LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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Current HeadlinesTop Stories House Passes CR, Battle on Planned Parenthood Funding Remains Instead, pro-life Speaker John Boehner says he's fighting to include the pro-life provision in a long-term bill that would set up how the federal government is funded for most of the remainder of the year. House Republicans were forced to release a new bill, which funds the government for three weeks because pro-abortion Senate Democrats defeated the long-term bill containing pro-life provisions all major national pro-life groups support. The long-term bill the House passed, HR 1, had reinstated the Mexico City Policy, stops abortion funding in the District of Columbia and de-funds the pro-abortion UNFPA, which works hand-in-hand with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions to enforce the one-child policy. The latest short-term bill would fund the federal government mostly at current levels through April 8 and the idea is for House Republicans and Senate Democrats to come up with a long-term bill that both sides can agree to — or they may be forced to approve a third short-term continuing resolution to fund the government until they can reach an accord. During the coming weeks, pro-life groups — some of whom opposed the short-term bill because of the lack of the pro-life provisions — will call on members of Congress to include them in a long-term bill. Full story at LifeNews.comRepublicans Probe "Death Panels" Added, Removed From Obamacare Though Obama administration officials cited procedural reasons for the decision, the New York Times indicated political considerations — the enormous outpouring of opposition — played a role. Now, according to a new report in the Daily Caller, Rep. Fred Upton and three members of the Energy and Commerce Committee are investigating the situation. They wrote a letter on March 14 to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius saying her decision to add the panels The letter, according to the conservative news web site, requests a briefing from Sebelius' office on how the decision was made and for the briefing to take place between March 21 and 25. Full story at LifeNews.com Baby Joseph Will Have Tracheotomy by the End of the Week
• House Passes CR, Battle on Planned Parenthood Funding Remains
• Republicans Probe "Death Panels" Added, Removed From Obamacare
• Baby Joseph Will Have Tracheotomy by the End of the Week
• Gingrich and Romney Lead GOP Race Without Huckabee and Palin
More Pro-Life News
• Herman Cain Blasts Planned Parenthood, Abortion Biz Attacks Him
• Obama Approval Rating Drops to Lowest Point Since September
• Winners of De-Funding Planned Parenthood Video Contest Announced
• Are We Willing to Suffer the Consequences of Being Pro-Life?
• Florida Passes Bill to Opt Out of Obamacare Abortion Funding
• Conservatives Can Find Unity on Cutting Abortion Funding
• Minnesota House Committee Passes Human Cloning Ban Bill
• New Jersey Poll Claims Christie Standing Worse After Pro-Life Speech
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The House of Representatives passed the latest short-term continuing resolution bill today on a 271-158 vote margin. The Senate is expected to approve the bill and the battle over Planned Parenthood funding remains.Some 54 Republicans voted against the measure because they wanted to see the Pence Amendment de-funding Planned Parenthood and the pro-life riders that stop abortion funding in various instances included in the measure. However, Senate Democrats have balked at those pro-life provisions and Republicans hoped to avoid being blamed for a government shutdown by insisting they be included in the short-term bill.
The top Republican on the House committee charged with health care oversight is planning an investigation of the inclusion and subsequent removal of the controversial "death panels" from the Obamacare health care law.Under the regulations the Obama administra tion put in place in December, doctors would instruct patients in the annual "voluntary" exams to write "advance directives listing the kind of treatment they wish to receive or not receive if they are unable to make their own medical decisions. After considerable pro-life backlash from those who worried physicians would pressure or persuade patients to make decisions that would ration care or withdraw lifesaving medical treatment, the Obama administration removed them from the regulations implementing Obamacare.
"without notice or public comment" shows "there appear to be no limits to [Sebelius's] power" under Obamacare.
Doctors at the Catholic hospital in Missouri that agreed to take Baby Joseph Maraachli, the 14-month-old Canadian infant who was denied the medical procedure in his country, say they will do a tracheotomy by the end of the week.
Joseph was rescued late Sunday from the Canadian hospital by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, who paid for a private specialized medical plane to take the boy to SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri so he could have the medical procedure before his parents take him home, where he will likely die soon from a degenerative neurological condition.
A team of specialists at the Catholic hospital have evaluated Joseph, who was "in serious but stable condition," on arrival from London, Ontario Health Sciences Centre. In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Dr. Robert Wilmott, Cardinal Glennon Hospital's chief of pediatrics, said Joseph "likely will have a tracheotomy performed by the end of this week to facilitate his transition to a skilled nursing facility."
Joseph remains on a breathing tube that he was on at the Canadian hospital and the tracheotomy would cut a hole in his neck for a direct airway to help make it easier for Joseph to breathe.
"If there is a chance this boy can live, we have to explore every option. Now that we have won the battle against the medical bureaucracy in Canada, the real work of saving Baby Joseph can begin," said Father Pavone. Full story at LifeNews.com
Gingrich and Romney Lead GOP Race Without Huckabee and Palin
With anecdotal evidence making some political observers believe either Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee — or both — may not seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012, one polling firm looked at how that would change the race.
When asked who they want to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama next year, Republican primary voters nationwide could not be less clear as the usual top four are in a statistical tie, each with less than 20% of the vote and just as many undecided.
Mike Huckabee leads with 18%, followed by Mitt Romney's 17%, Sarah Palin's 16%, Newt Gingrich's 14%, Ron Paul's 9%, Tim Pawlenty's 5%, Mitch Daniels' 4%, and Haley Barbour's 1%. Another 15 percent are undecided or favor someone unnamed in the poll, conducted by the PPP polling firm.
However, when the same GOP voter set is asked about their favorite for president without Huckabee in the field, Romney edges Palin and Gingrich, 20-19-18, with Paul at 12% and the others further back. Without Palin in the race, Huckabee tops Gingrich and Romney, 22-20-18.
But with neither Huckabee nor Palin involved in the primary election, Gingrich and Romney tie at 24%, with Paul at 12% as Palin's voters go more heavily to Gingrich than to Romney. Full story at LifeNews.com
Herman Cain Blasts Planned Parenthood, Abortion Biz Attacks Him
During a presentation before a set of conservative bloggers in the nation's capital today, likely Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, a pro-life businessman, bashed the Planned Parenthood abortion business — which went after him in return.
The African-American then went further and talked about the racial overtones behind the founding of the abortion business by Margaret Sanger.
"You probably don't hear a lot of people talking about this," Cain said. "When Margaret Sanger – check my history – started Planned Parenthood, the objective was to put these centers in primarily black communities so they could help kill black babies before they came into the world."
"It's planned genocide. It's carrying out its original mission," he said. "I've talked to young girls who go in there, and they don't talk about how you plan parenthood. They don't talk about adoption as an option. They don't say, 'Well, bring your parents in so we can sit down and talk with you, and counsel with you before you make this decision.'" Full story at LifeNews.com
Obama Approval Rating Drops to Lowest Point Since September
President Barack Obama has seen his approval rating drop to its lowest levels since September as two new national polls show the abortion advocate is seen less favorably by American voters.
in fact, the 20 percent of people who strongly favor Obama's job performance as president is at its lowest point since Rasmussen began polling in January 2009, when Obama took over the White House from pro-life President George W. Bush. The high-water mark for the number of people who strongly disapprove came in the months leading up to the November 2010 congressional elections and they are climbing again after dropping after that.
Overall, 43% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance while 57 percent disapprove. Full story at LifeNews.com
Winners of De-Funding Planned Parenthood Video Contest AnnouncedTwo pro-life groups that cater to young people have announced the winners of a contest they jointly sponsored to encourage young people to produce videos urging the revocation of taxpayer funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
After receiving dozens of videos from youth across the country explaining why Congress should de-fund Planned Parenthood, Live Action and Students for Life of America announced today the winners of their "Tell Congress" YouTube Video Contest. The contest was open to all high-school and college-age youth between 14 and 25 and contestants were urged to use creativity in addressing Congress and explaining why they should de-fund Planned Parenthood. Full story at LifeNews.com
Are We Willing to Suffer the Consequences of Being Pro-Life?
by Father Frank Pavone
n 11-year old girl who is a supporter of Priests for Life sent me the following email very recently: "My mother and I are taking a bus and will be coming to the March for Life. My teacher said that I will receive zeroes on any work that I miss and it can't be made up. I told her missing a day at school in order to stand up for life is more important and I'm willing to suffer the consequences." That's what the pro-life movement needs most – people who say, "I'm willing to suffer the consequences."Full story at LifeNews.comFlorida Passes Bill to Opt Out of Obamacare Abortion Funding
A Florida committee passed two pieces of legislation that would allow the state to opt out of the abortion funding allowed under the Obamacare health care reform law. On Monday, the Senate Health Regulation Committee passed SB 1414 that would made it so health insurance plans under the state exchange would not be able to fund abortions with taxpayer dollars in nearly all cases. Sen. Stephen R. Wise, a Jacksonville Republican, sponsored the bill and it would block policies that include abortion if public money is involved as either a subsidy for the person who is shopping for coverage or a business tax credit. Full story at LifeNews.com
Conservatives Can Find Unity on Cutting Abortion Funding
Times are tough. Money is tight. Jobs are scarce. But the government is bloated. The federal budget has been the topic of conversation in Washington and most people agree cuts must be made.
With all this talk of truces on social issues, can't fiscal and social conservatives just get along? Yes, we can and we can start by cutting funding for Planned Parenthood. Full story at LifeNews.com
Minnesota House Committee Passes Human Cloning Ban Bill
No sooner did lawmakers introduce legislation to ban human cloning than a House committee took up the measure for a hearing and approved it, sending it ahead in the legislative process. Minnesota pro-life advocates have sought the ban ever since the University of Minnesota's attempts to clone human beings came to light several years ago. Laboratories around the world are in competition to be the first to successfully clone a human being and the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute is believed to be pursuing human cloning as well. Full story at LifeNews.com
New Jersey Poll Claims Christie Standing Worse After Pro-Life Speech
A new poll conducted by Rutgers University claims the standing of Governor Chris Christie is worse among voters overall following a pro-life speech he gave in January in which he clearly articulated his views against abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
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