LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
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Current Headlines
Top Stories
• Rick Perry Signs Pro-Life Pledge on Abortion, Judges
• Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Closes in Sherman, Texas
• Democratic Party Chair Headlines Planned Parenthood Abortion Rally
• Polls Show Perry Leading Republican Race, Bachmann Fading
More Pro-Life News
• Martin Luther King Jr. Niece to Tout Pro-Life View at Memorial
• Abby Johnson: Clinic Workers Leaving Could Take Down Abortion
• Poland MPs Vote Down Legislation for Complete Abortion Ban
• Tenth Texas Abortion Practitioner Under State Investigation
• Biden in China: Nothing Like Reagan, Bush or Even Clinton
• Catholic Group: Biden Failure on One-Child Policy No Shock
• Missouri Senate Race May Pit Pro-Life Woman vs. Pro-Abortion
• Selective Reduction Abortions Highlight ART Problems
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Rick Perry Signs Pro-Life Pledge on Abortion, Judges
Texas Governor Rick Perry, who entered the GOP presidential race less than two weeks ago, is the latest Republican presidential candidate to sign a pro-life pledge put forward by the Susan B. Anthony List on abortion and judges.
The pledge has the candidates promising to support only judicial nominees who won t interpret the Constitution in a way that supports Roe v. Wade, select pro-life Cabinet members on positions affecting abortion policy, supporting legislation to stop taxpayer funding of abortions and Planned Parenthood, and to support a fetal pain bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
I not only pledge to protect unborn life, but have a record of doing so in Texas, Perry said in signing the pledge. I have signed legislation requiring parental consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, and have long advocated adoption as an alternative to abortion in order to protect unborn children.
SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in response: Governor Perry has been a long-time friend of, and leader for, the pro-life community. His signature on our pledge is more than welcome and we applaud him for his commitment to continue to fight for women and unborn children.
Perry joins Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Thad McCotter, and Newt Gingrich in signing the pledge. Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the pledge as well before dropping out of the Republican presidential race. Though they are running on pro-life platforms, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, and Jon Huntsman declined to sign the pledge. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/rick-perry-signs-pro-life-pledge-on-abortion-judges/
Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Closes in Sherman, Texas
A Planned Parenthood abortion-referrals facility has closed in Sherman, Texas near Dallas as a direct result of the bill Governor Rick Perry signed that the Texas legislature approved revoking taxpayer funding for the abortion business.
The center closed on Tuesday, four months after former manager Ramona Trevino resigned her post at Planned Parenthood. Trevino is now speaking out about her pro-life conversion and resulting exodus from the organization responsible for the most abortions in the United States.
According to the pro-life group 40 Days for Life, which publicized the closing and which helped Abby Johnson leave a Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood center, Trevino explains that, although this particular Planned Parenthood did not perform surgical abortions, she was struggling with [her] conscience . . . on contraception, abortion and [her] role in it all. All Planned Parenthood centers make abortion referrals and some of them dispense the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug that has killed dozens of women and injured another 2,200 in the United States alone.
Beginning last March, Texoma Pro-Life Association sponsored a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the first time outside the Sherman Planned Parenthood that is credited with helping Trevino change her mind on abortion. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/planned-parenthood-abortion-biz-closes-in-sherman-texas/
Democratic Party Chair Headlines Planned Parenthood Abortion Rally
The chair of the national Democratic party headlined a small rally in Florida yesterday for Planned Parenthood, in what is the latest event having Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz working with the abortion business.
Wasserman Schultz was named by pro-abortion President Barack Obama recently to take over as the head of the Democratic Party nationally and prepare for his re-election campaign next year. At the time of her appointment to the position, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards praised Wasserman Schultz as a heroine for her extensive abortion advocacy. The appointment made it clear Obama would not run from his lengthy pro-abortion record.
Now, Schultz is continuing that abortion advocacy, appearing in the event sponsored by Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, a local abortion affiliate.
Show your support for Planned Parenthood, and tell your elected officials that women s health matters, an announcement of the rally read, without mentioning abortion. We re so excited to co-sponsor a rally in Ft. Lauderdale during the August Congressional recess with all our wonderful coalition partners and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Congressman Ted Deutch, and Congressman Alcee Hastings in attendance. We re going to turn downtown Ft. Lauderdale pink, and thank our elected officials who have defended women s health care. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/democratic-party-chair-headlines-planned-parenthood-abortion-rally/
Polls Show Perry Leading Republican Race, Bachmann Fading
Two new polls of the Republican presidential race show pro-life Texas Gov. Rick Perry now leading the race and pro-life Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann fading after placing first in the Iowa Straw Poll.
Perry now has the support of 29 percent of GOP primary election voters, according to a new Gallup survey, an increase on the 18 percent he had in the same poll in July 2011. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, places second at 17 percent a drop from 23 percent in July.
Ron Paul, the pro-life Texas congressman, comes in at 13 percent in the Gallup survey, a three percent gain from his July showing. Bachmann, who placed third in July at 13 percent, now has the support of just 10 percent of Republicans. Several pro-life candidates appeared below 10 percent in the Gallup survey including Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich at 4 percent each, Rick Santorum at 3 percent, Jon Huntsman at 1 percent, and 2 percent of those polled favored another candidate while 17 percent are currently undecided.
Perry s official announcement may have overshadowed the August 13 Iowa Straw Poll, which Bachmann won narrowly over Ron Paul, Gallup suggested. Neither candidate appears to have gotten a big boost from the straw poll results; Paul s support was up slightly from July and Bachmann s down slightly. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/polls-show-perry-leading-republican-race-bachmann-fading/
Martin Luther King Jr. Niece to Tout Pro-Life View at Memorial
In conjunction with Sunday s dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, his niece, Alveda King, will present the pro-life message at an event at the offices of the Family Research Council.
King, who is the full-time director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life, a Catholic pro-life group, will host a panel discussion and video presentation on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Redeem the Dream: The State of the Quality of Life in the 21st Century, will present a frank assessment of how far African-Americans have come since Martin Luther King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech on August 28, 1963, and how the dream has been imperiled by the abortion industry.
The murder of millions of African-American babies by abortion was not something my Uncle Martin envisioned or would ever have supported, King said in a statement to LifeNews. He was unequivocally pro-life, and it would break his heart to know that so many African-American leaders endorse freedom of choice over the right to life.
As people gather in the nation s capital to remember and celebrate the life of my Uncle Martin, it is an opportune moment to declare that were he here today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be standing with those working to stop the violence of abortion against children in the womb and restore them to equal protection under the law, King said. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/martin-luther-king-jr-niece-to-tout-pro-life-view-at-memorial/
Abby Johnson: Clinic Workers Leaving Could Take Down Abortion
Abby Johnson, the former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion business in Texas, shared a message with thousands of pro-life advocates last night about how she thinks abortion can be stopped.
Johnson shared her ideas, according to Live Action s Jewels Green, with more than 5,000 people who tuned in to a national webcast sponsored by 40 Days for Life and she explained how she thinks abortions can be stopped or, at least severely reduced, even within the confines of legalized abortion. With the day that the Supreme Court overturns Roe or upholds some sort of abortion ban or amendment protecting unborn children likely a long way off, webcast viewers were interested in hearing Johnson s ideas.
Abby said she speaks regularly with people who are former workers at abortion centers or want to get out of the abortion industry and are looking for help to do so. She says she is in contact with such people on a weekly basis and she believes helping abortion staffers leave their jobs is the Achilles Heel for Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry and could be the key to stopping considerable numbers of abortions by closing down abortion centers via lack of staff.
Planned Parenthood s greatest fear is that clinic workers will leave and that they will come out against them and that they will air their dirty laundry, just like I did, and they will expose their secrets, Johnson said. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/abby-johnson-clinic-workers-leaving-could-take-down-abortion/
Poland MPs Vote Down Legislation for Complete Abortion Ban
The Parliament in Poland has voted down legislation that would strengthen the nation s existing pro-life laws by instituting a complete ban on abortions in the Catholic eastern European nation.
Abortions are already prohibited in Poland, except in the cases of rape, incest, or the baby having severe physical or mental disabilities, or if a woman s life is endangered. The bill, which was supported by a massive petition campaign by pro-life advocates in Poland, was voted down by the Sejm s Commission on Health and Social Policy.
It s bad news two-thirds of MPs have declared themselves in favor of killing sick children , Mariusz Dzierzawski, from Poland s Stop Abortion group, told the Church s Catholic information agency, KAI. This will be verified at the next election, when we ll seek to make life a key campaign issue. If the MPs don t want to support life, we ll have to change the MPs.
Under Poland s political system, organizers needed to collect 100,000 signatures within three months to place the bill before Parliament. They succeeded, however, in obtaining 600,000 signatures in just two weeks. In July, the lower house of Poland s parliament voted 254-151 to support the bill, but it needed two more votes in the lower chamber before it moved to the Senate. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/poland-mps-vote-down-legislation-for-complete-abortion-ban/
Tenth Texas Abortion Practitioner Under State Investigation
A tenth abortion practitioner in Texas is now under state investigation following an undercover sting operation showing abortion centers in the Lone Star State breaking numerous Texas laws concerning abortions and engaging in illegal dumping of patient records and medical waste. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/tenth-texas-abortion-practitioner-under-state-investigation/
Biden in China: Nothing Like Reagan, Bush or Even Clinton
My last two articles at CatholicVote were on Vice President Joe Biden and China s one-child policy. That s incredibly ironic. I could never have imagined that my next piece would be forced to cover Biden s comments in China regarding the one-child policy. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/biden-in-china-nothing-like-reagan-bush-or-even-clinton/
Catholic Group: Biden Failure on One-Child Policy No Shock
A pro-life Catholic advocacy group says it is not surprised that pro-abortion Vice President Joe Biden failed to sufficiently condemn the one-child, forced abortion policy in China given his frequent opposition to Catholic pro-life teachings. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/catholic-group-biden-failure-on-one-child-policy-no-shock/
Missouri Senate Race May Pit Pro-Life Woman vs. Pro-Abortion
Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri is one of the Democrats most vulnerable senators heading into the 2012 elections. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/missouri-senate-race-may-pit-pro-life-woman-vs-pro-abortion/
Selective Reduction Abortions Highlight ART Problems
In the New York Times Magazine feature The Two-Minus-One Pregnancy, [i] Jenny acknowledges the consumerism of the IVF process stating. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/24/selective-reduction-abortions-higlight-art-problems/
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