LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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Current Headlines
• New Study Claiming Abortion Not Linked With Teen Depression Full of Problems
• Ten Years Later, RU 486 Abortion Drug Killed One Million Children, Hurt Women
• Court Questions Obama Admin Lawyers on Embryonic Research Funding Appeal
• Donald Berwick Won't Answer Questions From Senate on Health Care, Rationing
• International Violence Against Women Act Prompts Abortion Promotion Concerns
• 40 Days for Life Event Saves 44 Babies From Abortion in First Six Days
• College Campuses the Next Abortion Battleground, Though Students Are Pro-Life
• Texas Attorney General: Centers Need Licenses for Abortion Drugs, No Telemed
• Wisconsin Abortions Increase After Years of Decline, Due to Abortion Drug
• Delaware Senate: Christine O'Donnell May Fare Better With Castle Write-In Bid
• Arkansas Abortion Practitioner William Harrison Dies, Closed Center in July
• Pro-Life News: Obama, Michigan, Canada, Assisted Suicide, Kentucky, Malta
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New Study Claiming Abortion Not Linked With Teen Depression Full of Problems
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new study bandied about by the mainstream media over the weekend claiming abortion is not linked with teen depression is full of problems, according to one of the world's leading researchers on abortion and the adverse mental health issues women face afterwards.
Oregon State University and University of California researchers published their study in the Guttmacher Institute journal, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
"Previous research has shown that adolescent girls who get pregnant report more depression and lower self-esteem compared to those who don't. What we didn't know was whether psychological outcomes are worse for girls who choose abortion. This study says, 'No,'" claims lead researcher Jocelyn Warren of OSU.
But Priscilla Coleman, a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green University, tells LifeNews.com the study contains several problems.
Coleman says its publication in a journal run by the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, a former arm of the Planned Parenthood abortion business, means the study is "hardly unbiased."
Coleman closely examined the new study and said no conclusions should be drawn from it about teens having abortions and depression because "the sample of women who aborted was very small (69) in terms of the statistical power."
She says the authors acknowledge the limitations associated with the small sample size on page 234 of their study, saying, The lack of association between abortion and our outcomes could reflect other factors including insufficient sample size to detect an effect.
Ten Years Later, RU 486 Abortion Drug Killed One Million Children, Hurt Women
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- This weekend marked the tenth anniversary of the Clinton administration approving the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of unborn children and hurt women. The drug has killed at least eight women in the United States and dozens around the world.
In January 2008, RU 486 maker Danco Laboratories announced approximately 13 percent of all abortions in the United States involve mifepristone -- a number that may seem low but it is double the number of women who used the abortion drug in 2001.
The report also showed 57 percent of places that do abortions now have the abortion drug, compared with just 33 percent in 2001.
Ultimately, Danco indicated that 840,000 women in the United States have had abortions with its dangerous drug - a number that is very likely over one million in the two and a half years that have passed.
That's disheartening news to Wendy Wright, the president of Concerned Women for America, who spoke with LifeNews.com about the depressing anniversary.
"Ten years ago we warned that RU-486 has only one purpose: to kill a human being. And it could claim two lives, the baby and the mother. Today we mourn the thousands of lives lost to this unnecessary and dangerous abortion drug," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Court Questions Obama Admin Lawyers on Embryonic Research Funding Appeal
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Obama administration argued with an appeals court on Monday to overturn the decision a federal judge issued to temporarily halt taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research that destroys human lives to produce. They claimed the temporary funding ban would hurt scientific research.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering whether or not to reverse the temporary injunction U.S. district court Judge Royce Lamberth granted while the lawsuit continues.
The Obama administration appealed the decision and the U.S. Court of Appeals put the injunction on hold pending today's hearing.
Once the injunction issue is decided, Judge Lamberth will issue a ruling on the lawsuit itself, which adult stem cell research scientists filed against the executive order President Barack Obama issued forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research.
The appeals court originally allowed both sides 15 minutes to make their case, but the Associated Press indicates the judges wound up questioning the attorneys for more than an hour.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Beth Brinkmann told the appeals court judges the injunction would hurt scientists' embryonic stem cell research, even though the research has never helped human beings and suffers from massive problems when used to treat animals. The rulings only involve scientists working with federal funds, not private dollars. Full story at LifeNews.com
Donald Berwick Won't Answer Questions From Senate on Health Care, Rationing
by Wesley J. Smith
President Obama promised transparency and improved democratic responsiveness, but has delivered nothing but obfuscation and prevarication in governance, at least when it comes to Obamacare. Few examples more vividly illustrate this anti accountability approach than the sorry history of Donald it s going to be a short gig Berwick as head of Medicare/Medicaid.
First, he was nominated, but the Democrats wouldn't hold hearings, probably afraid that Berwick would be confronted with his pro rationing views.
So, Obama used a recess appointment to get him in the job, thereby subverting the democratic process. True, other president s have used the RA to get people into office who were being held up in the Senate without an up or down vote.
But, I don't know of any case in which a high profile RA was made for a nominee who hadn't even testified because the president and his party were afraid of the political consequences. Oh well, the recess appointment will expire at the end of next year, and Berwick s tenure will too because I doubt he can ever be confirmed after this end run around normal senatorial procedure. 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 |
International Violence Against Women Act Prompts Abortion Promotion Concerns
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to bring up the International Violence Against Women Act this week and the legislation, despite its good-sounding name, is prompting concerns for pro-life groups that it could be used to promote abortion internationally.
The rhetoric of the bill sounds nice -- is there anyone other than radical extremists who favors violence against women?
But, 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 I-VAWA (Section 3) acknowledges U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 which, as those who are knowledgeable about the U.N. recognize, is the section that is cited as mandating the protection of reproductive rights," Crouse notes.
The pro-life women's group spokeswoman says abortion advocates frequently equate "reproductive rights" with abortion and a lack of such "rights" with domestic violence. "The I-VAWA would allocate $10 million a year to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM (Section 201), one of the major U.N. agencies devoted to promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which prominently feature reproductive rights." Full story at LifeNews.com
40 Days for Life Event Saves 44 Babies From Abortion in First Six Days
by Shawn Carney
The subject line of today s message no doubt got your attention. It s the one thing everybody always wants to know How many babies have been saved?
As of the time I'm posting this, the total is indeed 44 that we know of.
We always add that we know of because no one other than God Himself knows exactly how many lives He has spared in response to your prayers and fasting.
With that in mind, here are some wonderfully encouraging reports from local 40 Days for Life campaign coordinators. Full story at LifeNews.com
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College Campuses the Next Abortion Battleground, Though Students Are Pro-Life
by Kristan Hawkins
As college students went back to school this month across the country, they entered the front lines of a most contentious battleground.
College campuses today are the abortion battleground. Forty-six percent of all abortions are performed on college-age women and, on top of this, Planned Parenthood directly targets those youth in order to further its abortion agenda. At the same time that students are being targeted by Planned Parenthood, more and more young people between the ages of 18 and 29 identify themselves as pro-life.
In fact, young people today are the most pro-life generation yet. With numerous new polls from the Pew Research Institute, Gallup polling and the Knights of Columbus, it is amazing to see that 47 percent of those 18- to 29-year-olds are pro-life.
The rising pro-life generation is often overlooked by the pro-life movement, and that is why Students for Life of America (SFLA) has taken the lead in educating, equipping and activating the next generation of pro-life leaders.
Since its founding, SFLA has also striven to connect college pro-lifers through our Students for Life of America National Conferences and state training conferences. Full story at LifeNews.com
Texas Attorney General: Centers Need Licenses for Abortion Drugs, No Telemed
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- The Texas state Attorney general has issued an opinion that significantly protects the health concerns of women and limits the practice of abortion. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued two opinions coming at the request of state legislators that pro-life groups are welcoming.
In response to requests for opinions from State Representative Frank Corte, a San Antonio Republican lawmaker, Abbott ruled that abortion facilities giving women the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug must obtain an abortion facility license.
This means abortion centers that give women the mifepristone drug can't avoid licensure by the state heath department simply because they do not do surgical abortions.
He also ruled that abortion facilities may not use a prerecorded telephone message to furnish information the law requires an abortion doctor to provide "orally by telephone or in person" to a woman 24 hours before the abortion, including the medical risks of the abortion.
The second part of the opinion is important for pro-life advocates because of the use of so-called "telemed abortions." Full story at LifeNews.com
Wisconsin Abortions Increase After Years of Decline, Due to Abortion Drug
Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) -- After years of declining numbers in Wisconsin, the state health department has reported that abortions are now on the rise. Wisconsin abortions went up in 2009 and that increase is likely the result of the use of the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug rising.
The total number of abortions in Wisconsin in 2009 was 8,542, up from 8,229 in 2008 and the first increase since 2003.
The abortion drug, also known as mifepristone, now is used in 27 percent of all abortions that take place in the Badger State.
In 2008, 80 percent of Wisconsin abortions were surgical while 19 percent involved the abortion drug and those numbers changed to 72 and 27 percent last year.
That's a higher percentage of abortions involving the abortion drug that its maker, Danco Labs, reported in 2008 nationwide.
Wisconsin Right to Life lamented the numbers and said it appears the "sagging economy" is responsible for the higher abortion totals. The pro-life group is also concerned that the increase is primarily seen in a certain ethnic group,
"It appears that the 300+ abortion increase occurred mostly among African-American women who already have a disproportionate number of abortions," the group said in an email to LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.com
Delaware Senate: Christine O'Donnell May Fare Better With Castle Write-In Bid
Dover, DE (LifeNews.com) -- Christine O'Donnell, the pro-life candidate for the competitive Delaware Senate seat, may fare better than she would otherwise if pro-abortion Republican Rep. Mike Castle, who lost to O'Donnell in the GOP primary, mounts a write-in campaign.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Delaware finds pro-abortion Democrat Chris Coons would receive 49 percent in a potential three-way race.
The poll has O'Donnell, who enjoys the backing of pro-life groups, getting 40 percent and Castle receiving 5 percent of the vote in a potential November matchup while another 5 percent are undecided.
"Polling for write-in campaigns is always challenging, so results should be interpreted with caution," pollster Scott Rasmussen warns.
"For this survey, Rasmussen Reports asked respondents about a choice between Coons and O'Donnell without mentioning Castle. That is the choice voters will see when they enter the voting booth. However, when response options were offered to survey respondents, Castle s name was mentioned," he added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Arkansas Abortion Practitioner William Harrison Dies, Closed Center in July
Fayetteville, AR (LifeNews.com) -- Arkansas abortion practitioner William Harrison, a 75-year-old who did 20,000 abortions before closing his abortion business in July, passed away on Friday. Harrison was well-known to pro-life Arkansans in the northwest portion of the state, where he did abortions in the town where the University of Arkansas is located.
Harrison died after a four-month bout with leukemia and he openly called himself an "abortionist" and, according to the Los Angeles Times, acknowledged, "I am destroying life."
Operation Rescue president Troy Newman told LifeNews.com in response that Harrison was known to mock Christians and their beliefs as they prayed for him outside his abortion clinic, and heretically called his post-operative patients "born again."
"I think it's silly," Harrison told a reporter in February as he claimed people engaging in the 40 Days for Life campaign to raise awareness of the problem of abortion centers is ineffective. "Standing across the street and praying to end abortion -- that doesn't work."
The comment is somewhat surprising given Harrison's previous remarks that "abortion cancels souls." Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life News: Obama, Michigan, Canada, Assisted Suicide, Kentucky, Malta
Barack Obama Faces Lowest Approval Rating of Presidency in New CNN Poll
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama, the pro-abortion president, now faces his lowest approval rating of his presidency, according to a new CNN poll.
Canada Bans Television Ads From Australian Group Promoting Assisted Suicide
Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- The Television Bureau of Canada, which establishes agreed-upon standards and guidelines for its 150-plus members in producing advertisements, is refusing to allow a television commercial from an Australia group promoting assisted suicide.
Kentucky Senate Race Closer as Conway Pulls Even With Pro-Life Rand Paul
Frankfort, KY (LifeNews.com) -- Democrat Jack Conway has cut sharply into pro-life Republican Rand Paul's once-commanding lead in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race, moving into a statistical tie with a little more than five weeks before Election Day, according to the latest Courier-Journal/WHAS11 Bluegrass Poll.
Michigan Planned Parenthood Sees Health Agency Not Approve Coldwater Lease
Coldwater, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Local pro-life advocates in this Michigan city turned out in large numbers at the monthly meeting of the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Board of Directors. The agency voted on a 3-3 vote to not extend leasing space for a Planned Parenthood facility.
Malta Pro-Life Group's Pregnancy Program Credited With Preventing Abortions
Valletta, Malta (LifeNews.com) -- Crisis pregnancy support group Hope, one of the branches of the pro-life movement Gift of Life, has helped avoid over 60 abortions in three years, according to the Malta Independent.
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