LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, February 19, 2011
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Current Headlines
Top Stories
• House Overwhelmingly Votes to Scrap Planned Parenthood Funding
• Planned Parenthood, Pro-Life Groups React to De-Funding Vote
• Obama Admin Weakens Protections for Pro-Life Medical Workers
• Poll: Majority of Americans Say Abortion Morally Wrong
More Pro-Life News
• Rolling Stone Hid More Extensive Justin Bieber Pro-Life View
• Exposing Abortion Corruption: A Tale of Two Prosecutors
• Now is the Time to End Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
• ABC News Was OK With Videos Attacking Pregnancy Centers
• Bishops Hail Passage of Bill Removing Abortion From Obamacare
• Pro-Abortion Bingaman to Retire From New Mexico Senate Seat
• Kansas Committee Passes Landmark Abortion-Fetal Pain Bill
• Catholic Boston College Asked to Cancel Pro-Abortion Event
• Missouri Cmte Passes Bill to Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks
• Alaska Could Become Next State With Choose Life License Plate
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House Overwhelmingly Votes to Scrap Planned Parenthood Funding
he House of Representatives today voted overwhelmingly to scrap funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business and ensure it can't receive any federal funds through any departments or programs. House members approved the Pence amendment on a 240-185 vote with 10 Democrats joining most Republicans to support de-funding the abortion business. Another 7 Republicans sided with almost all of the pro-abortion Democrats in the lower chamber in voting for the pro-abortion organization to receive taxpayer funds. (See below.)
Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana was the main sponsor of the amendment, which prevents federal funding of Planned Parenthood's national organization and 102 named affiliates.
"This afternoon's vote is a victory for taxpayers and a victory for life. By banning federal funding to Planned Parenthood, Congress has taken a stand for millions of Americans who believe their tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the largest abortion provider in America," he said after the vote. "I commend my colleagues in both parties for taking a stand for taxpayers and a stand for life. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to support this legislation and end federal funding of Planned Parenthood once and for all."
The Pence Amendment does not affect the funding level for any federal program. Instead, it disqualifies PPFA and its named affiliates from receiving any type of federal funds. Though some Democrats claimed the amendment is unconstitutional, in a 2010 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected a claim that a similar law, cutting off federal funds for the organization ACORN and its affiliates, violated the Constitution's Bill of Attainder Clause
The fight to stop Planned Parenthood funding is not over as the amendment is part of a continuing resolution bill needed to fund the federal government and the funding apparatus still faces Senate action and likely conference committee action — which could ultimately leave the amendment out of the final draft of the bill that goes to pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood, Pro-Life Groups React to De-Funding Vote
Predictably, the nation's largest abortion business is upset by this afternoon's vote in the House of Representatives to ensure the Planned Parenthood abortion business receives no federal funding of any kind. In an urgent fundraising appeal, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America sent out immediately following the vote, the abortion business tried to promote its non-abortion services as a reason for federal funding.
"The U.S. House of Representatives has just voted to bar Planned Parenthood health centers from all federal funding for birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other lifesaving care," it said. "It is the most dangerous legislative assault in our history, and it cannot go unanswered. We — Planned Parenthood and the three million women, men, and teens who are at risk of losing access to basic care — need you to stand united with us now."
The fundraising appeal also asked Planned Parenthood members to sign a form letter to members of Congress telling them they opposed the vote.
But pro-life groups were unanimous in their praise for lawmakers supporting the Planned Parenthood funding ban. Full story at LifeNews.com
Obama Admin Weakens Protections for Pro-Life Medical Workers
The long-awaited decision by President Barack Obama to overturn conscience protections the Bush administration put in place to protect pro-life medical workers who don't want to be involved in certain medical procedures has finally occurred. In 2008, the Bush administration issued a rule that prohibited recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and health care aides who refuse to take part in medical procedures to which they have religious or moral objections. The rule implemented existing conscience protection laws that ensure medical professionals cannot be denied employment because they do not want to assist in abortions.
At the end of February 2009, the Obama administration announced it began "reviewing" the regulations implementing conscience laws, the first step toward rescinding the rule.
Today, the administration rescinded part of the protections today with the Health and Human Services Department scrapping a portion of the rule, which it called "unclear and potentially overbroad in scope." Obama officials put a new rule in place that leaves in place protections on abortion but offers no protection for medical workers who have moral or religious objections to dispensing or giving to women the Plan B drug or other emergency contraception that could act in some cases as an abortion drug. Full story at LifeNews.com
Poll: Majority of Americans Say Abortion Morally Wrong
A majority of Americans surveyed in a new national poll say they believe abortion is morally wrong — and that includes a good percentage of people who call themselves "pro-choice on abortion."
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds 53 percent of voters consider abortion morally wrong most of the time, while just 32% say it is morally acceptable most of the time. Another 15 percent of American voters are undecided.
The new Rasmussen poll finds more Americans say they are "pro-choice" on abortion — which runs counter to recent polling data from the Gallup organization — as it finds 50 percent saying they are "pro-choice" and 40 percent saying they are pro-life on abortion.
But the morally wrong question makes it appear many of the voters who self-declare as "pro-choice" are truly pro-life as Rasussens's polling data found 22% of "pro-choice" voters agree with 91% of pro-lifers that abortion is morally wrong most of the time. Another 24 percent of those who consider themselves "pro-choice" on abortion are undecided, and can't say that they think most abortions are morally okay. Full story at LifeNews.com
Rolling Stone Hid More Extensive Justin Bieber Pro-Life View
Teen singing sensation Justin Bieber made national waves this week by expressing his pro-life views on abortion, but Rolling Stone magazine has admitted it withheld a portion of the comment that makes Bieber's pro-life views more firm.
Asked abortion, Rolling Stone magazine initially reported Bieber said: "I really don't believe in abortion … It's like killing a baby."
And asked about whether he supported abortion in cases of rape or incest, the music journal indicated Bieber said, "Um. Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that."
But Rolling Stone issued a "correction" after initially publishing the quote and the correction makes it clear Bieber doesn't really believe rape constitutes a reason to have an abortion:
"Um. Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that," is what Bieber actually said. Full story at LifeNews.om
Exposing Abortion Corruption: A Tale of Two Prosecutors
When Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams raided the medical offices of Kermit Gosnell, he thought he was raiding a pill mill, the largest source of illegal painkillers sold on the streets of his city. Williams instead discovered a squalid "house of horrors" where illegal late-term abortions were done on drugged, dazed women, where the late-term babies were born alive then murdered by severing their spinal cords with scissors, and where the severed feet of those late-term babies were kept in jars as trophies.
Williams, a newly elected Democrat, was not an anti-abortion crusader by any means, but what he found shocked him. He convened a grand jury and began to investigate Gosnell's illicit abortion operation and tried to get to the bottom of why this man was allowed to literally get away with murder for so long.
What the grand jury discovered was published in sharp, unequivocal language that was painful to even read. Full story at LifeNews.com
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Now is the Time to End Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
The history of federal abortion funding highlights the urgent need to reverse the new health care law's assault on unborn life, and to enact a permanent, government-wide prohibition on federal funding of abortion.Federal funding of abortion became an issue soon after the U.S. Supreme Court, in its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, invalidated the laws protecting unborn children from abortion in all 50 states. The federal Medicaid statutes had been enacted years before that ruling, and the statutes made no reference to abortion, which was not surprising, since criminal laws generally prohibited the practice.
Full story at LifeNews.com
ABC News Was OK With Videos Attacking Pregnancy Centers
Given the reactions of the left to both the Acorn and Planned Parenthood stings you might be surprised to learn that Eyeblast has uncovered a nearly identical sting, at least in terms of tactics, against crisis pregnancy centers ABC did in 1991.
Apparently, back then, the left had zero problems with undercover video investigations which end up as edited and excerpted pieces trying to prove a political point. They were also perfectly fine with showing just how much contempt they had for the "bad guys" they recorded. Full story at LifeNews.com
Bishops Hail Passage of Bill Removing Abortion From Obamacare
The nation's Catholic bishops have already put their name behind the legislation that would remove any concerns about funding abortions with taxpayer dollars from the Obamacare legislation approved last year.
As LifeNews.com reported, the panel voted for the Protect Life Act sponsored by the subcommittee's chairman, pro-life Republican Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania. Following the passage of the bill in the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, they said they are delighted by the vote and encourage the full House to approve the measure quickly. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Abortion Bingaman to Retire From New Mexico Senate Seat
Senator Jeff Bingaman, a pro-abortion Democrat from New Mexico, announced today he would not seek reelection in 2012. A seat that was firmly in Democratic hands may now be up for grabs. Bingaman's retirement is the fourth high-profile Democratic retirement, adding to Republican momentum to take back the Senate majority. Democratic Senators Jim Webb of Virginia, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (an independent who caucuses with the Democrats) and Kent Conrad of North Dakota also announced they will be retiring from the Senate in 2012. All four of these retiring senators hold pro-abortion stances. Full stor at LifeNews.com
Kansas Committee Passes Landmark Abortion-Fetal Pain Bill
Today, the House Federal & State Affairs committee passed by voice vote HB 2218, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, sponsored by 47 state representatives under the leadership of Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe). Kansans for Life applauded the vote.HB 2218 bans abortions at 22 weeks gestation (20 weeks post-conception) due to the scientific evidence that not only do unborn children feel pain, they feel it more acutely because pain "dampeners" do not fully develop until 40 weeks gestation, and later. Full story at LifeNews.com
Catholic Boston College Asked to Cancel Pro-Abortion Event
Boston College is coming under criticism from a Catholic educational watchdog group for an event it is planning honoring a pro-abortion Catholic priest. On March 7, the Boston College Law School is scheduled to hold an event honoring the late, virulently pro-abortion priest Father Robert Drinan. The Cardinal Newman Society has written to the president of Boston College, Father William Leahy, urging him to cancel the event and to develop speaker policies which will prevent such scandals in the future. Full story at LifeNewscom
Missouri Cmte Passes Bill to Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks
On Wednesday, the House Health Care Policy Committee of the Missouri state House passed a bill that would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy except if necessary to save the life of the mother. The bill, sponsored by Republican House Majority Leader Tim Jones, received a 9-1 vote in the committee. Full story at LifeNews.com
Alaska Could Become Next State With Choose Life License Plate
Alaska could become the next state with a Choose Life license plate allowing state motorists to express their support for human life and the abortion alternative of adoption. Rep. Charisse Millett, a Republican from Anchorage, has sponsored a bill to create the Choose Life license plate, which has resulted in millions of dollars in purchases and donations going to adoption groups, maternity homes and pregnancy centers in dozens of states. The bill cleared the House State Affairs Committee without any dissent as all five members supported the bill. Full story at LifeNewscom
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