Friday, October 22, 2010

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report 10/23/10

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, October 23, 2010

For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.

Current Headlines

Majority of Americans Want Pro-Life Republicans Running House, Senate
Lawsuit Against Pro-Abortion ObamaCare on Fast Track for Federal Appeals Court

Pro-Life Groups: Congressman Wrong to Silence Org on ObamaCare, Abortion
Pro-Life Carly Fiorina Nearly Ties Pro-Abortion Barbara Boxer in New Poll
Sestak Misleads on Abortion Funding, Pennsylvania Poll Has Toomey Leading
Minnesota Governor Race Still Tight, Pro-Abortion Mark Dayton Leads Emmer
Colorado Pro-Life Candidate Tom Tancredo Continues Rise Against Hickenlooper
Ella Drug Causes Abortions, Pro-Life Groups to Hold WebCast Showing How
Texas Parents Stopped From Forcing Teenage Daughter to Have Abortion
North Dakota, South Dakota Houses Races Have Pro-Life Candidates Leading
New Jersey Voters Should Support Pro-Life Congressional Hopeful Anna Little

---> LifeNews.com is pleased to present our comprehensive pro-life voting guide for the 2010 congressional elections. The
guide contains a list of both national and state-by-state information linking to you endorsements and voting information
from pro-life and pro-family groups.

Majority of Americans Want Pro-Life Republicans Running House, Senate
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A majority of Americans say in a new poll released today that they want pro-life Republicans running the House and Senate instead of the current pro-abortion Democrats who control the majority and work with pro-abortion President Barack Obama.

With Democrats pushing for the government-run health care reform bill that allows abortion funding and overturning other limits on abortion funds in other situations, Americans apparently have had enough.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of likely voters say that if their vote next month determined which political party wins control of the Senate, they'd like that party to be the Republicans. Another 42 percent disagree and want pro-abortion Democrats to remain in charge.

With pro-life elected officials in the top leadership positions in the GOP in both the House and Senate, changing who controls Congress will change key abortion policy and approach.

"This marks a noticeable turnaround from just before the midterm elections in November 2006 when 47% wanted their vote to throw control of the Senate to the Democrats, while 37% preferred putting the GOP in charge," pollster Scott Rasmussen noted.

The identical numbers hold true when voters are asked which party they would like to see controlling the House of Representatives if their vote was the determining factor: 51% say the Republicans; 42% say the Democrats. Full story at LifeNews.com

Lawsuit Against Pro-Abortion ObamaCare on Fast Track for Federal Appeals Court
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- One of the three lawsuits filed against the pro-abortion ObamaCare health care reform has been placed on a fast track for a federal appeals court. A Michigan federal judge issued the first ruling in any of the cases and now has allowed the case to move quickly to an appeals court.

Earlier this month, 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.

The lawsuit says Congress exceeded the powers it has under the Commerce Clause in instituting a penalty for people who fail to purchase health insurance under the exchanges.

Steeh ruled that the Thomas More Law Center and the four Michigan plaintiffs it represented had standing to challenge the Health Care Reform Act and that the challenge was ripe for review.

However, he held that Congress has the authority under its Commerce Clause power to enact the individual mandate provision of the Act, which requires individuals to purchase health care insurance under penalty of federal law.

In an order issued Thursday, the judge agreed to the joint request by TMLC and the federal government for TMLC to appeal the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which the pro-life legal group says it will do.

This thing is set up quite nicely, actually, for an appeal, Thomas More attorney Robert Muise said. Full story at LifeNews.com

Pro-Life Groups: Congressman Wrong to Silence Org on ObamaCare, Abortion
Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com) -- Local pro-life groups in Ohio and Cincinnati are coming to the defense of a pro-life organization targeted by a "pro-life Democratic" congressman. Rep. Steve Driehaus wants to shut down the Susan B. Anthony List's efforts to inform his constituents he voted for the ObamaCare bill allowing abortion funding.

Driehaus filed a criminal complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission saying that billboards the SBA List intended to purchase saying he voted for taxpayer funding of abortions was inaccurate.

If the Ohio agency sides with Driehaus, as initially appears to be the case, the agency could fine the organization or hold its president or staff accountable for supposedly breaking a state campaign finance law against misleading voters and punish SBA List officials with jail time.

SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com today that several pro-life groups in Ohio back SBA List's contention that the bill Driehaus voted for does actually allow abortion funding and that Driehaus violated his stated pro-life views by supporting it.

Local pro-life leaders overwhelmingly agree that Steve Driehaus voted for taxpayer funding of abortion when he cast his health care vote, she said. Full story at LifeNews.com

Pro-Life Carly Fiorina Nearly Ties Pro-Abortion Barbara Boxer in New Poll
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Carly Fiorina, the pro-life Senate candidate in California, is nearly tied with pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll. The two candidates have been fighting it out abortion, and Boxer's support of taxpayer funding of it, since the race began.

Rasmussen says the Senate contest "remains a virtual tie with less than two weeks to go until Election Day."

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of likely California voters finds Boxer picking up 48% of the vote, while Fiorina draws support from 46%. Three percent prefer another candidate and another three percent are still undecided.

Last week, Boxer led Fiorina 49% to 46% in the latest Rasmussen poll and, looking back to September, when Fiorina essentially tied the longtime abortion champion, Boxer has held a steady lead of about two to five percent.

Now, the polling data shows the race tightening again as Fiorina has steadily whittled away at Boxer's lead. Boxer is under 50 percent and has never crossed that threshold -- which gives Fiorina a chance to make a difference with undecided voters. Full story at LifeNews.com

Sestak Misleads on Abortion Funding, Pennsylvania Poll Has Toomey Leading
Harrisburg, PA (LifeNews.com) -- Pennsylvania Senate candidate Joe Sestak is facing criticism for misleading voters during a recent debate with pro-life candidate Pat Toomey. Sestak claims he did not support abortion funding, but voted for the ObamaCare health care reform bill that allows it.

Congressman Joe Sestak not only voted for the bill, he voted against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment [House roll call no. 884, Nov. 7, 2009] that left the abortion funding components in place in the legislation.

Now, Sestak is trying to rewrite history. In a debate on Wednesday night, Sestak asserted I voted against taxpayers funding it [abortion].

When his opponent challenged this statement, Sestak insisted, Congressman Toomey, I voted against it.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), told LifeNews.com clearest, most important vote to occur in years in the U.S. House of Representatives on the issue of federal funding of abortion was the one about abortion funding in the health care reform measure.

Sestak has voted pro-abortion 100 percent throughout his time in Congress, so his vote for government funding of abortion on demand last November was not surprising what is remarkable is the brazenness of his attempt to mislead voters," he said. "Under the legislation Sestak supported, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would have been sending checks to abortionists from the U.S. Treasury to pay for elective abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com

Minnesota Governor Race Still Tight, Pro-Abortion Mark Dayton Leads Emmer
St. Paul, MN (LifeNews.com) -- The Minnesota governor's race remains a close one as pro-life candidate Tom Emmer and pro-abortion candidate Mark Dayton run within the margin of error. Support for Independence Party candidate Tom Horner, who also backs abortion, appears to be fading.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Minnesota shows Dayton still barely ahead, with 44% support to Emmer's 41%.

Horner now picks up 10% of the vote while one percent prefer another candidate and four percent remain undecided.

"Earlier this month, Dayton held a 40% to 38% lead over Emmer, with Horner receiving 15% support," Rasmussen noted.

"In surveys taken since late May, the lead has gone back-and-forth between the two major party candidates, with support for Emmer ranging from 36% to 42% and backing for Dayton in the 35% to 45% range. Horner has captured nine percent (9%) to 15% support in those same surveys," the polling firm added. Full story at LifeNews.com

Colorado Pro-Life Candidate Tom Tancredo Continues Rise Against Hickenlooper
Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- The polling momentum continues moving towards pro-life gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo as he takes on pro-abortion Denver mayor John Hickenlooper in the race to become the next Colorado governor.

Tancredo is running as a third party candidate because of the failing campaign of Republican Dan Maes, who has seen scandals and questions about his legitimacy make him the kind of also-ran third party candidates normally tend to be in elections.

Magellan Data and Mapping Strategies, a Colorado-based poling firm, has released the results of a new survey of 1,067 likely voters showing Tancredo surging.

The findings show the two in a statistical tie with Hickenlooper getting 44 percent, Tancredo 43 percent and Maes the support of just 9 percent.

The generic other candidate has 2%, and only 2% responded as undecided.

"Since our Colorado Governor survey on August 25th, support for Dan Maes has plummeted from 27% to 9%, a total of 18 points," the firm notes. "It is clear the vast majority of former Dan Maes supporters are moving into the Tom Tancredo column." Full story at LifeNews.com

Ella Drug Causes Abortions, Pro-Life Groups to Hold WebCast Showing How
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The concern about the ella abortion drug the FDA recently approved is so great that a collection of pro-life groups has put together an informative webcast planned for Tuesday evening to explain how the so-called expanded morning after pill causes abortions.

The new drug ella has been sold to the public as an expanded and improved version of the Plan B drug and one that can be used to prevent pregnancy days after sexual intercourse.

But, at that point, conception has already occurred and the drug will destroy the life of a unique human being -- a conception the organizers of the webcast will explain in scientific detail.

The webcast, entitled "What They Won't Tell You About ella and Abortion," will feature Wendy Wright from Concerned Women for America, Jeanne Monahan from the Family Research Council, and Dr. Angela Lanfranchi from the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute. LifeNews.com is a co-sponsor of the pro-life educational forum. Full story at LifeNews.com


Texas Parents Stopped From Forcing Teenage Daughter to Have Abortion
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- With the help of pro-life attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund, a 16-yea-old Texas girl has secured a temporary restraining order preventing her parents from forcing her to have an abortion.

On two occasions, the teenager s mother literally dragged her to local abortion facilities, including International Healthcare Solutions and Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region, demanding that her daughter take the live of her unborn child.

Though she refused and the child s father also does not want the baby killed, her parents continued to insist that they will force her to have the abortion. The court s order prevents that from happening.

No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life--especially one that belongs to someone else--is worthless," says Stephen Casey of Round Rock, one of the allied attorneys ADF works with in Texas.

He told LifeNews.com in a statement, "The right not to have an abortion is protected by law, and this right isn't relinquished just because someone else considers the child to be an unwanted burden."

The 16-year-old high school student, who is 13 weeks pregnant, was even more confirmed in her decision against having an abortion after receiving information from a pro-life prayer worker outside one of the abortion facilities to which her mother took her. Full story at LifeNews.com

North Dakota, South Dakota Houses Races Have Pro-Life Candidates Leading
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The two pro-life candidates for the U.S. House in North Dakota and South Dakota are leading their respective races against pro-abortion incumbents.

Republican Kristi Noem has a lead over Democratic incumbent Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin in South Dakota while Republican challenger Rick Berg leads pro-abortion Democratic Congressman Earl Pomeroy in North Dakota.

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of likely voters in South Dakota finds Noem, a state legislator, picking up 49% of the vote, while Herseth-Sandlin draws support from 44%. Another two percent prefer some other candidate and five percent are undecided.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen's survey of likely voters in North Dakota finds Berg with 52% support. Pomeroy, a member of the House since 1993 who has a longstanding pro-abortion voting record, picks up 42% support. One percent (1%) favor some other candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are undecided. Full story at LifeNews.com

Looking for a Low-Cost Pro-Life Speaker?
Looking for a pro-life speaker for your next banquet, conference or convention? LifeNews.com editor Steven Ertelt is a low-cost speaker who can entertain and educate your audience as well as help you with a fundraising pitch if necessary. For more information: news@LifeNews.com.

New Jersey Voters Should Support Pro-Life Congressional Hopeful Anna Little
by Deal Hudson
Anna C. Little, the Republican candidate in highly diverse New Jersey s 6th Congressional District, has an energy and intelligence that is infectious.

On issues from the defense of life and immigration to Obamacare, she speaks with incisive authority.

As the mayor of Highlands, New Jersey and a former member of the Borough Council and Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Little is a veteran of local politics.

She proved her ability as a tough campaigner by defeating her GOP rival in the mayoral race when she spent only $21,000 to her opponent s $400,000.

Little started gaining national attention in late summer when she started to narrow the polling gap with the heavily favored incumbent. Full story at LifeNews.com

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