LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report 10/1/09

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Thursday, October 1, 2009

For news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.

Current Headlines

• Senate Rejects Amdt to Cut Abortion Funding From Baucus Health Care Bill
• Pro-Life Groups: Votes on Amdt Confirm Abortion in All Health Care Bills
• Senate Panel Defeats Amdt to Protect Pro-Life Medical Workers on Abortion
• Letter From 183 Members Urges Pelosi to Allow Vote to Cut Abortion Funding
• Senate Finance Cmte Reinstates $50 Million in Abstinence Education Funding
• Planned Parenthood Says Pro-Lifers Winning, Misleads on Insurance, Abortion
• Poll: Americans Want Government to Promote Traditional, Pro-Life Values
• Report Highlights History of Pregnancy Centers Helping Women on Abortion
• California Planned Parenthood Allegedly Injures Women in Botched Abortions
• Virginia Pro-Life Governor Candidate Bob McDonnell Leads Deeds in New Polls
• Arizona Courts Don't Deal Full Blow to Pro-Life Laws Limiting Abortions
• Kansas Pro-Life Group Wants Attorney General to Monitor Underage Abortions
• Oklahoma Law to Ban Sex-Selection Abortions, Help Women Faces Lawsuit

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Senate Panel Rejects Amdt to Cut Abortion Funding From Baucus Health Care Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A Senate committee today voted against a critical amendment that would remove the massive abortion subsidies present in the Baucus health care bill. On a 13-10 vote, the Senate Finance Committee rejected amendments from Sen. Orrin Hatch that would have the bill conform to current federal law prohibiting direct abortion funding. Hatch amendment 355 would make it so the Baucus bill "prohibits authorized or appropriated federal funds under this Mark from being used for elective abortions and plans that cover such abortions." The otherwise party-line vote saw pro-abortion Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe side with Democrats against it and Sen. Kent Conrad of Noth Dakota join Republicans in supporting it. "All I'm asking -- my gosh -- is for specific language in the bill that prohibits federal dollars from being used to fund abortions," Hatch said. However, the Baucus bill opens the door to massive abortion funding. According to National Right to Life legislative director Douglas Johnson, "The bill contains provisions that would send massive federal subsidies directly to both private insurance plans and government-chartered cooperatives that pay for elective abortion." Full story at LifeNews.com

ACTION: Contact members of the Senate Finance Committee and express your disappointment that the Hatch amendments were defeated. You can find members of the panel here. http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm

Pro-Life Groups: Votes on Baucus Amdts Confirm Abortion in All Health Care Bills
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With a Senate committee rejecting yet another pro-life amendment to make sure the health care bills in Congress don't include abortion funding, pro-life groups say there is one conclusion. That is that every one of the health care bills under consideration contains abortion funding. The Senate Finance Committee this morning rejected the Hatch amendment to make it clear that the Baucus health care bill would not fund abortions. "This action leaves no doubt that the health care bill that will come to the Senate floor in a few weeks will contain provisions that would result in massive subsidies for abortion coverage," Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee said. Johnson told LifeNews.com after the vote the battles to stop abortion funding are not over as "the full Senate will have to vote on the pro-abortion subsidies, and other pro-abortion components as well." The pro-life legislative guru also noted that the near unanimous opposition to the anti-abortion funding limits by members of President Barack Obama's party "is one more proof that President Obama's public statements that he does not want federal dollars used for abortion are completely phony -- part of an ongoing political hoax." Charmaine Yoest, the president of Americans United for Life, agrees. She told LifeNews.com that the defeat of these important amendments illustrates the gap between rhetoric and reality on the Hill over abortion in health care reform. Full story at LifeNews.com

Senate Panel Defeats Amendment to Protect Pro-Life Medical Workers on Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Shortly after the Senate Finance Committee voted against an amendment to remove the massive abortion subsidies from the Baucus health care bill, they rejected a second pro-life amendment. It would have offered protection for medical workers who don't want to participate in or refer for abortions. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, offered the abortion funding limitation and Hatch also offered his conscience protection amendment, number 354, which mirrors the Hyde-Weldon appropriations language. Hyde-Weldon is a federal law that President George W. Bush signed into law in December 2004 that protects hospitals, health insurance companies and medical professionals who don't want to pay for or perform abortions. The Hatch nondiscrimination amendment failed by a vote of 13-10 with pro-abortion Sen. Olympia Snow, a Maine Republican, siding with Democrats on the panel to oppose the measure. Sen. Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat, joined Republicans in supporting the amendment. Without the Hatch amendment, the Baucus bill contains no conscience protections on abortions for employees who don't want to be involved in them or refer for them. Full story at LifeNews.com

Letter From 183 House Members Urges Pelosi to Allow Vote to Cut Abortion Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A bipartisan group of 183 members of Congress sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter on Monday urging her to allow a vote on an amendment to cut the massive abortion funding and subsidies from the main health care "reform" bill in the chamber. HR 3200 currently allows for both abortion subsidies and mandates and pro-life Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan wants the opportunity to propose an amendment to remove the funding from the bill. "We urge you to allow members of the House to vote their consciences with regard to abortion and health care reform by allowing consideration of an amendment to prohibit government funding of abortion," the letter says. The lawmakers say HR 3200 "radically departs from current federal government policy of not paying for elective abortion or subsidizing plans that cover abortion." Full story at LifeNews.com

Medical professionals are on the frontlines of battle in life issues. From abortion to assisted suicide and euthanasia and all issues in between we are challenged in the workplace to defend our beliefs and risk our employment. The National Association of Pro-life Nurses has been here for nurses since the beginning of this battle. Join with us in our efforts to protect those voices at www.nursesforlife.org

Senate Finance Committee Reinstates $50 Million in Abstinence Education Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a late Tuesday vote, members of the Senate Finance Committee narrowly approved an amendment to restore some of the abstinence education funds President Barack Obama and abortion advocates in Congress have removed from budget bills. Sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, the amendment reinstates $50 million a year in abstinence funding through Title V state block grant programs. Traditionally, abstinence education funding was extended along with funding for the Transitional Medical Assistance program, which extends Medicaid to families struggling to leave welfare, but President Obama zeroed it out in his budget proposal to Congress. Hatch hailed the vote, which saw members of the panel vote 12-11 for his amendment. "Abstinence education works," Hatch said in a statement LifeNews.com received. "My amendment restores a vital funding stream so that teens and parents have the option to participate in programs that have demonstrated success in reducing teen sexual activity and, consequently, teen pregnancies." Full story at LifeNews.com

Planned Parenthood Says Pro-Lifers Winning, Misleads on Insurance, Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With a Senate committee voting today against an amendment to cut off taxpayer funding of abortions, the president of Planned Parenthood should have been giddy with excitement. Instead, she attacked pro-life advocates, said they are generating more calls to Congress, and then misled about insurance an abortion. In an email this afternoon to her group's supporters, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards complained that pro-life groups are doing more to generate calls and emails to Congress than her group. "Opponents of health care reform — and especially those fighting against women's health — have been well-funded, loud, and aggressive," she claims. "That's what we've all witnessed, but what really worries me is what's been going on behind the scenes." "Make no mistake — Planned Parenthood has been working with legislators day and night," she continues. "But when it comes to hearing from regular people, the contact with voters that matters most to members of Congress, we're getting out-hustled, outnumbered, and just plain drowned out." Full story at LifeNews.com

Choicekills.com can change discussion from Defense to Offense

A woman's right to choose has succeeded in in forcing us to defend the right to life. Accusing Choice of being a killer TURNS THE TABLES and forces our opponents to defend against the reality that Choice facilitates abortion. Not an easy task. http://www.ChoiceKills.com

Poll Shows Americans Want Government to Promote Traditional, Pro-Life Values
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new Gallup poll shows Americans returning to their historic stance that the government should promote traditional values, which includes a pro-life stance on abortion. Since 1993, with the exception of last year, a strong majority of Americans have consistently taken such a stance. In this year's annual Gallup Governance poll, 53% of Americans say the government should promote traditional values, while 42% disagree. Last year, Americans were divided with 48 percent taking each position, but the election of pro-abortion President Barack Obama appeared to have awaken Americans' sensitivity to values issues like abortion. The poll does not define what the term "traditional values" means; thus, respondents answer in light of their understanding of the term, but Gallup's analysis confirms abortion has always been one of the issues voters consider as a values concern. Full story at LifeNews.com

Report Highlights History of Crisis Pregnancy Centers Helping Women on Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A coalition of national pregnancy center networks and pro-life groups released their report today on the status of the pregnancy center movement. The new report, A Passion to Serve, A Vision for Life, is the first-ever national analysis of the centers that provide women with abortion alternatives. The report shares the tremendous contributions of pregnancy resource centers since the inception of the movement over forty years ago. It presents in detail, through statistical summaries, case studies and client stories, the extraordinary social service contributions made by pregnancy resource centers, detailing how centers are meeting the needs of women, youth and families. Care Net, a participant in today's press conference unveiling the new report, tells LifeNews.com, says it aims to "communicate the work of pregnancy centers to a broader audience, in particular to state legislators, public health officials, and other key leaders, all who may be surprised to learn of pregnancy centers' vast community impact and rootedness." "In so doing, we hope to grow the number of people who, regardless of their position on abortion, recognize that pregnancy centers play a critical role in our nation's communities," Care Net says. Full story at LifeNews.com

California Planned Parenthood Allegedly Injures Women in Botched Abortions
Orange, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Local pro-life advocates in southern California say that a Planned Parenthood abortion business there may have injured women on two separate occasions in botched abortions. They have photographed ambulances taking women from the abortion facility twice in the last month. On September 16, 2009, pro-life observed and photographed an ambulance responding to a medical emergency at a Planned Parenthood abortion center at 700 Tustin Dr. in Orange, California. Ten days later, a different group of pro-life supporters observed and photographed another emergency transport by ambulance from the same abortion facility. Operation Rescue president Troy Newman informed LifeNews.com of the incidents. "Two ambulances in ten days shows that there is something terribly wrong going on inside that abortion clinic," he said. Full story at LifeNews.com

Virginia Pro-Life Governor Candidate Bob McDonnell Leads Deeds in New Polls
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- Three new polls show pro-life Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell with a lead over his pro-abortion opponent, Democrat Creigh Deeds. One survey shows McDonnell is faring better with pro-life Virginia residents than Deeds is with state voters who back abortion. A new Rasmussen poll out today shows McDonnell has bounced back to a nine-point lead over Deeds. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Virginia voters finds McDonnell attracting 51% of the vote while Deeds picks up 42%. Over the past two weeks, McDonnell's support has gone up three percentage points while Deeds has lost four points in the Rasmussen numbers. "After closing to essentially a toss-up in mid-September, the race is back to where it was in early September, when the GOP hopeful held a nine-point advantage," Rasmussen explains. "McDonnell's lead at this time is essentially the same with and without leaners." Full story at LifeNews.com

Arizona Courts Don't Deal Full Blow to Pro-Life Laws Limiting Abortions
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- Arizona courts could have dealt a more severe blow to a new omnibus abortion law that protects medical workers and women considering abortions. Alliance Defense Fund attorneys made gains in federal and state court Tuesday against groups seeking to block the enforcement of new legislation. The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona issued an order denying the Tucson Women's Center abortion business' request for a preliminary injunction to stop an act passed this year to ensure that women have enough time and information before having an abortion. Meanwhile, even though the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County granted Planned Parenthood's preliminary injunction through an order keeping new state laws restricting abortion from taking effect today, ADF attorneys made headway in the first round of litigation. Full story at LifeNews.com

Kansas Pro-Life Group Wants Attorney General to Monitor Underage Abortions
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A statewide pro-life group is calling on Kansas Attorney general David Six to monitor abortions on girls who are minors. Kansans for Life says it is worried that abortions are occurring on girls who are not legally able to consent for sex -- making it so the man who got her pregnant is guilty of statutory rape. The issue of abortions being used as a means of covering up cases of statutory rape is not new, and pro-life advocates have spent years trying to highlight the problem. Kathy Ostrowski, the legislative director of Kansans for Life, talked with LifeNews.com about the issues in her state. Full story at LifeNews.com

Oklahoma Law to Ban Sex-Selection Abortions, Help Women Faces Lawsuit
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- A new Oklahoma law that would have gone into effect in November to ban sex-selection abortions and help women by making sure abortion centers follow certain health and safety requirements may be delayed. That is because it faces a new lawsuit by abortion advocates who oppose it. Yesterday, the Center for Reproductive Rights, a New York-based pro-abortion law firm, filed suit against the law that the state legislature approved by a wide bipartisan majority and signed by Governor Brad Henry in May. "It is absurd, bordering on incredible, that an organization that says it cares about 'women's rights' would challenge a law that seeks to help women and their children," National Right to Life state legislative director Mary Spaulding Balch told LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.com

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