LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Congress Back in Town, Pro-Life Groups Play Defense on Abortion, ESCR Funding
• Senator Promotes Bill to Force Taxpayer Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
• Republican Congressman: We Will De-Fund Pro-Abortion Health Care If We Win
• Practitioner Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion Faces Trial This Week
• Protecting Pro-Life Values, Religious Liberty Must Define the 2010 Election Effort
• Details Emerge of Plot to Do Illegal Late-Term Abortions in New Jersey, Maryland
• Chinese Forced Abortion Opponent Faces Persecution After Prison Release
• Delaware Poll Has Pro-Life O'Donnell Leading Pro-Abortion Castle, Strategy Issues
• New Hampshire Poll Sees Ayotte Lead Over Lamontagne Shrinking, Vote Tuesday
• Michigan Pro-Life Group Backs Attorney General, Secretary of State Candidates
• Kansas Senate Candidate Jerry Moran Gets Nod From Pro-Life Organization
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Congress Back in Town, Pro-Life Groups Play Defense on Abortion, ESCR Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Congress is back in town this week and that means the pro-life movement is playing defense on expected votes related to abortion and embryonic stem cell research funding -- both involving taxpayer dollars. They will try to defeat a bill for ESCR funding and get an amendment approved on military base abortions.
Blair Bjellos, the legislative director for the Susan B. Anthony List talked about the upcoming battles in a new memo.
Sen. Rolland Burris of Illinois attached an amendment to the Defense Department spending bill that would have the military break with current longstanding policy disallowing abortions at military base hospitals, which are funded at taxpayer expense. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi led the fight in the committee against the amendment to strike that law and plans an amendment of his own on the Senate floor to remove the Burris language.
"The Senate has yet to consider their version of the Defense Authorization bill, which currently includes the legalization of abortion on military bases, both domestically and abroad," Bjellos said in his memo.
"In wartime, the last thing we need to do is spend resources on the destruction of life in military clinics where they work to preserve the lives of our servicemen and women," he said.
Meanwhile, the House is expected to vote this month on an as-yet-unwritten bill that is expected to allow President Barack Obama to force taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
The bill is a response to a judge's decision saying the executive order President Barack Obama issued to mandate funding violates a federal law.
Judge Royce Lamberth's decision said the order runs afoul of the Dickey-Wicker law Congress has approved annually since 1996, which prohibits taxpayer funding of research that destroys human embryos. The Obama administration has appealed the decision, but pro-abortion Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado is pushing for the House to approve her bill that would essentially repeal the law and authorize the embryonic funding Obama wanted. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senator Promotes Bill to Force Taxpayer Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With a federal judge having declared the executive order President Barack Obama issued to force taxpayers to finance embryonic stem cell research invalid, a Democratic senator is pushing legislation to overturn the federal law the judge said Obama's mandate violated.
U.S. district court Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction against the funding, which Obama officials appealed.
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington put on hold that injunction while Judge Lamberth reviews the lawsuit itself.
Judge Lamberth based his ruling on the fact that the Obama order violates the Dickey-Wicker amendment, a federal law that prohibits the federal government from paying for research that involves the destruction of human embryos.
Sen. Arlen Specter on Monday spoke on the Senate floor and said he has proposed legislation that would repeal the Dickey-Wicker law and therefore authorize the taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research -- which requires the destruction of human embryos, unique human beings days after conception.
"There is great uncertainty in the research community as to what will happen," Specter said, according to an AP report, and said his bill would resolve it by overturning the law Lamberth used to temporarily put funding on hold.
Specter's bill requires that the research qualifying for funding must involve the destruction of human embryos considered "leftovers" by infertility clinics -- even though several adoption centers have sprung up that have allowed parents to adopt them and eventually give birth. Full story at LifeNews.com
Republican Congressman: We Will De-Fund Pro-Abortion Health Care If We Win
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A top Republican congressman has repeated a pledge that has become a rallying cry of sorts for the party during the midterm Congressional election battles. With a majority of Americans opposing the pro-abortion government-run health care plan, GOP lawmakers are promising to try to de-fund the law if they win control of the House or Senate.
Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, the head of the Republican Study Committee in the House, repeated the pledge over the weekend in a speech at the pro-life Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington.
In March, House Minority Leader John Boehner promised Republicans would attempt to revoke the funding behind the health care program, which includes massive abortion funding that pro-life groups already had to stop in three states.
Sen. John McCain and other lawmakers and candidates have sounded the drumbeat of revoking funding as well -- calling it a strategy that could be used in case the lawsuits filed against the plan aren't successful or if a repeal bill can't be approved.
Price accused Democrats of being possessed with passing and promoting the pro-abortion health care plan, he said at the event, according to Politico.
They were so possessed -- so possessed -- with passing this signature piece of legislation, he said.
You know, the President came to the Capitol. He said Don't worry about what s in the bill, it s time for us to make history.' Well, we're going to make some history on Nov. 2, ladies and gentlemen, he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Practitioner Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion Faces Trial This Week
Hyannis, MA (LifeNews.com) -- The trial of abortion practitioner Rapin Osathanondh, who has been charged with manslaughter after killing one of his patients in a botched legal abortion, begins this week. Osathanondh did the abortion on 22-year-old Laura Smith, who died in September 2007 at his Women's Health Center abortion business.
The trial was slated to begin today, but Laura's mother, Eileen Smith, told the pro-life group Massachusetts Citizens for Life that the attorney for Osathanondh has been trying to get Smith and the district attorney to avoid trial.
"Instead of the trial starting on Monday, I have a meeting with the district attorney," Smith explained. "The defense lawyers, district attorney and the judge are meeting. I think [Osathanondh's] lawyer is going to present a plea deal to the judge -- an offer so he doesn't have to go thru trial and get a favorable outcome for himself."
Smiths said she can present a statement but the decision is up to the judge, the defense attorney and Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, the prosecutor in the case.
Should the judge in the case not accept the plea deal, Smith indicates the trial will begin with jury selection on Tuesday and proceedings beginning later in the week.
"This man needs to go to jail for what he did to Laura," Smith 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 |
Protecting Pro-Life Values, Religious Liberty Must Define the 2010 Election Effort
by Tony Perkins
Good morning, and thanks to each of you for attending this event. I'm thankful to stand with each of you in defending faith, family, and freedom.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. That observation, born of Solomon s long experience as king during a difficult reign, has a profound application to our own time, as well.
That principle of three three sturdy strands being entwined together into one cord that is hard to tear apart is essential to the conservative movement and to America in our time.
Economic growth and national defense are strands that intertwine. Without a robust economy, we will lack the means of sustaining our military security. And without a strong defense, our economy and our nation will be continually at risk.
But both of these are entwined with the third strand, a strand without which the other two will surely fray: The critical need for a just and good society, one where children are protected in the womb where families thrive and where religious liberty is the bulwark of the freedoms we enjoy.
Let s begin with the children in the womb, the sanctity of life. Let me be clear about one irreducible principle: Abortion is, above all else, immoral. Regardless of its ramifications for our economy, let conservatives never retreat from that principle. Full story at LifeNews.com
Details Emerge of Plot to Do Illegal Late-Term Abortions in New Jersey, Maryland
by Cheryl Sullenger
She is only eighteen, but she is lucky to be alive. The ordeal that nearly cost her life began in early August. D.B., as records identify her, was on a popular brand of birth control pills that limited the number of periods, so she was unaware that the pills had failed until her pregnancy was advanced. On August 9, 2010, D.B. went to American Women’s Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, and discovered she was 21.5 weeks pregnant.
What happened next led to a dramatic abortion clinic raid, the suspension of the medical licenses of three abortionists, and launched investigations that span four states. News of the discovery of a multi-state illegal late-term abortion scheme has shaken the abortion industry to its crumbling foundations.
Authorities believe that if D.B. had not suffered her terribly botched abortion, the dangerous late-term abortion ring would still be one of the abortion cartel's dirtiest of secrets.
Operation Rescue received 302 pages of documents from the State of New Jersey on September 9, 2010, through an open records request. The documents tell a shocking story of a well-planned conspiracy to circumvent abortion laws, evade discovery of the unlicensed practice of medicine, and deceive women and authorities who have long suspected illegal activity at the chain of clinics operated by troubled abortionist Stephen Chase Brigham.
The documents were related to a New Jersey complaint against Brigham filed on September 8, 2010, that demanded the suspension of his medical license after D.B.’s serious late-term abortion injuries caught the attention of the police as well as physicians at Johns Hopkins Medical center where D.B. was eventually treated. Brigham has since agreed to a suspension effective September 15, to give him more time to present his case to the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, (NJBME), at its scheduled meeting on October 13, 2010. Full story at LifeNews.com
Chinese Forced Abortion Opponent Faces Persecution After Prison Release
Linyi, China (LifeNews.com) -- Chen Guangcheng, the blind attorney who stood up for thousands of men and women subjected to forced abortions and sterilizations in his city, may have been released from prison but now he and his family face persecution. They have been subjected to house arrest and there are concerns about his health.
While in prison for over four years after a conviction on false charges in a trial where his attorneys were not permitted to attend, Chen was brutally tortured and denied proper care.
Though he is out of prison, Chen's freedom is not yet complete. His family has been monitored and even harassed by public officials during his imprisonment.
"According to reliable sources, the authorities have threatened Chen and his wife that they will throw any family member in prison at any time, if they fail to cooperate," officials with the human rights group ChinaAid said.
"Chen's wife Yuan Weijing, his daughter, and his elder brother were not allowed to pick him up from prison. Instead, they had to wait to greet him when he reached his home," the group noted. "Now he and his family are being closely monitored by more than 20 policemen surrounding his home. No one has been allowed out of the house today, even for shopping, though his wife was able to buy vegetables the day before." Full story at LifeNews.com
Delaware Poll Has Pro-Life O'Donnell Leading Pro-Abortion Castle, Strategy Issues
Dover, DE (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll from Delaware shows pro-life Republican Senate primary candidate Christine O'Donnell has pulled into a virtual tie with pro-abortion GOP candidate Mike Castle. However, pro-life advocates continue to be concerned about strategy in the race because O' Donnell appeals unlikely to win in November.
A new poll from the Public Policy Polling firm shows O Donnell leading longtime Congressman and Governor Mike Castle 47-44.
The new lead comes as pro-life potential Republican presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave O'Donnell an endorsement in the race against Castle, who backs abortion and embryonic stem cell research but has supported some pro-life limits and voted no on the pro-abortion health care bill.
The polling firm found Castle's favorability with Delaware Republicans at a 60/25 spread back in August, but they have dropped to 43/47 percent now. GOP voters see O Donnell positively on a 45-41 percent split.
The concern for pro-life advocates is that, if O'Donnell wins the primary, she could lose the Senate race and ultimately cost pro-life Republicans their chance to take the Senate away from the abortion advocates who currently control it. That could leave Harry Reid, who strongly pushed the pro-abortion health care bill, in charge and make it impossible to roll back that program or stop President Barack Obama's pro-abortion judges. Full story at LifeNews.com
New Hampshire Poll Sees Ayotte Lead Over Lamontagne Shrinking, Vote Tuesday
Concord, NH (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll of Republican voters in New Hampshire finds pro-life Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte's shrinking over pro-life candidate Ovide Lamontagne. Ayotte has seen what was once a 39 percentage point lead in a PPP poll dwindle to a seven point lead now. Ayotte leads with 37% to 30% for Lamontagne, 13% for Bill Binnie, and 12% for Jim Bender.
While businessman Lamontagne has made an amazing comeback against the former attorney general, he may have run out of time to catch up fully by tomorrow's primary election.
The PPP polling firm says that, if Ayotte survives, it may be because she has been seen as both the establishment and the Tea Party candidate.
"If Ayotte survives where many GOP establishment candidates have failed in Senate primaries this year it will be because she managed to be the Tea Party candidate herself. With the third of Republican primary voters who describe themselves as members of that movement she leads Lamontagne 38-37, a contrast to the wallopings folks like Trey Grayson, Sue Lowden, Lisa Murkowski, and likely Mike Castle have received with that group," it said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Michigan Pro-Life Group Backs Attorney General, Secretary of State Candidates
Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- A Michigan pro-life group has issued endorsements for candidates seeking the positions of Attorney general and Secretary of State. The Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee (RLM-PAC) has endorsed Bill Schuette and Ruth Johnson for the respective positions.
Both candidates have a history of passionately supporting and working to protect human life, the Michigan pro-life group told LifeNews.com today.
"We're glad to endorse two qualified and committed pro-lifers for the important positions of attorney general and secretary of state," says Right to Life of Michigan president Barbara Listing. "Both candidates have a history of standing up for the voiceless and protecting the right to life."
Bill Schuette has been previously endorsed by the RLM-PAC in his races for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Michigan Senate and the Michigan Court of Appeals.
While serving in the Michigan legislature, he worked on legislation to ban partial-birth abortion, restrictions on abortion facilities, protecting children who survive abortion and prosecuting criminals who attack pregnant women and their unborn children.
Ruth Johnson has been previously endorsed by the RLM-PAC in her races for the Michigan House, Oakland County clerk and lieutenant governor. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kansas Senate Candidate Jerry Moran Gets Nod From Pro-Life Organization
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- When Kansas voters head to the polls in November, the National Right to Life Committee hopes they will vote for pro-life Congressman Jerry Moran. He is running against Democrat Lisa Johnston, a school administrator, in the general election after capturing the primary election nod.
Today, the National Right to Life Political Action Committee, the political arm of the nationwide pro-life group, endorsed Moran.
"National Right to Life Political Action Committee is pleased to endorse you for election to the United States Senate from the state of Kansas," NRLC political director Karen Cross said to Moran in a letter. "This endorsement reflects your commitment to renewing a culture of life, not only in Kansas, but throughout the nation and in the U.S. Congress."
The letter called on Moran to join other pro-life Republicans in the Senate to curb the problems associated with ObamaCare.
"Recently, Democrats in Congress voted to enact President Obama s health care legislation over your objections, which will provide government funding for health plans that pay for abortion on demand, and promote the rationing of lifesaving medical treatments," Cross continued. "Your support is needed to reverse the pro-abortion and rationing effects of that health care legislation." Full story at LifeNews.com
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