| 'Change' Should Begin in Obama's Heart Says Dr. Alveda King ATLANTA, Nov. 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said today that the first change President-elect Obama should pursue is to alter his attitude toward the unborn.
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a move that underscores Barack Obama's dedication to promoting abortion, the incoming president has named a prominent pro-abortion attorney to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Dawn Johnsen is a professor at the Indiana University School of Law. But she is more than that -- she is a longtime abortion advocate and worked for one of the leading abortion advocacy groups. Johnsen was the Legal Director for NARAL from 1988-1993. After that, she served in the Clinton administration as the Acting Assistant Attorney General heading the Office of Legal Counsel from 1997-1998 and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General from 1993-1996. Johnsen also served on the Clinton transition team in 1992. 
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama has appointed another bioethics advisor whose appointment, pro-life observers say, makes it clear he will force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The appointment of Alta Charo, a former member of Bill Clinton's Bioethics Advisory Commission, also could pave the way for human cloning. Charo is a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin and she will serve on Obama's Health and Human Services team. She is a well-known advocate of embryonic stem cell research and has sparred with Wesley J. Smith, a noted attorney and author who is a top bioethics watchdog. "The new Obama Administration is going to push full speed ahead pouring money into embryonic stem cell research and, I worry, human cloning," Smith said in response to the news of Charo's appointment. 
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In the latest developments in the race for the chairmanship of the Republican Party, pro-life advocate Donald Wildman, the head of the American Family Association, has weighted in on the race. Meanwhile, Michael Steele has reconfirmed his staunch pro-life views in the wake of some criticism. Wildman, in an email to Saul Anuzis, the pro-life Michigan GOP chair who is himself a candidate for the national office, backed South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson. Steele, a 2006 Senate candidate and a leading black Republican, is seen by some as one of the top candidates for the national chairmanship. The Times indicated Steele met with its editorial board on Tuesday and reconfirmed his pro-life views. As the Times notes: "Steele clarified his stance, saying that he thinks Roe should be overturned as a sloppy piece of decision-making, favors state regulation on abortion, and supports the Republican party's platform that calls for a constitutional ban on abortion." 
Chicago, IL (LifeNews.com) -- One of the most respected attorneys involved in the battle to pass pro-life legislation at the state level says the presidential election results are a setback for the pro-life movement. But Clarke Forsythe, senior counsel for Americans United for Life, says those who say the pro-life movement is dead are exaggerating. Forsythe talked with the Zenit news service about the results and said Americans aren't less pro-life because Barack Obama was elected. Instead, he believes the election was about the economy and, in no way, a repudiation of pro-life principles. "It is very difficult to keep pro-life and other issues of justice at the center of public life in the midst of war and economic crisis," he told Zenit. 
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Incoming president Barack Obama has picked pro-abortion Gov. Janet Napolitano to become his new head of the Department of Homeland Security. Napolitano constantly chagrined pro-life advocates with her vetoes of pro-life legislation and the pick may help get pro-life laws on the books there. Napolitano would have to survive a Senate confirmation vote, which isn't expected to be difficult despite some criticism of her on other issues. Should she be confirmed, pro-life Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer would become the state's next governor -- which appears to be good news for pro-life groups. That would put pro-life advocates in control of both the state legislature and the governor's seat and would theoretically make it easier to get new laws on the books. Napolitano has been a formidable obstacle as governor. She vetoed every piece of abortion legislation that has come across her desk -- seven pro-life measures in total. 
Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- It's no surprise that Catholic Church officials take pro-abortion politicians or groups to task for saying they are out of step with pro-life Catholic teachings. Now, a Planned Parenthood CEO in Massachusetts is turning the tables and claiming Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston is out of step with his membership. After the presidential election, O'Malley told the Boston Globe that he is worried about the election of Barack Obama because of his pro-abortion views. The concern come despite his pleasure that the nation turned a corner in electing the first African-American president. "My joy, however, is tempered by the knowledge that this man has a deplorable record when it comes to pro-life issues and is possibly in the pocket of Planned Parenthood," O'Malley said. 
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- Virginia pro-life advocates are trying a second time to approve legislation allowing motorists to approve Choose Life license plates. The Virginia legislature passed a bill allowing the plates in 2003, but pro-abortion Gov. Mark Warner vetoed it and the legislature couldn't muster enough votes to override. Now, pro-life Senator Ken Cuccinelli of Centerville, who is a candidate next year for Attorney General, will be sponsoring SB 801 to bring the plates into existence. With the support of Richmond Coalition for Life, Cuccinelli's bill will provide for a "Choose Life" revenue-generating license plate. The money raised from the plates, according to the legislation, will go to "not-for-profit agencies...that provide counseling and other services intended to meet the needs of expectant mothers who are committed to placing their children for adoption." Victoria Cobb, the president of the Family Forum, a pro-life group, is urging pro-life advocates to support the plate and the bill. She says it's about time Virginia residents have a Choose Life plate since so many other specialty plates are available for purchase. 
Meadville, PA (LifeNews.com) -- Officials at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania are coming under criticism for refusing to run a newspaper advertising supplement from a pro-life group. The ad, from Human Life Alliance, would have appeared in the student newspaper, "The Campus." HLA frequently inserts its 12-page advertising supplements, which appear as a mini-newspaper, within college papers because studies show college students begin to move away from the pro-life position during their time on campus. The content of the supplements has changed through the decades that HLA has provided them and the latest ad, "We Know Better Now," details information on pregnancy and the impact of abortions on student's lives. 
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In his second major decision as the president-elect, Barack Obama has chosen pro-abortion former U.S. senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle will replace pro-life advocate Mike Leavitt, who has been working on protecting pro-life doctors and nurses. The former Senate Majority Leader reportedly accepted Obama's offer according to two Democratic Party sources. To become official, Daschle's confirmation requires an affirmative Senate vote. As the health secretary, Daschle will likely play a role in shaping 
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Now that the woman in northwestern China who was six months pregnant has escaped a forced abortion, pro-life advocates are restarting their plea for incoming president Barack Obama not to fund the UNFPA. They say the United Nations agency supports the family planning program that placed Arzigul Tursun in jeopardy in the first place. As LifeNews.com reported Tuesday, 
For years the "pro-choice" mantra has gone something like this: abortion should be between a woman and her doctor, we can't tell women what to do with their bodies, women have a right to choose, etc. Yet, a recent forced abortion incident in China proves so-called "pro-choice" advocates are nothing more than pro-abortion. Arzigul Tursun and her family understand the length to which the oppressive Chinese population control regime will go to keep to its limited birth quotas. Six months pregnant, Tursun found herself captive at a local hospital with 
A potential big battle has begun, one of special interest to all Christians and guaranteed to generate a lot of attention from all Americans. 
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Republican members of the House of Representatives held their caucus elections on Wednesday and elected several pro-life advocates to top leadership posts. The elections are important for shaping the GOP message and response to the abortion advocates who control Congress. Minority Leader John Boehner, of Ohio, was re-elected to his top position over pro-life Rep. Dan Lungren of California. Boehner has compiled a 100% pro-life record on abortion and bioethics issues according to the National Right to Life Committee. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia was chosen minority whip, the number two leadership position in the GOP caucus. NRLC also says Cantor has a 100 percent pro-life voting record on abortion and embryonic stem cell research funding. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana became House Republican Conference chairman in a contest that saw him run unopposed. Pence is a former radio talk show host whose involvement in pro-life activities in his home state is longstanding. 
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- The use of adult stem cells has ushered in another major success and, this time, doctors were able to use a patient's own stem cells to give a woman a new windpipe. Very few trachea transplants have been performed and this new procedure could become a new standard of treatment. The successful transplant again shows how adult stem cells are not only more ethical than their embryonic counterparts but more effective. They also underscore the opposition to and lack of a need for incoming president Barack Obama to force taxpayers to fund the use of embryonic stem cells that involve the destruction of human life as he 
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- A federal court on Wednesday ordered the Arizona License Plate Commission to approve the Choose Life license plates. The decision comes after the Supreme Court, last month, let stand a federal appeals court ruling saying Arizona pro-life advocates could have the specialty plates. The high court 
Corpus Christi, TX (LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood continues to lose taxpayer funding across the country and the latest governmental agency to revoke it is the Corpus Christi city council in Texas. Members of the council pulled $30,000 in funding for the abortion business from the city's $500,000 youth development budget. The budget disperses state and federal taxpayer funds in conjunction with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. 
Cheyenne, WY (LifeNews.com) -- A pregnant Cheyenne woman and her unborn child were killed on October 30 in an automobile accident that pro-life advocates say points to the need for a state unborn victims law. The man allegedly responsible for the accident will only be held accountable for killing Brenda Collins-Newman and not for taking the life of her child. Collins-Newman was killed when an apparently drunken Ronald Smith of Torrington hit her vehicle head on. Although news reports don't indicate how far along the pregnancy was, Brenda had already planned to name her baby boy Cian Charles. John Robinson, chief deputy attorney for Converse County, only has the ability to charge Smith with one count of aggravated vehicular homicide. 