Congress Will Fund UNFPA, Forced Abortions for Obama, Representative Says
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- One of the leading pro-abortion members of the House of Representatives says Congress will do the dirty work for incoming president Barack Obama when it comes to funding the UNFPA and forced abortions. Rep. Carolyn Maloney held a press conference Wednesday discussing the taxpayer funding. Maloney told reporters that the Democratic-controlled Congress, run by abortion advocates, will restore the $40 million annual funding to the UNFPA with Obama's support. "You know the president will have to do nothing," Maloney said, according to CNS News. "He will just have to let the will of Congress go through. One of the changes is that UNFPA will be funded." If Congress or the Obama administration restore the UNFPA funding, Douglas Johnson, the legislative director for National Right to Life, tells LifeNews.com it would be looking the other way at a federal law prohibiting the funding of groups that are involved in forced abortion programs. "Since 1985, U.S. law has prohibited funding any organization that supports a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization," Johnson explained. "The UNFPA has been a cheerleader for, and participant in, China's coercive population control program. In order to restore funding to the UNFPA, Obama will have to turn a blind eye to the law," Johnson added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hawaii Newspaper Wants State to Become Third to Legalize Assisted Suicide
Honolulu, HI (LifeNews.com) -- Now that Washington voters made it the second state to legalize assisted suicide, the Honolulu Star Bulletin wants Hawaii to be the third. The island state's legislature has narrowly defeated previous attempts to legalize assisted suicide but the paper wants it to try again. "Hawaii has come close to doing the same since a gubernatorial panel recommended it 10 years ago and should give serious consideration to the issue in the coming legislative session," the newspaper writes. A state House committee defeated the assisted suicide bill last in February 2007, which would have allowed physicians to administer a lethal drug to terminally ill patients. Prior to that, in 2002, the House approved an assisted suicide law but the Senate defeated it by three votes. ACTION: Contact the Star Bulletin newspaper with your opposition to an assisted suicide bill. Contact editor Frank Bridgewater at (808) 529-4791 or fbridgewater@starbulletin.com to oppose the pro-suicide editorial. And you can send a letter to the editor by going to http://www.starbulletin.com/about/lettertotheeditor.html Full story at LifeNews.com
Practitioner Bruce Steir Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion Writes Book
Riverside, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A former abortion practitioner who was convicted of killing a woman in a botched legal abortion has written a new book telling his life story. California abortion practitioner Bruce Steir was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2000 after botching an abortion and killing a woman. Steir only served 114 days before being released on parole. Steir had perforated the uterus of the mother, 27-year-old Sharon Hamptlon, while performing an abortion of her 20-week-old unborn child. Hamptlon bled to death in front of her 3-year-old son while being driven home by her mother after the abortion. Having been on probation with the medical board since 1988, Steir surrendered his license to practice medicine four months after Hamptlon's death. Steir describes the abortion and his experience behind bars in his new book, "Jailhouse Journal of an OB/GYN" published by AuthorHouse. Full story at LifeNews.com
Uruguay President Vazquez Vetoes Bill legalizing Abortions in Early Pregnancy
Montevideo, Uruguay (LifeNews.com) -- The president of the South American nation of Uruguay today vetoed legislation that would make the small nation one of the few in the region to legalize abortions. President Tabare Vasquez made good on his promise to veto the legislation the Congress approved. Tourist Minister Hector Lescano informed the media of the veto Thursday afternoon and said members of the House and Senate lacked the three-fifths vote required to override it. There were 7 of the 30 members of the Senate who voted for the bill on Tuesday and the Chamber of Deputies approved it on a slim 49-48 margin. The measure would allow abortions for virtually any reason during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy even though most of the nations in Central and South America prohibit abortions in line with the overwhelmingly strong Catholic beliefs of the people. Vásquez vetoed a similar bill earlier this year that would have allowed abortions on virtually any grounds during the early part of pregnancy. Full story at LifeNews.com
Australia Parliament Members Disassociate With Backing Abortions for Disabled
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- A group of Australian MPs are disassociating themselves with a statement the Australia Senate produced in their name which calls for taxpayer funding of abortions of disabled unborn babies. The statement says abortion is preferable to birth because it supposedly costs too much to raise disabled children. The Parliamentary Group on Population and Development’s submitted the statement on behalf of the 41 MPs that belong to the caucus, but seven MPs say they don't want their name on the document. The statement, which mirrors one from the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance comes in the middle of a debate on whether abortions in Australia should be funded through the government's Medicare program. The program currently spends $180,000 annually funding the abrotions and pro-life lawmakers want that stopped. The documents call for taxpayer-funding of abortion in the second trimester and says raising disabled children is a burden on taxpayers. PGDP chair Senator Clair Moore wrote the statement, but the seven members emailed Moore in response saying they wanted their names removed. Full story at LifeNews.com
Ireland May Need Amendment to Protect Pro-Life Laws From International Attack
Dublin, Ireland (LifeNews.com) -- A legal expert told a Dáil committee yesterday that Ireland officials may need to adopt a strong constitutional amendment to protect its laws against abortion from being toppled by international attacks. Trinity law professor William Binchy described how Europe and the United Nations could apply pressure. Binchy told the panel that the "open door policy" towards European law is becoming dangerous in part because of the Lisbon Treaty but because of the "dynamic progression of jurisprudence" in the European Court of Justice. "There are serious concerns within the EU venture with respect to abortion," he added, according to a Irish Times report. Professor Binchy told the panel that European courts and more frequently looking at abortion as a "service" for women that can't be denied and he said the Ireland Constitution could address the issue in an amendment that prevent abortion from being seen as an international or domestic right. Full story at LifeNews.com
