LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Friday, October 1, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Obama Admin Targets Pro-Lifers in FBI Training Forum With Pro-Abortion Orgs
• Senate Agrees to Republican Demand Against Obama Recess Appointments
• Scientists Make Major Advance in Embryonic Stem Cell Research Alternatives
• Senators Introduce Bill to Permanently Cut Federal Abstinence Education Funding
• New UN Report Admits Data Faulty on Claims of Women Dying in Illegal Abortions
• House Renews Bill Promoting Stem Cell Research Using Umbilical Cord Blood
• Committee Cancels Hearing on Pro-Abortion Intl Violence Against Women Act
• California Senate: Fiorina and Boxer Debate Abortion, Boxer Misleads on Funding
• Washington Senate Race Tied Between Pro-Life Dino Rossi, Pro-Abortion Murrary
• Kansans for Life, State Pro-Life Group, Makes 2010 Election Endorsements
• Michigan Senate Approves Bill Making Abortion Centers Use Better Ultrasound
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Obama Admin Targets Pro-Lifers in FBI Training Forum With Pro-Abortion Orgs
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Documents LifeNews.com obtained today reveal the Obama administration partnered with leading pro-abortion organizations to host an FBI training seminar in August with the main focus of declaring as "violent" the free speech activities of pro-life Americans.
On August 25, 2010, the FBI and the United States Department of Justice co-sponsored a training seminar with Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation and the Feminist Majority Foundation.
When information about the seminar, which took place at FBI headquarters in Portland, Oregon, reached pro-life advocates, they asked officials for permission to attend and were granted access to the seminar and the training materials.
FBI and Obama administration officials provided participants with an 84-page document entitled Resource Guide: Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers" that contained print copies of Power Point presentations prepared by the Justice Department and an analysis of alleged pro-life "violence" prepared by the pro-abortion groups.
The so-called violence perpetrated by pro-life advocates mostly contained examples of constitutionally-protected free speech, including activities such as praying, providing women outside abortion centers with alternatives information, and peaceful protesting or picketing.
Matt Bowman, a top attorney at the Alliance Defense Fund, told LifeNews.com today that the cooperation between the Obama administration and pro-abortion organizations to target pro-life free speech should cause alarm.
"The information presented in the seminar raises serious concerns over the United States government s treatment of nonviolent free speech activities as 'violence' subject to investigation and prosecution," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Agrees to Republican Demand Against Obama Recess Appointments
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Because they may wind up with a majority of the House or Senate -- or enough votes to block some of President Barack Obama's pro-abortion nominees -- Senate Democrats agreed to a demand by Republicans to technically keep the Senate in session during the recess.
That makes it so Obama can't take advantage of a congressional rule allowing him to make recess appointments during an official Senate recess.
For the pro-life movement, that means Obama can't put some pro-abortion judicial nominees or administration officials requiring Senate approval in place with a recess appointment intended to avoid Senate confirmation.
That's what happened when Obama named rationing advocate Donald Berwick as the chief of Medicare and Medicaid and the top official charged with implementing the abortion-funding ObamaCare law that institutes a new government-run health care system.
Democratic leaders agreed to schedule two pro-forma sessions of the Senate each week over the next six weeks. Obama can only make recess appointments if the Senate is adjourned more than three days, but the sessions will have one member of the chamber gavel the Senate into session and immediately out of session to prevent Obama from exploiting the rule.
According to The Hill, pro-life Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had threatened to send Obama s most controversial nominees back to the president if Democrats did not agree to the sessions.
Those nominees reportedly included some of Obama's pro-abortion appeals court and federal district court nominees the Senate Judiciary Committee recently approved. Had the nominations been returned to the White House, Obama would have had to have re-nominated them and they would have been subjected to new hearings and votes in committee. Full story at LifeNews.com
Scientists Make Major Advance in Embryonic Stem Cell Research Alternatives
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As the Obama administration lobbies the courts to uhold President Barack Obama's executive order forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research, scientists have made another major advance in alternatives that don't require the destruction of human life.
Derrick J. Rossi of the Children's Hospital Boston led a research team that published a series of experiments showing they can use artificial versions of naturally occurring biological signals to convert typical skin cells into embryonic stem cells.
A report in the Washington Post today indicates the scientists can make the alternative cells quickly and are also able to prompt the cells to turn into specific tissues that could be used in transplants for patients.
Normally, embryonic stem cells can only be obtained by destroying early human life days after conception but the alternative would allow scientists to work with embryonic-like cells without the moral problems that spark pro-life opposition.
Douglas A. Melton, who co-directs the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, said the new paper Rossi and his team submitted to the journal Cell Stem Cell, "is a major paper, in my view, in the field of regenerative medicine." Full story at LifeNews.com
Senators Introduce Bill to Permanently Cut Federal Abstinence Education Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two pro-abortion senators introduced a bill on Wednesday that would permanently cut federal abstinence education funding. Despite the evidence showing abstinence programs reduce sexual activity and help teens make positive decisions, Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative Barbara Lee introduced the bill.
Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, and Lee, a California Democrat, filed the Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act.
Ty Cobb of the pro-abortion Human Rights Campaign hailed the legislation, because it "would end abstinence-only-until-marriage programs once and for all."
He complains that Congress, since 1996, has spent almost $1.5 billion on abstinence-only programs and appreciates the section of the bill that would de-fund abstinence programs proven ineffective by the language programs' opponents put in the bill.
LifeNews.com talked with Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association, who panned the legislation as yet another attack on proven abstinence education programs and the wishes of most parents to fund them.
The bill would eliminate the only federal funding exclusively focused on the risk avoidance abstinence education message. It is unconscionable that Senators would even consider censoring skills that would help teens avoid all risks associated with sexual activity," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
 Medical professionals are on the frontlines of battle in life issues. From abortion to assisted suicide and euthanasia and all issues in between we are challenged in the workplace to defend our beliefs and risk our employment. The National Association of Pro-life Nurses has been here for nurses since the beginning of this battle. Join with us in our efforts to protect those voices. www.nursesforlife.org |
New UN Report Admits Data Faulty on Claims of Women Dying in Illegal Abortions
New York, NY (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- A UN report has rankled experts for promoting abortion while also obscuring its research methods.
The new maternal health report endorses a UN strategy that recommends safe abortion services and family planning alongside antenatal care and skilled attendants at birth. That strategy was based on previous UN reports that said 536,000 women died yearly from pregnancy-related causes, 78,000 from illegal abortion. The new report slashes the total to 358,000 and did not offer any data regarding abortion.
This is specious, Duke University s Dr. Monique Chireau said. There were no data collected on deaths from abortion. We can't even get good data on maternal deaths.
The report says that only 63 of 173 countries studied had complete records on a cause of death. Twenty-four had no records at all.
Critics say the UN issued the report because of a recent independent study that showed previous UN data suspect and its research methods flawed. That independent study found that better education, economics, and healthcare, along with lower fertility rates, led to better maternal health. It did not mention abortion or family planning. Full story at LifeNews.com
House Renews Bill Promoting Stem Cell Research Using Umbilical Cord Blood
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The House of Representatives, today, passed the reauthorization of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act, a bill written by pro-life Congressman Chris Smith in 2005. The vote makes it so the provisions of the bill, promoting stem cell research with umbilical cord blood, are in place through 2015.
The landmark bill, HR 2520, was signed into law by President Bush in December 2005 and today's reauthorization was approved by voice vote.
On the House floor, Smith said "it remains one of the best kept secrets in America that umbilical cord blood stem cells and adult stem cells in general are curing people of a myriad of terrible conditions and diseases."
Umbilical cords are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells, yet hospitals throw millions of them away each year because prior to the law the infrastructure required to properly collect and store them was not available. The 2005 law increased the number of cord blood units and stem cells available for treating patients and expanded research.
That law created a new nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, derive, type and freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and even cure serious disease and pursuant to the law, also provided stem cells for research, Smith said. The new cord blood program was combined in the 2005 law with an expanded bone marrow initiative. Full story at LifeNews.com
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Committee Cancels Hearing on Pro-Abortion Intl Violence Against Women Act
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has canceled a hearing on the Violence Against Women Act -- legislation that, despite its good-sounding name, is prompting concerns for pro-life groups that it could be used to promote abortion internationally.
Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America says "The problems with I-VAWA are hidden in the fine print under the lofty rhetoric" with the "predictable agenda" of "abortion-on-demand on a global scale."
The panel had planned a mark-up hearing on S. 2982 consider any final amendments on the bill before a vote by the committee and subsequent referral to the entire Senate for a vote.
But just minutes before the hearing was scheduled to begin, pro-abortion committee Chairman John Kerry of Massachusetts announced the hearing would be canceled.
Kerry was the lead sponsor of the bill and one report LifeNews.com received indicates Kerry may have scrapped the vote on it because he lacked enough votes to move the measure out of the committee. While Sen. Kerry may attempt to secure passage of the bill during the upcoming, the information indicated "Senate insiders believe such a move is unlikely." Full story at LifeNews.com
California Senate: Fiorina and Boxer Debate Abortion, Boxer Misleads on Funding
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- California Senate candidates Carly Fiorina and Barbara Boxer debated the issue of abortion on Wednesday in a forum hosted by KPCC-FM and La Opinion radio. Fiorina accused Boxer of misrepresenting her pro-life views on abortion and Boxer sought to downplay her support for taxpayer funded abortions.
Fiorina accused Boxer of engaging in a "unconscionable shocking misrepresentation" of her pro-life views to make her appear more extreme.
While Boxer and her campaign's ads have made it appear Fiorina would put women who have abortions in jail, Fiorina pointed out she doesn't support that and wouldn't push for legislation to do that if elected to the Senate.
"Barbara Boxer is engaging in this kind of misrepresentation to change the subject, to change the subject from her own extreme views, which are that a baby doesn't have rights until it leaves the hospital," Fiorina said. "The subject of this election is not abortion."
Boxer has been playing on a statement Fiorina made in January that she would "absolutely vote to overturn Roe v. Wade if the opportunity presented itself" which Boxer and her campaign have twisted to make it appear Fiorina supports criminalizing women.
"It means that women and doctors could be put in jail in any state of the union.That is the fact," Boxer said about the statement, according to the NPR debate. "Roe v. Wade, I believe, is a decision that brings us all together."
Fiorina sought to highlight Boxer's pro-abortion record during her tenure in Washington, especially her consistent support for taxpayer funding of abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com
Washington Senate Race Tied Between Pro-Life Dino Rossi, Pro-Abortion Murrary
Olympia, WA (LifeNews.com) -- The competitive Senate race between pro-life Senate candidate Dino Rossi and pro-abortion Sen. Patty Murrary is tied. The race is one of several pitting candidates on the opposite side of the abortion debate against each other in what is shaping up as a battle for control of the Senate.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of likely voters shows Rossi picking up 48% support, while Murray earns 47% of the vote when leaners are included.
Two percent prefer another candidate while three percent are undecided on the race.
"Two weeks ago, Murray moved to a modest 51% to 46% lead over Rossi when leaners were part of the totals. In 10 previous surveys from January through August, the candidates have been within two points of each other seven times. Murray's support has ranged from 45% to 50%, while Rossi has picked up 46% to 49% of the vote," the polling firm noted.
The Rasmussen poll comes after one from Fox News that has the two candidates well within the margin of error, with Murray leading Rossi by one percent. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kansans for Life, State Pro-Life Group, Makes 2010 Election Endorsements
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- When Kansas voters head to the polls in November to cast their ballots for races ranging from Senate and governor to the state legislature, Kansans for Life hopes they will keep pro-life candidates in mind. The statewide pro-life group today issued its endorsements for the 2010 election.
The Kansans for Life Political Action Committee made its pro-life candidate guide available today and pr-life Congressman Jerry Moran, seeking the Senate seat made available by Senator Sam Brownback, tops the list.
KFL PAC has also endorsed pro-life candidates for Congress, including state Sen. Tim Huelskamp in the 1st district, state Rep. Kevin Yoder in the 3rd district, and Mike Pompeo in the 4th district.
At the top of the KFL-PAC list for state-wide races is the GOP gubernatorial team of Brownback, a pro-life leader in the U.S. Senate, and his running mate, Kansas Sen. Jeff Colyer.
Secretary of State candidate Kris Kobach, a Republican, and both candidates for State Treasurer -- Republican Ron Estes (R) and incumbent Democrat Dennis McKinney -- merited endorsements from the pro-life group. While both treasurer candidates received a nod from Kansans for Life, neither major party candidate for state insurance commissioner did. Full story at LifeNews.com
Michigan Senate Approves Bill Making Abortion Centers Use Better Ultrasound
Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- The Michigan Senate signed off on legislation on Wednesday looking to strengthen an existing law requiring abortion centers to show women an ultrasound of their unborn child prior to doing an abortion. The bill would ensure the ultrasound is of the highest quality possible.
The notion is that if women deserve a chance to see their baby before having an abortion, they deserve to see a high-quality image -- not a low-quality one abortion centers might use to discount the ultrasound and persuade women to have an abortion.
Republican Sen. Wayne Kuipers is the sponsor of the bill and he said, according to the Grand Haven Tribune, that the image of the unborn child in the ultrasound should be as high quality as possible.
"When lawmakers gave a mother the opportunity to see real-time ultrasound images of her unborn child before aborting her pregnancy in 2006, we never thought doctors would trample on that right by producing poor-quality pictures," said Kuipers. "My bill will restore our original legislative intent to ensure women considering abortion have access to as much information as possible before making this life and death decision." Full story at LifeNews.com
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