LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
| For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
• Strong Opposition to Pro-Abortion Health Care Fuels Votes for Pro-Life Candidates
• Third Lawsuit Against Pro-Abortion ObamaCare Gets Court Hearing in Virginia
• Pro-Life Students Endure Taunts, Threats to Save 8 Babies During Silent Day
• Pro-Life Group Pushes Back Against Congressman Trying to Silence It
• California Sen. Barbara Boxer Gets Last-Minute Help From Pro-Abortion Groups
• 40 Days for Life Campaign Has Saved 317 Babies From Abortions in 28 Days
• Houston, Texas Pro-Life Advocates Plan Another Rally Against New Abortion Biz
• Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus Relies on Double Talk on Abortion Funding, ObamaCare
• Birmingham, Alabama Abortion Center Subject of First Prayer Vigil in 13 Years
• Ohio Man Indicted Who Tried to Force Girlfriend's Abortion at Gunpoint
• Appeals Court Rules for Pro-Life Advocates Shackled, Strip-Searched by Police
---> LifeNews.com is pleased to present our comprehensive pro-life voting guide for the 2010 congressional elections. The
guide contains a list of both national and state-by-state information linking to you endorsements and voting information
from pro-life and pro-family groups.
Strong Opposition to Pro-Abortion Health Care Fuels Votes for Pro-Life Candidates
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- New polling data shows the public's support for the abortion-funding ObamaCare health care legislation was down in October and that is fueling support for pro-life candidates seeking House and Senate seats.
Almost half of likely voters now say they have a negative view of the health care reform law Democrats approved and President Barack Obama signed into law.
A new Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found 49 percent of likely voters have an unfavorable opinion of the law that has been soundly condemned by the pro-life movement, compared with just 39 percent who have a favorable attitude.
With the election focusing the public on the particulars of the legislation via debates,television commercials and other electioneering, the polling numbers are moving against the ObamaCare measure -- with the poll showing a movement of 11 percent towards the opposition side of the debate.
The Kaiser survey also found support for repealing the measure higher among registered voters than the general public. Combined with other polling data making it clear pro-life, Republican and conservative voters turning out in higher numbers than pro-abortion, liberal, Democrats, it's clear the makeup of the electorate will be strongly predisposed to oppose Obamacare.
That's good news for pro-life candidates and bad news for pro-abortion Democrats seeking re-election.
The poll suggests those voters who are most likely to vote in the crucial mid-term elections will be siding with the plethora of pro-life candidates challenging the Democrats who supported ObamaCare.
That is what Americans United for Life president Charmaine Yoest is hoping for, as she notes the pro-life movement and her group are targeting "enemies of life who voted for, or supported, the largest increase of taxpayer-funded abortion since Roe v. Wade." Full story at LifeNews.com
Third Lawsuit Against Pro-Abortion ObamaCare Gets Court Hearing in Virginia
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- A federal judge held a court hearing on Monday in the third lawsuit filed against the ObamaCare health care reform bill that contains abortion funding and has been described by pro-life groups as the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.
The lawsuit is similar to the one a Michigan judge and a Florida judge held hearings on recently.
District Judge Henry Hudson heard the first round of oral arguments from Virginia officials and representatives of the Obama administration.
Hudson told attorneys for both sides that he would likely issue a ruling in the case by the end of the year and he also acknowledged the district court legal battle is but a precursor to a larger fight at the Supreme Court.
"As you well know, this is only one brief stop on the way to the United States Supreme Court," Hudson said.
The Virginia challenge, like the arguments presented in the other cases, says the federal government does not have the authority to require Americans to purchase health care and punish them for not doing so.
"The Supreme Court has never allowed inactivity to be regulated as commerce," said Virginia Solicitor General E. Duncan Getchell, according to The Washington Post. He called the Obama administration's position "strained and extreme" saying "no one can opt out."
Getchell told Hudson the legislation is an "unprecedented, unlimited and unsupportable in any serious regime of delegated, enumerated powers.
The Obama administration argues the decision not to buy insurance is itself an active process that Congress can regulate. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Students Endure Taunts, Threats to Save 8 Babies During Silent Day
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Tens of thousands of pro-life students endured taunts and threats from fellow students today to don red tape and keep their mouths shut in remembrance for the unborn children who have been killed in abortions. But dealing with the harassment paid off for the eight students who helped prevent abortions.
The students joined their peers for the annual Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, organized by the pro-life group Stand True.
Throughout the day, students emailed and submitted on Twitter and Facebook their stories of what they encountered.
"There was this girl at school, and she got pregnant three months ago, and she absolutely hates it," one student told organizer Bryan Kemper. "She was going to have an abortion, and she followed me around all day telling me how she was going to. And finally I asked why and had this discussion with her."
"She didn't understand what her consequences would be if she had it, and I explained it, and it took around an hour before she broke down crying and understood she couldn't do it. She felt so bad, and so I'm not sure what her feelings were, I just knew how long she was crying, and her reaction," the student shared.
"She put the red tape on her mouth, and promised to keep this baby, or give it up for adoption. She didn't want the pain of an abortion, or to kill a life. A precious life was saved from this day," the student said.
But not every student's story had a happy ending. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Group Pushes Back Against Congressman Trying to Silence It
Cincinnati, OH (LifeNews.com) -- A national pro-life women's group is pushing back against Democratic Congressman Steve Driehaus, a Cincinnati, Ohio congressman who filed a criminal complaint against the Susan B. Anthony List for trying to hold him accountable for voting for the pro-abortion ObamaCare bill.
Driehaus successfully got the Ohio Elections Commission to rule there is "probable cause" that the SBA List misled voters when trying to take out a billboard ad saying Driehaus voted for taxpayer funding of abortions.
The agency ruled that it would hold a full hearing on the matter, and that could result in a fine or jail time for SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser.
But, the pro-life women's group president told LifeNews.com today that SBA is pushing back and will take out a massive $50,000 radio ad campaign against Driehaus to ensure Ohio voters know he voted for the ObamaCare bill that contains virtually no limits on abortion funding.
Rep. Steve Driehaus heavy-handed attempt to silence critics of his vote for taxpayer funding of abortion will not work, Dannenfelser said today. Our radio ads are spreading the truth about his pro-abortion health care vote to the people of his district, despite his efforts to stifle our constitutionally-protected free speech.
Through this criminal statute, he s even threatening me with jail time. But we will not be silenced or intimidated. In fact, we're emboldened to make certain that his constituents know the truth about his vote, Dannenfelser added. Full story at LifeNews.com
California Sen. Barbara Boxer Gets Last-Minute Help From Pro-Abortion Groups
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Senator Barbara Boxer, the pro-abortion activists who leads the abortion advocacy movement in the Senate, is getting some last-minute election help from allied organizations. EMILY s List and NARAL are throwing their weight behind Boxer in an attempt to help her defeat pro-life candidate Carly Fiorina.
The latest polls in the race have shown Fiorina trailing by anywhere from one-four percent, which is within the margin.
EMILY s List, has launched a new independent expenditure effort that focuses on Fiorina s former tenure as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard rather than her pro-life views.
This race is a dead heat for one reason and one reason alone: women voters don't have the information they need about Carly Fiorina, EMILY s List president Stephanie Schriock said in a statement.
Emily's List intends to provide women the information and, instead of celebrating a Senate race with two women candidates, is attacking Fiorina because she oppose abortion and oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, both of which upset the millionaire women behind the pro-abortion organization. Full story at LifeNews.com
40 Days for Life Campaign Has Saved 317 Babies From Abortions in 28 Days
Yes, that's right. As of this writing, there have been 317 babies -- that we know of that God has saved from abortion in answer to your prayers during this 40 Days for Life campaign!
There's a story behind each of those lives so here are just a few.
Indianapolis, Indiana: If you've followed these reports, you may remember reading about Erin, the "wrong number" woman from Indianapolis.
To quickly recap, Erin had scheduled an abortion last spring. She called to confirm her appointment -- or so she thought. But she didn't reach Planned Parenthood. The phone that rang belonged to a 40 Days for Life volunteer who was praying outside the abortion center!
To make a long story short, Erin canceled her abortion and her daughter was born just a few days before this campaign started. Full story at LifeNews.com
Houston, Texas Pro-Life Advocates Plan Another Rally Against New Abortion Biz
Houston, TX (LifeNews.com) -- The massive new abortion business Planned Parenthood opened in southeast Houston will face another large rally in opposition next week. Houston pro-life organizations are coming together on October 23 for an educational and inspirational event called Unite for Life.
Thousands of Houstonians marched against the Planned Parenthood abortion business in January.
The event will kick off at the Catholic Charismatic Center with a morning full of inspiring messages from leading pro-life advocates, including Eduardo Verástegui, the celebrated actor from the pro-life film Bella.
The gathering will culminate with a prayerful march to the new Planned Parenthood.
Motivated by the recent construction of a new Planned Parenthood in Houston, billed as the largest abortion business on the continent and one that does abortions up to the 25th week of pregnancy, organizers of Unite for Life hope to "not only inspire pro-life believers but to educate them on how to take action in their communities." Full story at LifeNews.com
Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus Relies on Double Talk on Abortion Funding, ObamaCare
by Deal Hudson
Congressman Steve Driehaus (D, OH-01) is attempting to send a Catholic pro-life leader to jail for opinions he himself held for months prior to suddenly voting for the same bill he opposed.
The President of the Susan B. Anthony List, Marjorie Dannenfelser, faces possible prison time for asserting on a billboard in Cincinnati that Rep. Driehaus voted for taxpayer-funded abortion when he voted for the health care bill.
If the legal counsel for the SBA List is allowed to cross examine Congressman Driehaus at the upcoming hearing of the Ohio Elections Commission, there are some interesting quotes from the Congressman he should be asked to explain.
The Commission’s hearing could become nothing less than a spectacle of how the Congressman Steve Driehaus who voted for the bill could be the same Congressman Steve Driehaus who made the following statements: Full story at LifeNews.com
Birmingham, Alabama Abortion Center Subject of First Prayer Vigil in 13 Years
Birmingham, AL (LifeNews.com) -- For the last 13 years, law enforcement officials in Birmingham, Alabama have arrested peaceful pro-life activists for praying and sharing the pro-life message on a public sidewalk outside a local abortion business.
Tired of police arresting pro-life advocates because of a misinterpretation of a federal injunction issued at that time, pro-lifers plan to offer a pro-life witness on the sidewalk even if it means risking going to prison.
The groups will conduct the prayer vigil at the New Woman All Women abortion center next Wednesday and they plan to appear the abortion center every morning for four days. These activities are part of a week long event called "The Birmingham Letter Project" sponsored by the pro-life group Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust and will also include events at local high schools and colleges.
The activists will move forward with their peaceful, free speech activities even if it means being charged with contempt of a federal court order, the told LifeNews.com today.
"An abuse of free speech rights has been allowed to continue in Birmingham, Alabama for 13 years. That has silenced the life saving voices of sidewalk counselors and spelled death for babies that otherwise might have been saved," Jeff White of Survivors said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Ohio Man Indicted Who Tried to Force Girlfriend's Abortion at Gunpoint
Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com) -- An Ohio man who police say he allegedly tried to force his pregnant girlfriend at gunpoint to have an abortion has been indicted. Dominic L. Holt-Reid, 28, was indicted on six counts today, including attempted murder, kidnapping, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and having a weapon under disability.
Police say Holt-Reid was arrested and charged after he tried to make his partner, Yolanda Burgess, 27, keep a scheduled appoint for an abortion she decided to go back on today.
Police found him in the parking lot behind the Founder's Women's Health Center abortion facility in downtown Columbus
Sgt. Rich Weiner, a Columbus police spokesman, told the Columbus Dispatch newspaper that Burgess and Holt-Reid have another child together. They said the couple were in a vehicle dropping their child off at school when Holt-Reid became angry after Burgess refused to keep the abortion appointment slated for this morning. Full story at LifeNews.com
| Looking for a Low-Cost Pro-Life Speaker? |
| Looking for a pro-life speaker for your next banquet, conference or convention? LifeNews.com editor Steven Ertelt is a low-cost speaker who can entertain and educate your audience as well as help you with a fundraising pitch if necessary. For more information: news@LifeNews.com. |
Bel Air, MD (LifeNews.com) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit issued a ruling on Monday upholding a district court decision that denied the request of several Maryland state police officers to be immune from a lawsuit filed by Alliance Defense Fund attorneys representing pro-life advocates. The case involves a lawsuit on behalf of pro-life women who were shackled and strip searched after peacefully protesting abortion in Maryland.
The officers handcuffed and arrested 18 pro-life advocates for sharing a peaceful pro-life message along a Bel Air, Maryland public street in August 2008. Among those arrested were three young women who were later shackled, strip-searched, and detained overnight by other police.
Pro-life advocates shouldn't be handcuffed and arrested for expressing their beliefs, said ADF Litigation Counsel Daniel Blomberg. The 4th Circuit s decision is a positive development for our clients, who deserve justice after what they endured. Full story at LifeNews.com
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
