LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Thursday, May 5, 2011
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Current Headlines
Top Stories
• Pro-Abortion Activist to Head Democratic Party for Obama Re-Election
• Mike Huckabee Camp Disputes Report of Fox News Deadline for 2012
• Appeals Court Urged to Uphold Florida Anti-Obamacare Decision
• FBI Charges Abortion Advocate With Threatening Pro-Lifers
More Pro-Life News
• Pope John Paul II s Pro-Life Witness Celebrated at Catholic Breakfast
• Mike Pence Announces 2012 Campaign for Indiana Governor
• Texas Gov. Perry Gets Bill for Ultrasound Before Abortion
• Iowa Republicans, Pro-Lifers Focus on Gronstal for Abortion Bill
• Alabama Senate Committee Backs Fetal Pain-Based Abortion Ban
• Louisiana Panel, Jindal Back Bill to Stop Coerced Abortions
• Planned Parenthood Backs Parental Consent at Rally, Not for Abortions
• Charges Dropped Against Notre Dame-Obama Speech Protestors
• Abortionist Loses Wyoming License, Lied on Application
• Pro-Life Cross Display in Iowa Hit by Abortion Vandalsim
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Pro-Abortion Activist to Head Democratic Party for Obama Re-Election
Leaders of the national Democratic Party on Wednesday unanimously elected Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee. The pro-abortion stalwart will lead the party during President Barack Obama s re-election.
Last month, Obama selected the woman who has been called a heroine by the president of Planned Parenthood to lead the party as he seeks another four-year term in 2012 that would allow him to expand his massive pro-abortion record and continue packing the Supreme Court and federal courts with activist judges who will uphold Roe v. Wade and 53 million abortions.
The full DNC unanimously ratified Wasserman Schultz s selection, making her the first woman to head the Democratic Party. According to an AP report, she said after the election she would make sure that no one outworks the party when it comes to re-electing Obama. Heading the party, she would work to attract women voters for Obama, attack the pro-life Republican presidential candidates, and work to ensure Obama wins the top battleground state of Florida.
According to a CNN report, Obama praised her election, saying Wasserman Schultz stays focused and accomplishes goals, and telling Democrats, Thanks for supporting Debbie. I know it will be a tough 18 more months but I know we re going to get this thing done.
Wasserman Schultz succeeds former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who has stepped down from his chairman post to run for the Senate in his home state. Full story at LifeNews.com
Mike Huckabee Camp Disputes Report of Fox News Deadline for 2012
The Fox News Channel, where pro-life former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee hosts a popular weekend program, has given him until the end of the month to make a decision on running for president.
Huckabee has been mulling whether or not to make a second bid for the GOP nomination and he has publicly highlighted both the pros and cons of the decisions noting he has strong leads in the polls of many early primary states and does better in a head-to-head matchup with pro-abortion President Barack Obama than most other potential candidates.
On the downside, Huckabee says he doesn t relish the thought of having to spend considerable time raising the tens of millions of dollars necessary to mount a competitive primary election bid and the massive money needed to take on what is expected to be a $1 billion Obama general election campaign.
A lucrative Fox News contract has also kept the former Arkansas governor on the sidelines because he has relished the opportunity to keep his name in the limelight while making a full-time salary hosting the cable television program. But various news outlets today indicate Fox officials are putting the pressure on Huckabee the way they did Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum to make a decision because of their status as Fox News contributors.
UPDATE: The Huckabee camp has responded by saying Fox has not given him a deadline.
The governor has been clear his timeline for a decision is this summer and that has not changed, said HuckPAC executive director Hogan Gidley, according to Politico. Fox is aware of the governor s timetable and he is aware of his limitations in considering another run.
During a HuckPAC fundraiser yesterday in the D.C. area Gov. Huckabee was asked about a presidential run and he told the group privately the same thing he s said countless times publicly, Gidley said. The governor s comment was tweeted by a congressman who was in the meeting: people that say they definitely know I m not running, don t know those that say they definitely know I am, don t know I don t know. Full story at LifeNews.com
Appeals Court Urged to Uphold Florida Anti-Obamacare Decision
The American Center for Law and Justice, a pro-life legal group that is deeply involved in challenging the pro-abortion Obamacare health care law, today filed an amicus brief representing 74 members of Congress in one of the major cases.
The brief urges a federal appeals court to uphold a lower court ruling that declared ObamaCare unconstitutional in the multi-state lawsuit headed by Florida.
This is a case where the federal district court got it right, said Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ s chief counsel. The fact is that the individual mandate forcing Americans to purchase health care insurance violates the Commerce Clause, giving Congress power to act beyond its constitutional authority.
He told LifeNews: Further, the individual mandate provision is tied directly to the health care law meaning if the mandate is unconstitutional, the entire law must be thrown out. We re confident that the appeals court will reach the same conclusion one more legal step on the road to the Supreme Court, where we re hopeful the high court will put an end to this government-run, pro-abortion health care law once and for all.
The ACLJ today filed its amicus brief in support of the Florida lawsuit challenging the Obama care law, which contains loopholes allowing abortion funding and rationing concerns, on behalf of the members of Congress, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and more than 70,000 Americans who signed on to ACLJ s Constitutional Committee to Challenge the President & Congress on Health Care, which opposes the individual mandate. Full story at LifeNews.com
FBI Charges Abortion Advocate With Threatening Pro-Lifers
Federal officials have indicted abortion advocate Theodore Shulman on charges of terrorist threats against pro-life leaders. The FBI has charged the 49-year-old self-proclaimed pro-choice terrorist with six counts of communicating interstate threats against pro-life advocates.
Shulman was initially arrested in February and held without bond at Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, which is a federal holding facility.
Officials with the pro-life group Operation Rescue and the Life Legal Defense Fund have been on the receiving end of Shulman s threats. In addition to the two victims listed in the federal complaint against Shulman when he was arrested months ago, Operation Rescue s two full-time staffers Troy Newman and Cheryl Sullenger as well as pro-life blogger Jill Stanek have been targets of the pro-abortion activist s threats. Bryan Kemper, the founder of Stand true, the pro-life group that sponsors the red tape day for students to stand up in silent solidarity for unborn children at their schools, also received death threats from Shulman.
Meanwhile, in 2009, Shulman left a threatening voice mail message with LLDF Legal Director, Catherine Short. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pope John Paul II s Pro-Life Witness Celebrated at Catholic Breakfast
Last week, hundreds of people gathered in Washington, DC for the 7th Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Participants joined together for prayer, fellowship, and a program. Reflecting the theme of this year s breakfast, Celebrating the Beatification of Pope John Paul II, four speakers paid tribute to the late pontiff. Their remarks offer both encouragement and warning for pro-life Americans.
Bishop William E. Lori, of the Diocese of Bridgeport, and a member of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, delivered the keynote address. He praised John Paul II for achieving in his lived experience, teaching, life of prayer, and on the world stage, a unique and profound synthesis of the dignity of the human person and those freedoms inherent in our humanity. [1] He said, John Paul II s witness to human freedom and dignity should strike a chord in our nation, where religious freedom is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution and where, as a people, we have always believed that God, and not the state, is the source of those rights. Full story at LifeNews.com
Mike Pence Announces 2012 Campaign for Indiana Governor
The nation s loss is Indiana s gain as respected pro-life conservative Congressman Mike Pence has announced he will be seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2012 as many pro-life advocates hoped he would run for president instead.
Pence ended months of speculation Thursday when he announced he would mount a campaign to replace Gov. Mitch Daniels, a pro-life Republican who has upset pro-life advocates with his talk of a truce on abortion but who promised to sign legislation de-funding Planned Parenthood.
The work isn t over, Pence told supporters. To keep Indiana growing, Hoosiers know we must have principled leadership at every level to make the right choices.
We need to live within our means and embrace policies that will create good jobs, great schools, safe streets and strong families, he said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Texas Gov. Perry Gets Bill for Ultrasound Before Abortion
A bill that allows women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn baby before an abortion is now headed to Governor Rick Perry, who plans to sign the pro-life measure into law.
After the Texas Senate signed off on the legislation, the state House, on a 94-41 vote, voted to concur on the Senate changes to HB 15, the sonogram bill. Now the state will become the latest to give women the kind of information about the development of their unborn child the normally don t receive at abortion clinics information that may prompt many to choose abortion alternatives.
The Senate passed the bill on second reading on a 21-10 vote and all hostile, pro-abortion amendments by Sens. Wendy Davis, Jose Rodriguez, and Leticia Van de Putte were defeated.
During the debate, the biggest point of contention was whether women should be allowed to see the ultrasound 24 hours before the abortion so they have time to reflect on the information and images showing the development of their unborn child. Without the reflection time, legislators were concerned abortion businesses may rush women into abortions they may not otherwise want if given time for consideration. Full story at LifeNews.com
Iowa Republicans, Pro-Lifers Focus on Gronstal for Abortion Bill
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal has become the kingmaker for a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the scientific concept of pain babies feel before birth. Although 26 lawmakers have signed a discharge petition to bring the bill out of a Senate committee and on to the Senate floor, Gronstal has the power to determine whether or not the bill receives a debate and vote. To urge him to do so, Iowa pro-life groups and the Iowa Republican party have launched an all-out effort to get him to allow a vote. Full story at LifeNews.com
Alabama Senate Committee Backs Fetal Pain-Based Abortion Ban
An Alabama state Senate committee has backed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which protects unborn children capable of feeling pain. The bill bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy as a result. The vote comes after the full Alabama state House voted 69-19 in April for the bill, which continues a trend sweeping through the state legislatures this legislative session as both houses of the legislatures of Kansas, Idaho, Indiana, and Oklahoma have voted in favor of enacting similar legislation and other states are following on their heels. Full story at LifeNews.com
Louisiana Panel, Jindal Back Bill to Stop Coerced Abortions
A Louisiana state House committee and Governor Bobby Jindal are both on board with legislation designed to prevent women from being pressured into having an abortion they may not otherwise want. The House Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday approved an alternative version of HB 586 sponsored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann, a Republican from West Monroe. The bill, which makes it so signs may be posted at abortion centers across the state advising women of alternatives to abortion and that they have the right to refuse an abortion, now heads to the full state House. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood Backs Parental Consent at Rally, Not for Abortions
This is not a joke. The California Affiliates of Planned Parenthood, the country s largest abortion chain demand parental consen. Full story at LifeNews.com
Charges Dropped Against Notre Dame-Obama Speech Protestors
Charges have finally been dropped against 88 pro-life advocates who engaged in protests on the Notre Dame campus when pro-abortion President Barack Obama came to town for a controversial graduation speech. Full story at LifeNews.com
Abortionist Loses Wyoming License, Lied on Application
An abortion practitioner who does abortions in Salt Lake City, Utah but may be trying to expand her business elsewhere has lost her medical license in Wyoming for lying about her criminal background on her application. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Cross Display in Iowa Hit by Abortion Vandalsim
A pro-life display of crosses meant to memorialize unborn children killed by abortions is the latest to suffer from pro-abortion vandalism following an incident at a Pennsylvania college. Full story at LifeNews.com
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