LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Monday, June 13, 2011
| For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
Top Stories
• Republican Presidential Debate May Strongly Shape GOP Race
• Rick Perry Hits Obama on Abortion Before Possible GOP Campaign
• Palin Emails: A Down Syndrome Baby Will Expand Your World
• Indiana: Some Donations to Planned Parenthood Not Tax-Deductible
More Pro-Life News
• BBC Showing Documentary Depicting Man Dying in Assisted Suicide
• Huntsman Closer to Presidential Bid But Not in GOP Debate
• Vandals Target Pro-Life Interns Vehicle, Slash Their Tires
• Repealing Hyde Would Increase Abortions, Planned Parenthood Profit
• Texas Ultrasound Bill for Women Faces Pro-Abortion Lawsuit
• Second Texas Abortion Center Illegally Dumping Aborted Babies
• Arizona Court Holding Hearing on Pro-Life Abortion Law
• Activists Push Bill to Legalize Abortion in Argentina
• Chile a Model for How America Can be Pro-Life on Abortion
• Minnesota Pro-Life Group Marks 43 Years of Saving Lives
---> LifeNews.com relies on your support to make pro-life news free and available to hundreds of thousands of people every week. You can send a donation to us at LifeNews.com, PO Box 270841, Fort Collins, CO 80527. You can send an online gift to us by going to http://www.lifenews.com/donate
Republican Presidential Debate May Strongly Shape GOP Race
Tonight s Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire, the site of the second primary battleground early next year, has the potential to shape the race for the GOP nomination to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
The debate the second in the primary election campaign but the first to feature most of the top names of people running or considering a run for the nomination has the potential to answer key questions that will decide the future of the campaign.
The first and most immediately question is whether former Speaker Newt Gingrich will be able to soldier on with a campaign after the mass exodus last week of more than a dozen high-level staffers. The former Gingrich staff told various media outlets that the former congressman was not interested in the normal kind of retail politicking required of candidates in states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina necessary to attract voters. They said Gingrich mostly preferred to campaign online, via the debates and policy addresses talking about the future of the country and cited a recent two-week vacation to the Mediterranean as indicative of a lack of campaign discipline.
Gingrich, who also doomed his own campaign with a poor roll out weeks ago and followed it up with disparaging remarks about the Medicare reform plan Paul Ryan has put forward, will need to shine in the debate to have any hope of continuing on in the race. Should he falter, political observers will likely call it the end of his presidential dreams.
The second question concerns whether Mitt Romney will claim the frontrunner mantle that his polling standing and fundraising make him appear to have. Romney leads in polls of most of the early states and nationally and has already raised well over $10 million for the race in these early stages. Based on his name identification alone from having run in 2008 and the fact that many Republican voters tend to award the runner up with the nomination the next time around, the lead position is his for the taking.
However, that opens him up to tough questions and criticism from his Republican opponents. Will they begin piling on the former Massachusetts governor tonight at Saint Anselm College. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/republican-presidential-debate-may-strongly-shape-gop-race/
Rick Perry Hits Obama on Abortion Before Possible GOP Campaign
At a pro-life event for Hispanics over the weekend, Texas Gov. Rick Perry blasted pro-abortion President Barack Obama on pro-life issues. The comments come as the governor is contemplating joining the Republican presidential race.
Perry, who had been scheduled for some time to attend the event but whose name has been mentioned more often in recent days as a potential presidential candidate, accused Obama of not only promoting abortion domestically but said he was pushing it abroad as well. He also tagged the president on forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of human life.
At the United for Life event at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Perry received a standing ovations following his remarks, during which he said Every life is precious.
He hit Obama for overturning the Mexico City Policy during his first week in office. That s a policy that prevents taxpayers from funding groups like the Planned Parenthood abortion business under international programs. Planned Parenthood has promote and performed abortions in other countries and the Mexico City Policy, first instituted under President Ronald Reagan, cuts off their funding internationally and directs it to programs that provide legitimate help and support for poor people in other nations.
Perry said that, under Obama our federal tax dollars can now be used to fund abortion all over the world. With the stroke of a pen, abortion essentially became a U.S. foreign export.
On embryonic stem cell research, he said Obama was turning the remains of unborn children into nothing more than raw material, according to an AP report. Obama is ignoring the overriding responsibility of every government that is to protect citizens at every stage of their lives, especially those who cannot protect themselves, Perry said. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/rick-perry-hits-obama-on-abortion-before-possible-gop-campaign/
Palin Emails: A Down Syndrome Baby Will Expand Your World
The media has bee intently focused on the personal and private emails former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sent out during her time leading the state and, while they haven t turned up anything embarrassing, one email about her son Trig is quite touching.
In the email from her official account to friends and family, Palin talks about imagining a conversation with God two weeks before the birth of trig, who has Down syndrome. Palin writes from the voice of God, as Trig s creator, your heavenly father and, according to the London Daily Mail, address the unreal, sad and confusing news that her soon-to-be born child will have Down s Syndrome.
From God s perspective, Palin writes, I let Trig s mom have an exceptionally comfortable pregnancy so she could enjoy every minute of it. Trig s mom and dad were told early by doctors that the child may provide more challenges and more joy than what they ever may have imagined or ever asked for. This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and get everyone focused on what really matters. The baby will expand your world and let you see and feel things you haven t experienced yet.
According to the Daily Mail, the email says Trig s name is a Norse name meaning true and brave victory, and Palin writes, He ll show you what true brave victory really means.
Palin tells her friends and family, Trig is no different except that he has one extra chromosome. Doctors call it Down s Syndrome, and Down s kids have challenges but can bring you much delight and more love than you can ever imagine. Just wait and see, let me prove this. Trig will be his dad s little buddy, and he ll wear Carhartts while he learns to tinker in the garage. He ll love to be read to, he ll want to play goalie and he ll steal his mom s heart just like Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper did. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/palin-emails-a-down-syndrome-baby-will-expand-your-world/
Indiana: Some Donations to Planned Parenthood Not Tax-Deductible
Relying on a new law that Planned Parenthood has taken to court to strip it of taxpayer funding under Medicaid, Indiana officials have said the abortion business is no longer qualified to participate in a tax rebate program.
Planned Parenthood of Indiana has used the tax credit program to help raise funds and, over the last two years, the Indianapolis Star indicates it raised $21,238 in Marion County alone through the program. But, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority notified Planned Parenthood today that it rejected Planned Parenthood s application to participate in the Neighborhood Assistance Program for a third year.
The newspaper indicates the program has allocated $2.5 million in tax credits annually to organizations to give to donors as a way of deducting their contributions from state income taxes, but Planned Parenthood may no longer participate.
Planned Parenthood of Indiana President Becky Cockrum complained in a statement today about the decision.
The state is taking yet another step to keep us from providing affordable health care to our patients, she groused. And they re doing it at a time when we need our donors assistance badly. Our supporters are the only reason we are able to cover the costs of treating our established Medicaid patients through June 20.
The Star reports that Sherry Seiwert, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, cited the new law de-funding Planned Parenthood as the reason for denying the abortion business participation in the tax rebate program. Although the Obama administration has threatened state officials by declaring it would potentially withhold billions in Medicaid funds from the state if it follows through with the new law, the state has announced it would implement it immediately and is standing up in court to defend what it says is its right to determine how Medicaid dollars are allocated. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/indiana-donations-to-planned-parenthood-not-tax-deductible/
BBC Showing Documentary Depicting Man Dying in Assisted Suicide
The BBC is coming under heavy fire from pro-life and disability rights advocates who are upset that the British television network will show a documentary tonight featuring a man dying via assisted suicide.
The program will feature footage of a man dying at a Dignitas suicide tourism clinic in Switzerland and it will be hosted by Sir Terry Pratchett. Geoff Morris, a terminally ill multiple sclerosis sufferer, writes in the London Daily Mail he is very upset by the program.
As a piece of shameless propaganda, Terry Pratchett s film is brilliant, he said. But as an analysis of the truth behind so-called assisted suicide , it is grossly misleading and unbalanced.
The program, which will be screened on BBC2 on Monday, shows best-selling author and Alzheimer s sufferer Sir Terry discussing his campaign to legalize this type of suicide in Britain, and reflecting on the possibility of ending his own life, Morris explained. In a crucial segment, he accompanies 71-year-old British millionaire Peter Smedley to Switzerland s Dignitas clinic which has become notorious as a center for lawfully-sanctioned assisted suicide.
And in an unprecedented move for a terrestrial broadcaster, the film covers the actual moment of his death, the camera capturing Mr Smedley s final cries for water, rasping breaths and involuntary convulsions, Morris says.
In their eagerness to back the campaign to change the law, Sir Terry and the producers have presented this type of suicide as an enriching, even uplifting choice, the disabled man complains. And particularly regrettable is the role of the BBC. As the nation s public service broadcaster, the Corporation has a duty to give both sides of the argument, not to act as a mouthpiece for a highly partisan cause. But the film fails to acknowledge any of the serious concerns about assisted suicide.
ACTION: Please complain to the BBC about the showing of this documentary, by visiting and filling out the online form at https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms. You can also telephone BBC Audience Services on 03700 100 222 or write to BBC Complaints, PO Box 1922, Darlington, DL3 0UR. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/bbc-showing-documentary-depicting-man-dying-in-assisted-suicide/
Huntsman Closer to Presidential Bid But Not in GOP Debate
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says he is closer to officially launching a presidential campaign, but he will not be participating in tonight s Republican presidential debate which prevents him from connecting with voters.
Huntsman is certainly expected to run and he needed to use the debate as a means of building up his name identification. One recent poll in Iowa of several hundred Republican voters showed him with the support of not 1 percent of the vote, but just one voter. If the former Utah governor is to have any chance at building a campaign he needed find a way to stand out in the debate, but his non-participation will make it difficult for him to climb the polls.
Still, the former ambassador to China insists he is close to throwing his hat in the ring and told CNN on Sunday that he s about a week and a half out from announcing.
We re moving in that direction, he told Bloomberg Television on Sunday when asked if he s running. We ve got all the boxes checked the organizing box, the fundraising box, you ve got the boots on the ground box, and you ve got the family box that is the last one. We ll probably have one more sit down meeting this week, and then I think we ll be ready to check that box.
He also says pro-abortion President Barack Obama can be beaten in the general election campaign late next year.
Absolutely, he said. With today s economic backdrop and the difficulty that we re finding in getting any traction at all in getting growth or taming our high unemployment. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/huntsman-closer-to-presidential-bid-but-not-in-gop-debate/
Vandals Target Pro-Life Interns Vehicle, Slash Their Tires
The pro-life organization is on the receiving end of pro-abortion vandalism again this time when abortion advocates apparently targeted the vehicle of two young pro-life interns.
Troy Newman, the president of Operation Rescue, emailed LifeNews.com with the details:
Friday morning our two young interns, Josh and Elisabeth, found that all four tires on their car had been slashed. We believe they were targeted for this attack because of their pro-life convictions. The only vehicle damaged in the parking lot was the only one with the pro-life bumper sticker. Josh and Elisabeth are young married college students who are sacrificially spending their summer break from classes at the University of Colorado to work in our office on several critical projects. They live on next to nothing in order to do pro-life work. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/12/vandals-target-pro-life-interns-vehicle-slash-their-tires/
Repealing Hyde Would Increase Abortions, Planned Parenthood Profit
How does it go? Oh, yes, the best defense is a good offense. Courtesy of a courageous and relentless pro-life House leadership team, some of Planned Parenthood s saintly veneer is being worn away. In the long and intense debate over federal funding, the public is gradually coming to appreciate two truths. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/12/repealing-hyde-would-increase-abortions-planned-parenthood-profit/
Texas Ultrasound Bill for Women Faces Pro-Abortion Lawsuit
A Texas bill that Governor Rick Perry recently signed into law now faces a lawsuit from a pro-abortion legal group not content to allow women to see images of their unborn children before an abortion. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/texas-ultrasound-bill-for-women-faces-pro-abortion-lawsuit/
Second Texas Abortion Center Illegally Dumping Aborted Babies
A second Texas abortion center has been found by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to have been illegally dumping the bodies of babies victimized by abortions in dumpsters outside its abortion facility. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/second-texas-abortion-center-illegally-dumping-aborted-babies/
Arizona Court Holding Hearing on Pro-Life Abortion Law
The Arizona Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments tomorrow in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Horne, a case the abortion business filed which challenges key aspects of the 2009 Abortion Consent Act. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/arizona-court-holding-hearing-on-pro-life-abortion-law/
Activists Push Bill to Legalize Abortion in Argentina
A debate over the legalization of abortion is taking place in Argentina following the approval of same sex marriage last year. A coalition of 250 organizations known as the National Campaign for the Right to Safe, Legal and Free Abortion is behind draft legislation to legalize abortion that has the support of 50 lawmakers. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/activists-push-bill-to-legalize-abortion-in-argentina/
Chile a Model for How America Can be Pro-Life on Abortion
When speaking with students and adults, I often talk about how pro-lifers need to start envisioning a nation without abortion. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/chile-a-model-for-how-america-can-be-pro-life-on-abortion/
Minnesota Pro-Life Group Marks 43 Years of Saving Lives
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), the state s oldest and largest pro-life organization, today celebrates 43 years of dedication to protecting and defending human life. Many hearts have been changed, protective laws passed and lives saved due to the tireless labor of MCCL volunteers and contributors throughout the decades. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/12/minnesota-pro-life-group-marks-43-years-of-saving-lives/
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
