LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
| For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
Top Stories
• Abortion Rate Declines in U.S. But Increases for Poor Women
• Mother of Aerosmith Singer Steven Tyler s Aborted Baby Now Pro-Life
• Chelsea Handler: Had Abortion, Teen Moms Make me Want to Kill Someone
• Pregnancy Center in Joplin, Missouri Still Stands, Helps Others
More Pro-Life News
• Pro-Life Rick Santorum to Announce GOP 2012 Bid in Two Weeks
• UK Sees Abortions Rise in 2010, Repeat Abortions Still High
• Study: Sex-Selection Abortions Kill 12 Million Girls in India
• State of Play: A Look at the 2012 Republican Field, So Far
• Troubled Practitioner Banned From Doing Abortions in Utah
• Alabama Senate Votes to Not Fund Abortions Under Obamacare
• Nebraska and Iowa Planned Parenthood Abortion Businesses Merge
• Ohio Judge Backs Law Limiting Dangerous RU 486 Abortion Drug
• Minnesota Governor Dayton Vetoes Bill to Ban Human Cloning
---> Is your pro-life group or pregnancy center looking for an affordable speaker? Need a speaker for a conference, convention, church presentation or on short notice? Consider LifeNews.com Editor Steven Ertelt. Email us for details.
Abortion Rate Declines in U.S. But Increases for Poor Women
A new study reported in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology indicates the abortion rate has decreased in the United States good news because it means more pregnant women are opting against having an abortion.
However, the report presents news that should spark a drive to help more women below the poverty level find pregnancy resources and support because it indicates poor women are having abortions at a higher rate than before.
The new report was published by the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion research group formerly affiliated with the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Despite its pro-abortion bent, the organization is thought by pro-life groups to publish fairly accurate abortion figures because it obtains the numbers directly from abortion businesses.
According to Guttmacher, poor women accounted for 42% of all abortions in 2008, and their abortion rate increased 18% between 2000 and 2008, from 44.4 to 52.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 44. In comparison, the national abortion rate for 2008 was 19.6 per 1,000, reflecting an 8% decline from a rate of 21.3 in 2000.
The study also found that teen abortion rates declined 22%, from 14.6 per 1,000 in 2000 to 11.3 per 1,000 in 2008 among those aged 15 17. This age-group accounted for a small proportion of abortions (6%).
The research also validates the work pro-life groups have done to reach out to the black community, because of the tremendously high abortion rates in that ethnic group. Abortion rates decreased 18% among African American women in the same period, the largest decline among the four racial and ethnic groups examined by Guttmacher. Notwithstanding this decline, the abortion rate among African American women is still higher than the rate for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women: 40.2 per 1,000, compared with 28.7 and 11.5, respectively. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/abortion-rate-declines-in-u-s-but-increases-for-poor-women/
Mother of Aerosmith Singer Steven Tyler s Aborted Baby Now Pro-Life
On May 4, 2011 National Review Online published my article entitled Post Abortion Trauma Jesus What Have I Done on Aerosmith front man and American Idol judge Steven Tyler s abortion experience. Shortly after this I was contacted by Julia Holcomb. Julia is the mother of Steven s Tyler s aborted son referenced in my article.
Julia and her husband Joseph expressed a desire to entrust to me a more detailed account of Julia s relationship with Steven Tyler, her abortion and post-abortion life journey. Julia has read for many years Steven s Tyler s recollection and reconstruction of events from the years of their relationship and more recently shared in his autobiography, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? She would like the opportunity after all these years to present her version of the events.
But ultimately the reason Julia shares her story at this time is because of the inspiration, healing and faith that are reflected in her personal journey. Julia believes that my NRO article and the high visibility of Steven Tyler at this time provide a providential opportunity to present her story. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/mother-of-aerosmith-singer-steven-tylers-aborted-baby-speaks-out/
Chelsea Handler: Had Abortion, Teen Moms Make me Want to Kill Someone
Chelsea Handler, the host of the popular late-night television entertainment show Chelsea Lately, is making waves with recent comments about teen pregnancy, and she has admitted she had an abortion as a teen herself.
In a new interview with the New York Times, the comedian said she is not a fan of television shows like MTV s Teen Mom that depict teenagers have children.
People are too P.C., she told the Times. We need to be focusing on other things. We re seeking out such grossness in human behavior and want such mindless entertainment. The Real Housewives of Atlanta and some of these other shows are more racist. Or 16 and Pregnant.
Handler told the Times, Getting rewarded for being pregnant when you re a teenager? Are you serious? I mean, that makes me want to kill somebody.
It appears Handler already has, as she continued, I had an abortion when I was 16. Because that s what I should have done. Otherwise I would now have a 20-year-old kid. Anyway, those are things that people shouldn t be dishonest about it. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/chelsea-handler-had-abortion-teen-moms-make-me-want-to-kill-someone/
Pregnancy Center in Joplin, Missouri Still Stands, Helps Others
Following the deadly tornadoes that ravaged this Missouri city, a pregnancy center that provides help for women seeking alternatives to abortions is still standing. Now, it is helping the local community that has seen so much suffering.
The center is located just blocks from the some of the worst-hit areas, but it was spared any damage and its staff and volunteers were not injured.
Stacy Massey, the president of Abortion Recovery International, a group that provides hope and healing for women who regret their abortions, detailed the information she gleaned from a call to Angel Otero at LifeChoices Medical Clinic in Joplin.
I called her as I wanted to make sure they had survived the tornado and if there was anything ARIN could do to help. Praise God, both their centers were okay, she said. Unfortunately, some of LifeChoice s staff and volunteers have lost their homes. Obviously the destruction to the community is beyond comprehension.
Through it all, Angel said that LifeChoices was becoming a center of help for the neighborhood handing out baby supplies: clothes, diapers, food, wipes, etc, Massey said. When I asked her what we could do to help, she said two things, Donate baby supplies or help us financially purchase the items to help the young families." http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/pregnancy-center-in-joplin-missouri-still-stands-helps-others/
Pro-Life Rick Santorum to Announce GOP 2012 Bid in Two Weeks
Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who is considering a run for the White House in 2012, is expected to announce in two weeks that he will officially seek the Republican nomination.
Santorum appeals to pro-life and Catholic voters with his conservative stances on political issues and strong opposition to abortion. He was the leader of the effort in the Senate to ban partial-birth abortions during his time there, before losing his Senate seat in the 2006 elections. Santorum served as a member of the U.S. House before that.
CNN indicates today that Santorum will make the presidential announcement the week of June 5 and says he will participate in the first Republican debate scheduled for the state of New Hampshire, which CNN, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader are co-hosting at Saint Anselm College on June 13.
Santorum has made dozens of trips to the leading primary states including the Granite State, Iowa, and South Carolina. Despite his frequent travels to meet with Republicans, the pro-life former lawmakers has struggled to get past 1-2 percent in most surveys of Republican voters. While they like his pro-life and conservative views, Republicans are skeptical of his ability to defeat pro-abortion President Barack Obama because he was unable to hold on to his Senate seat in Pennsylvania. And some GOP voters still have not forgiven Santorum for endorsing pro-abortion Sen. Arlen Specter, despite his saying he made a mistake and wishing he could undo the support. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/pro-life-rick-santorum-to-announce-gop-2012-bid-in-two-weeks/
UK Sees Abortions Rise in 2010, Repeat Abortions Still High
A new report from the British health department shows abortions on the rise again in the United Kingdom and the number of repeat abortions is still high.
The figures indicate 189,574 abortions were done in 2010, up .3% from the 189,100 abortions in 2009 and 8% more than in 2000 (175,542). Those abortions were done in residents of England and Wales and another 6,535 abortions were done on women and unborn children who are not residents of the United Kingdom. The increase is the first time abortions have gone up since 2006-2007.
The new figures show about half of the abortions were done on women who had an unmarried partner at the time, 26 percent were done on single women and 16 percent of women who had abortions were married at the time.
The stats also showed 3,718 abortions were done on the unborn children of girls under the age of 18, which is down slightly, 12,742 were done on 16-17-year-old girls, and 21,809 were done on girls aged 18 or 19. On the other end of the spectrum, women over the age of 35 had 27,046 abortions.
Repeat abortions are still a problem in the UK as 64,303 procedures were done on women who already had at least one abortion and 1,201 were done on girls under 18 who had at least one abortion already while another 79 were done on girls under age 18 who had two or more previous abortions. The statistics revealed almost 300 women between the ages of 25 and 29 had four or more previous abortions at the time of the abortion they had in 2010. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/uk-sees-abortions-rise-in-2010-repeat-abortions-still-high/
Study: Sex-Selection Abortions Kill 12 Million Girls in India
A new study analyzing the prevalence of sex-selection abortions in India finds as many as 12 million girls have been killed specifically because of their gender in a society that values boys over girls.
Professor Prabhat Jha at the Center for Global Health Research in Toronto, Canada conducted the research and says the 12 million figure covers abortions on girls over the course of the last 30 years and he says parents who tend to be more wealthy were more likely to have abortions when an ultrasound indicated a woman was pregnant with a girl.
The number of girls being aborted is increasing and may have reached 12 million with the lower estimate of 4 million over the last three decades, he told Reuters. The logic is families are saying if Nature gives us a first boy, then we don t do anything. But if Nature gives a first girl then perhaps we would consider ultrasound testing and selective abortion for the subsequent children.
The preference for boys doesn t differ between rich and poor, it is similar. But the means to ensure a boy is greater among the educated and the rich, Jha said. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/study-sex-selection-abortions-kill-12-million-girls-in-india/
State of Play: A Look at the 2012 Republican Field, So Far
Unless you spent the entire day listening to the newly released Lady Gaga album, you probably noticed that pro-life former Gov. Tim Pawlenty formally entered the race to face off against President Obama in 2012. Pawlenty s announcement further solidifies a quickly shrinking GOP field. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/state-of-play-a-look-at-the-2012-republican-field-so-far/
Troubled Practitioner Banned From Doing Abortions in Utah
Troubled abortion practitioner Nicola Riley, who has been prohibited from gaining a medical license to do abortions in other states, has been banned from doing them in Utah after pro-life advocates exposed her record. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/troubled-practitioner-banned-from-doing-abortions-in-utah/
Alabama Senate Votes to Not Fund Abortions Under Obamacare
The Alabama state Senate voted today for a bill that would have it join several other states in opting out of funding abortions under the Obamacare health care law the president and his Democratic allies approved. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/alabama-senate-votes-to-not-fund-abortions-under-obamacare/
Nebraska and Iowa Planned Parenthood Abortion Businesses Merge
Businessman Herman Cain made his bid for the Republican nomination for president official today with an announcement and campaign rally at Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, his home state. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/21/herman-cain-makes-republican-presidential-run-official/
Ohio Judge Backs Law Limiting Dangerous RU 486 Abortion Drug
A federal judge has upheld a law saying abortion centers in the state can t put women s health at risk by not properly using the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug as recommended by the FDA. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/ohio-judge-backs-law-limiting-dangerous-ru-486-abortion-drug/
Minnesota Governor Dayton Vetoes Bill to Ban Human Cloning
Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed legislation that would have prevented the cloning of human embryos in Minnesota, and the funding of such experiments. Both pro-life measures were strongly supported by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the statewide pro-life group. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/24/minnesota-governor-dayton-vetoes-bill-to-ban-human-cloning/
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
