reid poll says.
Some 27 percent want "no restrictions" on abortions and 22 percent want no limits on abortions in the first trimester and, during the reminder of pregnancy, only if the woman's life is in danger, they are victims of rape or incest, or if the unborn child has severe birth defects. None of the other positions offered gained more than 15 percent.
Looking at abortion another way, 41 percent of Canadians say abortions should be legal in all cases while 23 percent want abortions legal with some limits. On the pro-life side, 18 percent want abortions legal only in cases of emergency and 9 percent would only allow abortions to save a woman s life while another 6 percent say abortions should always be illegal. Full story at LifeNews.com
Missouri Results Set Up Battle Between Pro-Life Blunt, Pro-Abortion Carnahan
Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) -- Missouri voters will now have a chance to participate in one of the most hotly contested battles pitting a clear pro-life advocate versus an abortion proponent for the U.S. Senate. They'll get a chance in November to choose between Roy Blunt and Robin Carnahan this November.
Blunt has already received the support of pro-life groups like Missouri Right to Life and Susan B. Anthony List
He will face EMILY s List-endorsed candidate and vocal abortion supporter Carnahan, who has compiled a strongly pro-abortion record in Missouri politics.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the SBA List, talked about the upcoming contest.
Roy Blunt has proven to possess the pro-life leadership that is so greatly needed in the U.S. Senate," she said. "This race will be a hard-fought battle for the life issue in the upcoming election."
"Now more than ever, we need unwavering pro-life leadership like Roy Blunt s. His commitment to repealing abortion funding in the health care law and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Florida Governor Candidates Feud on Abortion, Right to Life Backs Them Both
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The two Republican candidates for governor have been feuding for months on the issue of abortion, with each trying to extol their pro-life virtues and issues statements and research showing the other is supposedly pro-abortion. But Florida Right to Life has given both an "A" grade and recommends them to voters.
The race between Bill McCollum and Rick Scott at first blush would give McCollum, the former congressman, an edge over Scott, the former hospital executive and military veteran.
That's merely because McCollum has a lengthy pro-life voting record from his time in the House of Representatives. He voted pro-life dozens of times and earned a 100% pro-life voting record from the National Right to Life Committee for his last two terms in office by opposing both abortion and assisted suicide.
But Rick Scott says he, too, is pro-life.
"I am pro-life. I believe strongly in the sanctity of human life. I believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned, and as governor, would appoint judges who apply law and not impose their political agenda on the people, which was what was done in 1973 when Roe was wrongly decided," he says in an audio file on his web site.
Scott also says he disagrees with the recent decision by pro-abortion Gov. Charlie Crist to veto a bill that would have allowed women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life News: South Carolina, Oregon, Rockford, Illinois, Adult Stem Cells
South Carolina Senate Race Poll Has Pro-Life Jim DeMint Winning Big
Columbia, SC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll out of South Carolina has pro-life Republican Sen. Jim DeMint likely walking away with his re-election bid easily.
Oregon's John Kitzhaber Gets Pro-Abortion Suport, Pro-Lifers Shirk Dudley
Salem, OR (LifeNews.com) -- Oregon Democrat John Kitzhaber receive the endorsement of Parenthood and NARAL's Oregon affiliate on Monday for his gubernatorial bid. At the same time, the state's largest pro-life group will not endorse Republican nominee Chris Dudley.
Adult Stem Cell Trial for Spinal Cord Injury in Louisiana
by David Prentice
Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- A Louisiana group has announced that they have enrolled their first spinal cord injury patient for a clinical trial using the patient s own adult stem cells for treatment.
Pro-Life Action League Challenges Rockford, Illinois on Abortion
Rockford, IL (LifeNews.com) -- The Pro-Life Action League will bring its Face the Truth Tour to Rockford on August 10, 2010.
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