| HEADLINES |  |  Appeals judge stops Planned Parenthood injunction
Town Hall
A federal appeals judge stepped into the fight over the Texas Women's Health Program on Tuesday, saying he wanted to hear arguments on whether the state should be prevented from enforcing a law that bans Planned Parenthood from participating in the program. Less than 24 hours after a federal judge in Austin ordered Texas not to enforce a rule banning clinics associated with abortion providers from receiving state funds, Fifth Circuit Appeals Judge Jerry Smith granted Texas an emergency stay lifting the Austin court's order. Smith gave attorneys representing the eight Planned Parenthood organizations involved in the suit until 5 p.m. on Tuesday to present their arguments. |
|  Proof positive: Life with a disability is life worth living
Live Action News
There's a common and horrifying belief among many of us that unborn children with disabilities should be terminated. Many think that a different life or a life that needs extra care is not a life worth living. People look at a person with Down syndrome or a person in a wheelchair and feel pity. But what's truly pitiful is that, despite our attempts to dissuade bullying and despite all of the human rights movements we form, we are still judging each other's worth. We haven't learned anything from the destructive ways of Nazism or the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. We are still willing to condemn a child to death for being less than our version of perfect. Doctors, who have pledged to do no harm, are still pressuring parents to abort their disabled babies. We have forgotten that we are all a part of the human family. Luckily, there are plenty of differently-abled people living happy lives and reminding us that they aren't so different after all. |
|  Vegetative patient now able to give 'thumbs up,' fuelling debate over life support
The Globe and Mail
A hospital patient deemed vegetative is now able to make a "thumbs up" gesture----a sign to family that he is aware, but not yet strong enough to persuade doctors to drop a recommendation to withdraw life support. The symbol marks a dramatic turn for Hassan Rasouli, 60, who until recently was in a persistent vegetative state. An affidavit filed with Canada's top court says he's now minimally conscious, and doctors' reports say he can "voluntarily control" certain behaviors----suggesting he may be aware but trapped in a paralyzed body. | |
