LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Appeals Court Allows Obama to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research During Suit
• Obama Uses "Safe, Legal and Rare" Term in Answering Question on Abortion
• Democrats to Push Bill After Elections Allowing Abortions at Military Base Hospitals
• Recent Studies Confirm Women Face Depression After Abortion, Other Problems
• China Will Not Stop One-Child, Forced Abortion Policy After 30th Anniversary
• Practitioner Denies Charges of Putting Women at Risk in Botched Abortions
• Pro-Life "Guerrilla Journalist" Lila Rose to be Featured on CNN Program Soon
• Catholic Leader: Pray, Take Action Against Abortion During Respect Life Month
• Pro-Life Group to Educate World Stem Cell Summit Attendees on Adult Stem Cells
• West Virginia Poll Has Republican John Raese Leading Democrat Joe Manchin
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Appeals Court Allows Obama to Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research During Suit
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A federal appeals court has lifted the injunction a federal judge put in place stopping President Barack Obama from forcing taxpayers to finance unproven embryonic stem cell research while scientists continue with their lawsuit against the funding.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit lifted the injunction Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court in Washington put in place that stopped taxpayer funding during the duration of the lawsuit.
The Obama administration appealed Lamberth's decision and the three judge panel of the appeals court issued its decision today.
During Monday's hearing, Justice Department attorney Beth Brinkmann argued that the injunction would result in "irreparable harm" to the Obama administration's efforts to funds scientists engaging in research that has never helped any patients because of massive problems with injecting the embryonic stem cells in animals.
Unlike its embryonic cousin, adult stem cell research does not have the same tumor-causing or immune system-rejecting issues and has been used already to help patients dealing with more than 100 diseases and medical conditions.
"Upon consideration of the government's emergency motion to stay preliminary injunction pending appeal and for immediate administrative stay, the opposition thereto, the reply, and the argument by counsel, it is ORDERED that the administrative stay entered September 9, 2010, be dissolved," the court ruled. Full story at LifeNews.com
Obama Uses "Safe, Legal and Rare" Term in Answering Question on Abortion
Albuquerque, NM (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama borrowed a page from pro-abortion ex-President Bill Clinton at a forum in New Mexico today, when he answered a question about abortion by saying it should be "safe, legal and rare." That's the catchphrase Clinton used to try to moderate the appearance of his pro-abortion views.
Obama said today he thinks abortion should be "safe, legal and rare" in America and he said families, not the government, "should be the ones making the decision."
"Now, with respect to the abortion issue, I actually think -- I mean, there are laws both federal, state and constitutional that are in place. And I think that this is an area where I think Bill Clinton had the right formulation a couple of decades ago, which is abortion should be safe, legal, and rare," Obama said.
"I think it's something all of us should recognize is a difficult, oftentimes tragic situation that families are wrestling with. I think the families and the women involved are the ones who should make the decisions, not the government," he said.
"But I do think actually that there are a whole host of laws on the books that after a certain period, the interests shift such that you can have some restrictions, for example, on late-term abortions, and appropriately so. So there is in fact a set of rules in place," he added. "Now, people still argue about it and still deeply disagree about it. And that s part of our -- that s part of our democratic way."
But Obama's record during his presidency has been the opposite of ensuring abortion is rare or safe. Full story at LifeNews.com
Democrats to Push Bill After Elections Allowing Abortions at Military Base Hospitals
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Democrats are expected to push a bill in the Senate after the elections that would authorize abortions at taxpayer-funded military base hospitals. The bill is one of a couple dozen measures they plan to seek votes on during the lame-duck session after an election that is expected to result in gains for pro-life advocates.
The aggressive lame duck session is expected because Democrats will likely lose a large number of votes in both the House and Senate -- or potentially control of one chamber or both -- on Election Day to pro-life Republican candidates.
Sensing that potential result, Democrats are ramping up efforts to hold votes on a slew of bills before the start of the next Congressional session.
Democratic leaders have prioritized the defense authorization bill as one of the top pieces of legislation for the lame duck session.
Senate Democrats will not be able to push for the Defense funding bill and its authorization for military base abortions without opposition.
Sen. Jim DeMint, a pro-life South Carolina Republican, warned on Monday that he would block all legislation that has not been agreed to by both parties by the end of the day today.
"The Executive Committee of the Senate Steering Committee has asked the Steering Committee staff to hold all bills that have not been hotlined by close of business Tuesday," Bret Bernhardt, DeMint's chief of staff, said in an email according to Politico.
The block essentially means that DeMint will filibuster any legislation he doesn't support -- requiring Democrats to obtain 60 votes to clear the bill and its pro-abortion provision. Full story at LifeNews.com
Recent Studies Confirm Women Face Depression After Abortion, Other Problems
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new study with a very limited sample of women having abortions, just 69, has received considerable attention for supposedly disproving the plethora of peer-reviewed studies confirming women who have abortions face both depression and other mental health problems.
Other recent studies from the last two years provide nearly irrefutable evidence that abortion affects women in a myriad of ways -- making it so they face everything from depression and relationship problems to PTSD and elevated risks for abusing drugs or alcohol.
An August study published in the Journal of Pregnancy and involving 374 women who had abortions -- more than five times the number of women who appeared in the new study -- found women having high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for women having both early and late abortions.
Approximately 52 percent of the early abortion group and 67 percent of the late term abortion group met the American Psychological Association's criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD).
The authors of the study say those high rates are the result of women facing pressure or coercion to have an abortion or, at minimum, ambivalence about having it -- showing more pre-abortion screening is needed to rule out abortion as an option for many women.
A May 2010 study put out by researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada found women who have had abortions are about four times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as those who carried their pregnancy to term. The authors confirmed a link between abortion and the substance abuse issues. 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 |
China Will Not Stop One-Child, Forced Abortion Policy After 30th Anniversary
Beijing, China (LifeNews.com) -- The head of the Chinese agency responsible for the family planning policy that bans couples from having more than one child -- enforced by local officials with forced abortions and human rights abuses -- says the nation will keep the policy for decades to come.
The announcement comes on the heels of the thirtieth anniversary of the policy, which has been soundly condemned by pr-life advocates but virtually ignored by abortion supporters and President Barack Obama.
"I, on behalf of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, extend profound gratitude to all, the people in particular, for their support of the national course," said Li Bin, who leads the commission, according to a CNN report.
"So we will stick to the family-planning policy in the coming decades," she said, CNN reported, quoting the government-run China Daily publication.
The comment also came under criticism from Human Life International's Director of International Coordination, Joseph Meaney.
"The Chinese government is stubbornly persisting in leading their country into a demographic disaster with their population control policy," said Meaney. Full story at LifeNews.com
Practitioner Denies Charges of Putting Women at Risk in Botched Abortions
Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion practitioner Steven Chase Brigham is denying charges from the state of New Jersey that he put women's health at risk with botched legal abortions and taking women from one state to another to avoid health and safety regulations.
Brigham severely injured a teenage girl in a botched abortion and has been accused of injuring other women as well.
Today, his attorney filed documents saying he did not break state law by using a convoluted scheme to avoid state health statutes.
Brigham is not allowed to do late-term abortions in New Jersey, one of the four states in which he owns an abortion business, because he doesn't meet the state's medical requirements. As a result, he has started late-term abortions for women there and transported them via rental care to his Maryland abortion centers to complete the abortions.
One abortion using his method went so poorly, Brigham was forced to take the teenager to a local Maryland hospital -- and she eventually had to be airlifted to Johns Hopkins Medical center because the abortion caused a perforated uterus and it required immediate surgery. Full story at LifeNews.com
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Pro-Life "Guerrilla Journalist" Lila Rose to be Featured on CNN Program Soon
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Lila Rose, the pro-life activist credited with using new media techniques to expose abuses at Planned Parenthood abortion activists, will finally receive some credit from the mainstream media. CNN, in a program devoted to what it calls "guerrilla journalists," will feature Rose's work.
Rose is the head of Live Action, a student-led pro-life group that has relied on the use of undercover investigations and hidden camera work to catch Planned Parenthood officials.
The abortion business staffers have been shown covering up cases of statutory rape and sexual abuse, misleading women about abortion's risks and dangers, and giving women erroneous information about the development of their unborn child.
The CNN program "Right on the Edge" will debut next month, according to an article today in WorldNetDaily.
The network talked about the new type of activist journalists like Rose who are "armed with video cameras and ideas," and "post their videos online to get their message directly to the public, bypassing the mainstream media." "It's a new wave of what they say is old-fashioned guerilla (sic) journalism," said CNN, adding that it is done because there's a "growing distrust of the mainstream media among young conservative activists." Full story at LifeNews.com
Catholic Leader: Pray, Take Action Against Abortion During Respect Life Month
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Catholic cardinal who is the head of the pro-life office at the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops is calling on pro-life advocates to pray and take action to stop abortion during the month of October, which is traditionally known as Respect Life month.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston addressed direct threats to human life and called Catholics to constantly witness to the inestimable worth and dignity of each human life through a loving concern for the good of others.
He also encouraged participation in the worldwide Vigil for All Nascent Human Life called for by Pope Benedict XVI at the start of Advent.
In his statement, Cardinal DiNardo noted populations particularly at risk: millions of unborn children in the womb, embryonic human beings destroyed in the name of science, and seriously ill patients under threat from a renewed campaign for legalizing physician-assisted suicide.
The loss of even one child, and the pain experienced by the child s mother and father in the aftermath of abortion, should impel us to redouble our efforts to end legal abortion, Cardinal DiNardo said.
He stressed the need to ensure that every pregnant woman has whatever help she needs to turn away from this heartbreaking choice. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Group to Educate World Stem Cell Summit Attendees on Adult Stem Cells
Detroit, MI (LifeNews.com) -- When scientists, physicians and members of the media attend the 2010 World Stem Cell Summit in Detroit, Michigan, a pro-life organization will be there to promote sound science and the rights of unborn children. The summit will take place from October 4-6 and will focus on expanding embryonic stem cell research.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing told LifeNews.com today that activists need to stand up for unborn children, who are destroyed so scientists can obtain their embryonic stem cells for study.
"We must acknowledge that to conduct human embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of human embryos. Embryos who do not have a voice are human enough for experimentation, but not human enough to be given a chance at life," she said.
Sound science must also be promoted at the summit along with the morality of not destroying human life to advance research, Listing said.
She pointed out how embryonic stem cell research has yet to help any patients because the use of embryonic stem cells is limited due to problems seen when using the cells in animals. They cause tumors after injection and are rejected by the animals' immune systems. Full story at LifeNews.com
West Virginia Poll Has Republican John Raese Leading Democrat Joe Manchin
Charleston, WV (LifeNews.com) -- A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows pro-life Republican candidate John Raese leading the close West Virginia Senate race for the first time. He holds a lead over Democrat Joe Manchin, the current governor, is running as a pro-life candidate.
The new telephone survey of likely West Virginia voters finds Raese earning 48% support to Manchin s 46% when leaners are included. Another 5% prefer some other candidate and four percent are undecided.
"This race has been closer than expected for weeks as Manchin, despite his popularity with voters in the state, faces an electorate that is even unhappier with the national Democratic agenda than voters in most other parts of the country," says pollster Scott Rasmussen.
The new Rasmussen survey comes after a poll from the Public Policy Polling institute showing Raese leading Manchin 46-43 percent.
Jim Geraghty of the conservative National Review, says the poll is another indication that Republican candidates are headed towards an election that will find them faring well. Full story at LifeNews.com
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