LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Thursday, September 9, 2010
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Current Headlines
• Democrats Seek Ways to Use Pro-Abortion Health Care Law to Help Elections
• Haley Barbour Tells Pro-Life Republicans to Ditch Social Issues in 2010 Elections
• George Soros to Give $100M to Pro-Abortion Group Human Rights Watch
• Attorneys in Embryonic Stem Cell Research Case Applaud Judge's Decision
• Jailed Activist Against Forced Abortions in China May be Released From Prison
• Board Upholds License Suspension of Practitioner Who Injured Teen in Abortion
• Pregnancy Center Conference Sees Big Audience to Help Women on Abortion
• Pro-Life Groups Continue Defending New Hampshire Senate Candidate Ayotte
• Members of Congress, Staff to See Documentary on Infertility Industry Exploitation
• Arizona Poll Has Pro-Life Governor Jan Brewer Leading Goddard By 22 Percent
• Austin, Texas County Considering Funding Abortions With $450K in Tax Dollars
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Democrats Seek Ways to Use Pro-Abortion Health Care Law to Help Elections
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- After new reports surfaced showing Democrats essentially running away from the pro-abortion health care bill they passed, President Barack Obama's allies are searching for ways in which they can rally their voters based on promoting the government-run law that funds abortions.
On Monday, LifeNews.com noted how some of the 34 Democrats who voted against the health care bill are running commercials in their districts touting that fact.
On the other hand, no member of the House appeared to be running an ad talking about their support for the controversial legislation.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen , a pro-abortion Maryland Democrat who heads up the party's efforts to help candidates for the House, told Politico today that the party may run ads promoting the health care bill in the few liberal districts with sitting Republican members.
That would include candidate Democratic candidate Cedric Richmond, who is taking on pro-life Rep. Anh Joseph Cao in a New Orleans, Louisiana district that is traditionally a Democratic one.
Richmond and Van Hollen plan a roundtable discussion including members of the district to talk about health care and the bill, aides told the political news web site. Full story at LifeNews.com
Haley Barbour Tells Pro-Life Republicans to Ditch Social Issues in 2010 Elections
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Haley Barbour is the latest potential Republican presidential candidate to suggest that social issues like abortion should be taken off the table while making the economy the main focus. Despite the fact that polls show Americans strongly oppose the pro-abortion health care law, Barbour says fiscal issues should take priority.
At a breakfast with reporters this morning sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, the Mississippi governor said those who focus on social issues like abortion are taking the GOP off message this election cycle.
Any issue that takes people s eye off of unemployment, job creation, economic growth, taxes, spending, deficits, debts is taking your eye off the ball, Barbour said, according to a Daily Caller report.
But if somebody goes to campaign for governor candidate x, I would hope that somebody would stay focused on the issues that matter to the campaign: jobs, the economy, taxes, spending, debt, deficits, Barbour continued. You run down rabbit trails, you're wasting you're using up valuable resources that could be used to talk to people about what they care about.
He said his advice is primarily for candidates seeking election in November, even though polling data makes it clear that Republicans, the overwhelming majority of whom are pro-life, are much more enthused about voting than their largely pro-abortion Democratic counterparts.
Barbour was asked about the "truce" potential presidential candidate Mitch Daniels, the Indiana governor, called for on social issues that quickly got him in trouble with pro-life advocates.
Though Barbour is strongly pro-life and has signed pro-life legislation, he said he agreed with Daniels' sentiment, which Daniels partly walked back in a subsequent interview.
Barbour said a candidate's stance on abortion ain t going to change anybody s vote this year." Full story at LifeNews.com
George Soros to Give $100M to Pro-Abortion Group Human Rights Watch
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The liberal group Human Rights Watch, which advocates for "gay rights" causes but also actively promotes abortion, will soon be a recipient of $100 million from left-wing activist George Soros. The billionaire announced yesterday he is donating the money so HRW can expand its efforts globally.
The donation is the largest political one Soros has made and it is the largest donation HRW has ever received.
Soros told the New York Times that the gift is just one of many hefty political donations he plans to make that will likely continue benefiting groups on the pro-abortion side of the debate.
This is partly due to age, the 80-year-old said about his plan to begin giving away vast sums of money from his fortune.
Originally I wanted to distribute all of the money during my lifetime, but I have abandoned that plan. My foundation should continue, but I still would like to do a lot of giving during my lifetime, and doing it this way, with such size, is a step in that direction," Soros added.
Human Rights Watch said it will use the money to hire an additional 120 staffers to the current group of 300 it fields around the world.
Soros told the newspaper he gave the gift in part because HRW allowed him to be involved in executive meetings and decision-making. Full story at LifeNews.com
Attorneys in Embryonic Stem Cell Research Case Applaud Judge's Decision
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The attorneys for the scientists who are challenging the executive order President Barack Obama issued forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research are applauding a judge's decision yesterday to deny the Obama administration's request to delay his injunction.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth yesterday rejected the Obama administration's motion that he reconsider his ruling putting a temporary injunction in place against the funding while the lawsuit the scientists filed proceeds.
The Justice Department argued Lamberth s injunction is causing irreparable damage to the efforts of embryonic stem cell research, even though the science is nowhere close to helping human patients because of a plethora of problems when tested in animals.
"Defendants are incorrect about much of their 'parade of horribles' that will supposedly result from this Court's preliminary injunction," Lamberth wrote.
Advocates International and the Alliance Defense Fund are teaming up to help two adult stem cell scientists who brought the lawsuit.
Samuel Casey, the general counsel for AI said that, while he is not surprised by Judge Lamberth's decision keeping the injunction in place, "we are glad that the court, in its order denying the government's stay request, held that the government is 'incorrect about much of their 'parade of horribles' that will supposedly result from [the] Court's preliminary injunction.'"
"This is precisely what we explained to the court," he 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 |
Jailed Activist Against Forced Abortions in China May be Released From Prison
Beijing, China (LifeNews.com) -- Chen Guangcheng received international support when he was jailed on bogus charges after revealing to the world an extensive campaign of forced abortions and sterilizations in Linyi, China that saw as many as 10,000 women and men victimized.
Now, Chen's wife Yuan says she believes he to finally be released from prison this week after spending four years in jail in difficult conditions.
Yuan Weijing told AFP says Chen is supposed to be released this week, but she has received no confirmation from local authorities that he will be set free.
"I have not received any notice from the prison but I plan to go to the prison tomorrow morning and wait at the gate to meet him," Yuan said. "Four years have passed, at last Chen Guangcheng can finally come home. Of course I am very happy."
Chen, a 39-year-old blind attorney was convicted of "wilfully harming public property" and "gathering masses to disturb traffic order," at a rally staged partly to support him but at which he reportedly did not attend.
Supporters clashed with police outside Chen's home, where Yuan has been under partial house arrest and constant surveillance ever since.
Yuan tells AFP that local police have been setting up surveillance cameras outside his home and throughout their village that she says she believes are intended to monitor his whereabouts after his release. Full story at LifeNews.com
Board Upholds License Suspension of Practitioner Who Injured Teen in Abortion
Annapolis, MD (LifeNews.com) -- The Maryland Board of Physicians today upheld the suspension order it put in place against an abortion practitioner who injured a teenage girl in a botched abortion. The Maryland medical licenses of George Shepard, Jr., of Delaware and Nicola I. Riley of Utah, were suspended last week.
They are employees of the troubled abortion business Steven Chase Brigham runs in four states, including Maryland.
The abortion practitioners were involved in the botched abortion in Elkton, Maryland, that led to the discovery of Brigham's scheme to circumvent late-term abortion laws by beginning the abortions at his New Jersey centers, which don't meet state health and safety laws to make them eligible to do later-term abortions, then transporting the women to Maryland for completion of the abortion.
Shepard, who is 88, oversees the five abortion centers Brigham runs in Maryland and the Baltimore Sun newspaper said neither he nor his attorney showed up for the medical board decision announcement today. There. they heard evidence presented against Shepard related to the teen's abortion.
Two lawyers for Riley, who is 45, asked for a continuance saying they did not have enough time to prepare her defense before the board.
"She's going to fight to keep her license," Christopher C. Brown, one of Riley's lawyers, said, according to the Sun. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pregnancy Center Conference Sees Big Audience to Help Women on Abortion
Dallas, TX (LifeNews.com) -- A larger-than-expected audience of volunteers and staffers at pregnancy centers from around the country have gathered in Dallas to discuss ways in which they can better help women avoid abortions.
With a president in the White House committed to funding abortions with taxpayer dollars, the Care Net conference is a way to provide women with tangible assistance.
At the four-day conference, these pregnancy center team members will be challenged by the conference theme that "this is the time" to expand their ministries of compassion, reach the underserved, and lead the pro-life movement.
"Everyone facing an unplanned pregnancy needs to know that there is hope, help, and alternatives to abortion," says Care Net president Melinda Delahoyde.
She told LifeNews.com, "Until that day, pregnancy centers -- this amazing, nationwide movement of compassion -- must expect, plan, and pray for ministry expansion. Our conference theme, 'this is the time,' was truly inspired by the fact that doors of opportunity are opening all over the country for pregnancy centers to do just that." Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Groups Continue Defending New Hampshire Senate Candidate Ayotte
Concord, NH (LifeNews.com) -- Leading pro-life groups are continuing to come to the defense of New Hampshire Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte. They say charges that she did nothing to stop attorney fees from going to the Planned Parenthood abortion business after a lawsuit are bogus.
As LifeNews.com reported on Tuesday, the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life women's group, said Ayotte had no choice but to authorize the payment of Planned Parenthood attorneys fees.
The payment came after the state defended a parental notification on abortion statute from a legal challenge the abortion business filed against it. Ayotte is said, by some pro-life advocates, to have misled the public about the facts of the Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England case before the United State Supreme Court.
Today, the National Right to Life Committee also defended Ayotte.
It told LifeNews.com that it wants to "refute recent charges that as New Hampshire attorney general Kelly Ayotte is misrepresenting her pro-life credentials because she was somehow responsible for the defeat of the state's parental notification law in court."
"Those who charge that Attorney General Ayotte is not pro-life because of the Parental Notification Law court challenge are misinformed at best or, at worst, are playing fast and loose with the facts in an eleventh-hour attack to damage her campaign for the United States Senate," says NRLC state legislative attorney Mary Balch. Full story at LifeNews.com
Members of Congress, Staff to See Documentary on Infertility Industry Exploitation
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Members of Congress and their staff will be able to attend a documentary screening tomorrow of a film that blows the whistle on the deceptive practices of the infertility industry. Eggsploitation talks about how the industry exploits young women for their eggs and presents them with medical risks. "Profiling the harrowing testimonies of three egg donors, Eggsploitation reveals the shocking truths, hidden dangers and severe health risks associated with egg donation," the Center for Bioethics and Culture told LifeNews.com today.
"The infertility industry today is a booming, multi-billion-dollar-per-year business; yet no regulation exists to protect vulnerable women from coercive marketing ploys and large monetary incentives to get their eggs," the group said of its film.
Wendy Kramer the director and co-founder of Donor Sibling Registry has endorsed the documentary.
"This powerful, important and informative documentary gives viewers true insight into the egg donation industry and helps us to better understand the desperate need for regulation and oversight. All prospective egg donors (and recipients) as well as all practitioners and agency employees in the egg donation industry should be required to watch this film," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Arizona Poll Has Pro-Life Governor Jan Brewer Leading Goddard By 22 Percent
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll has pro-life Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer leading her opponent by 22 percent despite a recent debate performance that was subpar. Brewer now earns 60% of the vote in her bid for reelection, her best showing in the race to date according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
The telephone survey of likely Arizona voters shows Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard with 38% support, and one percent liking another candidate or undecided.
Two weeks ago, Brewer posted a 57% to 38% lead over Goddard. Since May, Brewer's support has steadily risen from 52%, while Goddard's has hovered in the 35% to 39% range.
"The survey, taken Tuesday night, follows nearly a week of negative publicity surrounding Brewer's debate performance and suggests that voters remain focused on the issues that divide the two candidates," the polling firm noted about its poll. "Brewer maneuvered around Goddard to fight the new national health care bill in court."
The poll shows the strong support comes despite the poor debate performance.
Eighty-five percent say they have followed recent news stories about Brewer's performance in the debate at least somewhat closely, with 47% who have followed very closely. Full story at LifeNews.com
Austin, Texas County Considering Funding Abortions With $450K in Tax Dollars
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- Travis County, the home of the Texas state capital, is currently funding abortions with Travis County property tax dollars and the Board of Central Health is considering an annual budget that continues to include $450,000 elective abortions. Pro-life groups are urging local residents to tell elected officials to say no.
The abortions -- nearly 1,000 during the next 12 months -- will be performed on demand on healthy mothers with healthy unborn babies and no medical reason is required for the abortions to receive taxpayer dollars.
Central Health will take public testimony on Thursday and will then vote on the entire budget on Wednesday, September 15. Following the vote, the five members of the Travis County Commissioners Court will vote on the budget on Tuesday, September 21.
Texas Alliance for Life emailed LifeNews.com today urging pro-life advocates to show opposition to the abortion funding. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: a message by email or fax to each of the nine members of the Central Health Board of Managers at http://www.traviscountyhd.org/contact_us.html or by fax at 512.978.8156
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