LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
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Current Headlines
Top Stories
• Expose : Planned Parenthood Staffers Admit Tax-Funding Not Needed
• Federal Appeals Court Panel Upholds Obamacare Against Lawsuit
• Planned Parenthood to Open New Abortion Business in Oregon
• Practitioners Sue Kansas Over Law Shutting Abortion Clinics
More Pro-Life News
• Girls in India: Sex-Selection Aborted Out of Existence
• Poland Parliament Votes This Week on Bill Banning Abortions
• Bill to Force Embryonic Research Funding Gets New GOP Backer
• Trial Begins: Man Allegedly Killed Girlfriend Refusing Abortion
• Ohio OKs Pro-Life State Budget Cutting Abortion Funding
• Planned Parenthood Sues South Dakota on 72-Hour Abortion Wait
• Wisconsin Pro-Life Group: Recall Elections Could Affect Abortion
• Medicaid Abortion Funding Holds Up Iowa State Budget Deal
• Kentucky Court: Who Leaked Decision OKing Secret Teen Abortions?
• New York Times Cites Abortion Advocates as Neutral Sources
• What is the Pro-Life Catholic View of Human Embryo Adoption?
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Expose : Planned Parenthood Staffers Admit Tax-Funding Not Needed
A new expose released by Live Action shows Planned Parenthood staff at clinics across Indiana essentially admitting plenty of other options exist for women to obtain legitimate medical care other than at Planned Parenthood centers. That s even if the abortion business is ultimately de-funded under Indiana law.
Undercover phone calls released today show Planned Parenthood of Indiana abortion business staffers admitting that they are not the only source of women s health care for women on Medicaid, even though denying women heath care has become the thrust of its argument against losing taxpayer funds. Live Action, the group that recorded the calls, says its footage shows the reality is quite the opposite.
In an official press release, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards claimed Indiana s defunding of Planned Parenthood would take away health care from thousands of women in Indiana. Yet, last week, Live Action s undercover investigators called 16 of the 28 Indiana Planned Parenthood centers posing as women on Medicaid concerned about where they could receive services if Planned Parenthood s funding was not restored.
Planned Parenthood staffers at all 16 locations admitted that women on Medicaid could still have access to medical care after the defunding. Staffers suggested local health clinics or state-assigned primary care physicians for Medicaid patients.
One Planned Parenthood staffer in Michigan City is recorded saying, Your primary care doctor should be able to do [a Well Woman exam,] I mean, that s what they re there for.
They have the same services we have, a Merrillville Planned Parenthood staffer admits. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/expose-planned-parenthood-staffers-admit-tax-funding-not-needed/
Federal Appeals Court Panel Upholds Obamacare Against Lawsuit
A federal appeals court upheld the Obamacare health care law that pro-life groups opposed because of abortion funding and rationing concerns, though the lawsuit is not either of the two premier lawsuits filed by Florida, Virginia and other states.
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the individual mandate contained in the 2010 health care law on a 2-1 vote. The ruling claims Congress has the power to force individuals to buy health insurance under its authority to regulate interstate commerce the main argument the Obama administration has been using to defend the law against the multiple lawsuits organizations, lawmakers and states have filed.
We find that the minimum coverage provision is a valid exercise of legislative power by Congress under the Commerce Clause, the court wrote.
The Sixth Circuit s decision came in the case of Thomas More Law Center v. Barack Obama and other challenges to Obamacare remain pending in other federal appeals courts, like the Eleventh Circuit, Fourth Circuit, and D.C. Circuit.A Michigan federal judge issued the first ruling in any of the cases concerning the Thomas More suit and upheld the law. U.S. District Court Judge George Steeh in Detroit rejected some of the claims filed in the lawsuit presented by the Thomas More Law Center, a pro-life legal group, saying Congress overreached in passing the law. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/federal-appeals-court-panel-upholds-obamacare-against-lawsuit/
Planned Parenthood to Open New Abortion Business in Oregon
Fresh from starting a massive new abortion facility in Portland, the Planned Parenthood abortion business is preparing a new facility in Eugene, Oregon that will promote abortions in the western part of the state.
Planned Parenthood of Southwest Oregon is preparing to break new ground on construction of the abortion facility in Lane County in August and, according to the Catholic Sentinel newspaper, it will be located next to a used car lot. Hearings are reportedly underway locally on approving the new abortion center, which will be located on a highway connecting Eugene and Springfield.
The newspaper indicates a federal grant of $74,000 is being used to help with construction of the new site and the abortion business is requesting city funds for on-site stormwater management. The closest current abortion facility location is in Salem, and the new abortion facility will make it so women don t have to travel as far to get them.
The project follows the abortion provider s new strategy of building centers in low-income areas. Critics say it s a cynical business plan to earn income from a population that gets a relatively high number of abortions, the newspaper says. It adds that Planned Parenthood of Southwest Oregon says it has 27,000 customers annually.
Gayle Atteberry, the executive director of Oregon Right to Life, emailed LifeNews about the new center.
In its unrelenting drive to provide unregulated, quick abortions to every girl, Planned Parenthood is moving from its current location across from a high school to a location on a main thoroughfare with a bus line, she said. Oregon pro-lifers will do all we can to slow them down and save babies. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/planned-parenthood-to-open-new-abortion-business-in-oregon/
Practitioners Sue Kansas Over Law Shutting Abortion Clinics
Two abortion practitioners in Kansas have filed suit against a new law that has already resulted in temporarily closing one abortion center and may result in the closing of two others that may fail to meet the new health and safety standards.
The new law pro-life Gov. Sam Brownback signed requires abortion centers to meet the same basic health and safety standards as legitimate outpatient surgical centers such as, according to the bill, having an emergency door that can accommodate a gurney maintaining proper emergency equipment, drugs and protocols, having proper lighting and ventilation, lavatory areas, and spaces for the sterilization of surgical equipment. Clinics must also have a licensed nurse in the clinic when abortions are done.
The state health department has an 18-page checklist with more than 200 criteria abortion centers must meet in order to remain in compliance with the law. Abortion facilities must obtain an annual license from the health department and explain to officials the drugs and equipment used.
The Aid for Women abortion facility in Kansas City has lost its license to do abortions in Kansas as it was one of the three states that did not meet the regulations put in place by the state legislature this session. The Aid for Women abortion facility lost the license and an attorney for the abortion center received a notice that its application for a license had been denied by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Cheryl Pilate indicated Aid for Women would have to close at least temporarily while it pursues its legal options. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/practitioners-sue-kansas-over-law-shutting-abortion-clinics/
 "This book is an amazing story about life, family, and the evil of abortion," - Abby Johnson http://www.theintrusionbook.com |
Poland Parliament Votes This Week on Bill Banning Abortions
Members of the Polish Parliament are voting on Thursday on legislation that would ban all abortions in the country, which has long prohibited most abortions under its federal law to the chagrin of other European states.
The PRO Foundation has organized a grassroots campaign to lobby MPs to support the legislation and the nation s Catholic bishops have also played an integral role in advancing the legislation. The legislation is the result of a citizen-led initiative drive in which sponsors collected 100,000 signatures over the course of three months but which resulted in collecting 600,000 petitions in just two weeks.
This project is a chance to finally reject the heritage of Nazism and Communism which brought legal abortion to Poland in the first place, said Jacek Sapa of the PRO Foundation, according to Lifesite. It was Hitler and Stalin who imposed it on Poles and it s high time we clearly disassociate ourselves from those deadly ideologies.
The bill would remove the rape and incest exceptions from the current federal law in Poland and provide protection for pregnant women and unborn children starting at conception. Also, currently, Polish law allows for abortion in cases related to maternal health, if the pregnancy is the result of illegal activity, or if the unborn child is disabled.
Some Polish abortion practitioners have reportedly manipulated the law to do abortions on children with minor problems such as a cleft palate and others are misreporting the fetal age of the unborn baby at the time of the abortion to escape prosecution. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/poland-parliament-votes-this-week-on-bill-banning-abortions/
Girls in India: Sex-Selection Aborted Out of Existence
Slowly but surely one of the most outrageous violations of human rights is beginning to seep into public consciousness: the massive loss of female babies due to sex-selection abortion made possible by ultrasounds. We wrote about this most recently earlier this month The Persistence of Sex-Selective Abortion and the Silence of Pro-Abortion Feminists .
The past week two stunning insightful reviews appeared based on the same source as were my comments: The book, Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men, by journalist Mara Hvistendahl. I will provide the highlights of each along with the links.
160 Million and Counting, written by Ross Douthat, appeared in the New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/opinion/27douthat.html?_r=1).
In many ways the most important insight was contained in the first two paragraphs.
Twenty years ago the economist Amartya Sen published an essay in The New York Review of Books with a bombshell title: More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing. Not a word about abortion; the explanation for wildly off-kilter sex ratios in the developing world was attributed to neglect of women Douthat writes. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/girls-in-india-sex-selection-aborted-out-of-existence/
Bill to Force Embryonic Research Funding Gets New GOP Backer
Rep. Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, is re-introducing her bill today to force taxpayers to finance embryonic stem cell research and the legislation is getting the support of a Republican who is becoming the top GOP lawmakers to back it.
The legislation is designed to expand President Barack Obama s decision to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research and it could pave the way for a battle over federal restrictions on research destroying human embryos.
DeGette says the bill is designed to codify Obama s executive order which would prevent a future pro-life president from overturning it. Instead of issuing a subsequent executive order, a future pro-life president would be forced to rely on Congress to approve a bill putting the Bush protections back in place.
Previous versions of the bill, which was vetoed twice by pro-life President George W. Bush, had pro-abortion Republican Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware as the chief GOP lawmaker pushing the legislation. Now, according to a new report in The Hill, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Charlie Dent is taking his place as the lead Republican co-sponsor. Dent has a mixed record on abortion according to the National Right to Life Committee having voted against Obamacare and taxpayer funding of abortions but voting to fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business and for using taxpayer funds to do abortion training. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/bill-to-force-embryonic-research-funding-gets-new-gop-backer/
Trial Begins: Man Allegedly Killed Girlfriend Refusing Abortion
The trial has begun for a Navy man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a pregnant woman who refused his request for an abortion. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/trial-begins-man-allegedly-killed-girlfriend-refusing-abortion/
Ohio OKs Pro-Life State Budget Cutting Abortion Funding
The Ohio state legislature today passed a state budget which includes multiple pro-life amendments ensuring the state is not involved in abortion funding with taxpayer money. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/ohio-oks-pro-life-state-budget-cutting-abortion-funding/
Planned Parenthood Sues South Dakota on 72-Hour Abortion Wait
The Planned Parenthood abortion business is asking a judge to stop the new law that has the longest abortion waiting period in the country 72 hours. The measure also helps women find abortion alternatives. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/planned-parenthood-sues-south-dakota-on-72-hour-abortion-wait/
Wisconsin Pro-Life Group: Recall Elections Could Affect Abortion
A Wisconsin pro-life group is urging pro-life voters in the state to pay attention to the recall elections and to support pro-life lawmakers because the results of the elections could affect abortion legislation. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/wisconsin-pro-life-group-recall-elections-could-affect-abortion/
Medicaid Abortion Funding Holds Up Iowa State Budget Deal
A battle over whether taxpayers should be forced to pay, via Medicaid, for abortions done at University of Iowa Hospitals is threatening to hold up a deal between state House Republicans and state Senate Democrats on the state budget. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/medicaid-abortion-funding-holds-up-iowa-state-budget-deal/
Kentucky Court: Who Leaked Decision OKing Secret Teen Abortions?
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is not happy that a decision it issued earlier this year allowing teens from another state to obtain abortions in the Bluegrass State without abortion practitioners notifying their parents became public. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/kentucky-court-who-leaked-decision-oking-secret-teen-abortions/
New York Times Cites Abortion Advocates as Neutral Sources
Recently the Times has run several stories on various abortion legislation in the states, none more slanted than Eric Eckholm s piece on Monday, New Laws in 6 States Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/new-york-times-cites-abortion-advocates-as-neutral-sources/
What is the Pro-Life Catholic View of Human Embryo Adoption?
It has been estimated that there are as many as half a million frozen IVF embryos in fertility clinics across the United States waiting to continue their lives. Some are abandoned or forgotten. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/29/what-is-the-pro-life-catholic-view-of-human-embryo-adoption/
