June 2, 2008

Barack Obama Claims He’s Not Pro-Abortion Despite Overwhelming Record
Rapid City, SD (LifeNews.com)

-- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama campaigned in South Dakota over the weekend in advance of the state’s Democratic primary there on Tuesday. He told the Rapid City Journal newspaper he’s not pro-abortion even though Obama has supported abortion at every turn and voted to force taxpayers to fund it. “I am not pro-abortion,” he claimed on Sunday. “I think I've said repeatedly that I think it's a moral issue and a difficult one. What I have said is that ultimately I think women are in a stronger position to make those decisions, in consultation with their pastors and their family and their doctors,” Obama explained. “But I think we can all agree on the need to reduce unwanted pregnancies that may lead to abortion, and I think we can also agree to increase the use of adoptions where possible,” he added. While Obama contends he’s not pro-abortion, Obama has repeatedly voted to force Americans to finance abortions. As recently as April 2005, Obama voted against an amendment in the Senate to prevent taxpayer funding of groups that promote or perform abortions in other nations. Meanwhile, the most recent annual report shows Planned Parenthood, for which Obama has backed federal funding, is referring women for fewer adoptions while doing more abortions. The report shows that Planned Parenthood did 289,750 abortions, an increase over the 264,943 abortions it did during the 2005-2006 fiscal year. That's a whopping nine percent increase even though the number of abortions nationally are on the decline. The previous annual report showed a scant 2,413 referrals and the abortion business made three less in the last fiscal year. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life Group: Clear Difference on Abortion Between Obama and McCain
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A leading pro-life organization says there is a clear difference on abortion between eventual GOP nominee and leading Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser published a commentary in this week’s National Catholic Register that examines the difference. "Nothing highlights worldview differences better than candidates’ and legislators’ positions on sanctity of life issues," Dannenfelser explains. She says America is at a "turning point" when it comes to abortion and euthanasia because the next president will decide the makeup of the Supreme Court, which has guided the direction of abortion and other pro-life issues for decades. "An especially telling difference exists between Senators Obama and McCain," Dannenfelser says. The difference begins with the way the candidates discuss issues related to pregnancy and abortion -- with McCain sharing his feelings about a “surprise child" and Obama saying he wouldn't want to punish his daughters if they had an unplanned pregnancy. "Obama, missing the mystery and blessing, sees only a burden," the pro-life political leader says. "He sees such a surprise baby as punishment for wrongdoing rather than the natural result of a bad decision to engage in sex." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Kansas Gov Kathleen Sebelius Held Secret Event With Late-Term Abortionist
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com)

-- Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is getting flack from a pro-life group for supposedly holding a secret party at the governor's mansion with an infamous late-term abortion practitioner. Sebelius reportedly invited George Tiller and his abortion center staff for a party at Cedar Crest, the governor's mansion. Rumors of the party have circulated for months and first appeared in print when nationally syndicated columnist Bob Novak mentioned them in an article saying Sebelius' pro-abortion views would fit with those of Barack Obama. On Wednesday, Operation Rescue told LifeNews.com the rumors were true and produced pictures of the event appearing to show Sebelius with Tiller. The pro-life group said the lavish April 2007 event came at a time when Tiller was under investigation by the attorney general's office. The group said an anonymous source provided it with 27 pictures of the event, reported that Tiller and his abortion center staff were the only ones invited, and indicated they dined on a menu of steak and lobster. Troy Newman, the head of the group, told LifeNews.com it is considering legal action alleging Sebelius' office is in violation of the open records law by refusing to provide complete information. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Switzerland Euthanasia Center Kills Nearly 900 Since Opening, More Brits
Zurich, Switzerland (LifeNews.com)

-- The Switzerland-based Dignitas euthanasia center released figures Wednesday about the people it has killed since opening. Dignitas says more people than ever are opting to have the staff take their lives and that the number of Britons going there to die is on the rise. UK residents are now in the top three nationalities of the people who go to the euthanasia center. The euthanasia center has killed 868 in assisted suicides since it began and 335 people in the last two years alone. About 85 percent of the people who die there are foreign nationals with the rest hailing from Switzerland. Dignitas director Ludwig Minelli told The Sun newspaper that half of the people who die there are German and British and French residents account for most of the rest. He claimed the euthanasia center uses a rigorous process to weed out potential applicants and claims most people who apply for an assisted suicide never undergo one. "For every 100 applicants, only 12 are given the go-ahead by us. The rest either choose to wait or never get in touch again. People are eased knowing there is an emergency exit," he claimed. Full story at LifeNews.com

Minnesota School Sued for Prohibiting Pro-Life Student's Shirt Against Abortion Hutchinson, MN (LifeNews.com)

-- A Minnesota school district is the subject of a lawsuit from a pro-life law firm after it prohibited a student from wearing a shirt that condemned abortion. The Thomas More Law Center filed the suit Wednesday on behalf of the student and his mother. The suit claims Hutchinson school district prevented the 12-year-old form wearing the shirt and forced him to turn it inside out after he had worn various pro-life T-shirts for several days. TMLC officials filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. It alleges the district violated the pre-teen's free speech rights of Jeanne Ibbitson's son and that he suffered "irreparable harm." "My son kept getting singled out," Ibbitson told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "He should be able to wear those shirts at school, and they decided that he can't. It's not right." "We're a Christian family," she added. "He knows it's the termination of life. He knows that it's wrong. He should have the right to wear the shirt to express that. Even if he's the only person at the school who believes that, he should still be able to wear that shirt under the Constitution, and they've taken that away from him." Superintendent Daron VanderHeiden told the newspaper he had not seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment on it. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Woman's Waking After Brain Death Raises Many Questions About Organ Donation Had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours
Written on Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A Virginia family was shocked but relieved when their mother, Val Thomas, woke up after doctors said she was dead. 59 year-old Mrs. Thomas, while being kept breathing artificially, had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours. The family were discussing organ donation options for their mother when she suddenly woke up and started speaking to nurses. Ethicists have strongly criticized developments in organ donation criteria that would have made Mrs. Thomas a candidate for having her organs removed before she woke up.At 1:30 am Saturday May 17, Mrs. Thomas' heart had stopped beating and she had no pulse when the family called paramedics. She was without a heartbeat or oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes before being put on a ventilator and transported to a Charleston, West Virginia hospital. Complete sorty and YouTube videohttp://www.ifrl.org/ifrl/news/080528/1/

Assisted Suicide Bill Passes California Assembly
Democrats voted for the bill, Rebublicans voted against it

An assisted-suicide bill that allows doctors and nurses to suggest death by unconscious dehydration has barely passed the California State Assembly.AB 2747 would authorize total sedation without nutrition and hydration for depressed and confused patients, whether or not their natural death was imminent. The bill would also allow family members to order the death of a mentally disabled person when a nurse opines they have less than a year to live, similar to Terry Schindler Schiavo's death at the hands of her husband. AB 2747 passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly Wednesday afternoon on a 41-32 vote, a one-vote margin of victory in the 80-member lower house. The vote was virtually party line, Democrats for, Republicans against. AB 2747 is authored by the same Democrats who unsuccessfully carried physician-assisted suicide bills for the last three years.   "This deceptive bill will cause death and shorten life, despite its claims," said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, a leading California-based pro-life, pro-family organization. "Drying up and shriveling to death through dehydration is a fate worse than lethal injection. By transforming palliative sedation into a vehicle for assisted suicide, AB 2747 would transform doctors and nurses from healers and comforters into killers like Dr. Jack Kevorkian."
Complete story: http://www.ifrl.org/ifrl/news/080530/6/

UNFPA Population Awards Honor Abortion Advocates

Last week the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) hosted its annual population award ceremony at the United Nations to honor an individual and an organization for “outstanding” work in the population field, including family planning. This year’s honorees were abortion advocates Dame Billie Miller in the individual category and New York-based Family Care International (FCI) in the institutional.In an elaborate ceremony at UN headquarters, guests were greeted with performances by the New York Symphonic Orchestra and the UN staff choir. Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka presented the awards on behalf of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Reading Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, Akasaka lauded both Billie Miller and FCI for their “significant contributions” which, he asserted, had allowed countless people “to plan pregnancies, avoid recourse to unsafe abortion, practice responsible sexual behavior, and prevent the spread of HIV.” UNFPA executive director Thoraya Obaid lauded Dame Billie Miller’s “exemplary achievements as a tireless advocate, policy maker, change agent and role model for policies on gender, sexual and reproductive health, including family planning.”  Miller is a well-known fixture at the UN as a past president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region, and has served as Chair of the NGO Planning Committee for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).In her acceptance speech, Miller mentioned several career “highlights” in her work to promote “sexual and reproductive rights,” including the decriminalization of abortion in her home country of Barbados.Complete story: http://www.ifrl.org/ifrl/news/080530/3/

Pharmacist in California Refuses to Dispense 'the Pill'

Celebrates One Year of Conflict Free Pharmacy After 35 Years of Experience
"We will celebrate on June 1st, 2008 our first year of conflict free pharmacy" said Brent Watson, RPh. Pharmacy Director and owner of Central Coast Pharmacy Specialists a compounding only pharmacy in Templeton, California.The pharmacy defied Big Drug and Insurance Companies last year when they announced they would no longer take insurance or sell branded medications such as birth control pills and the morning after pill. "It's not good medicine", said Watson. According to leading authorities in the field of contraceptive technologies birth control pills can work by blocking the implantation of early human life. This is supported by the FDA required disclosures to patients taking "the Pill". According to Watson, "this puts pharmacists in direct conflict with their profession when forced to dispense against their conscience and professional promise to "do no harm" to patients. We want patients to know we are a pro-patient, healing only pharmacy that provides compounded medications individually made to fit the specific needs of each patient one prescription at a time." Patients should ask their doctor if a compounded medication can be made to fit their unique patient needs.
Complete story:  - Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Pharmacist in California Refuses to Dispense 'the Pill'

How Teens Are Coerced and Manipulated Into Abortion

Gaylene was 14 when she became pregnant. Too embarrassed to go directly to her parents, she turned to her high school guidance counselor for advice. She writes:
[The school counselor] was sympathetic and understanding. He felt there was no need to worry my family. He also explained about having a child, how tough it would be on me and that I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted to do. He said that the child would suffer because I was much too young to be a parent. He pointed out that the best thing for me to do was to abort the fetus at this stage so no one would be hurt. No mention was made of talking to my parents about this or carrying the baby to term. He indicated that adoption would be difficult and not an option for me
 . . . I felt as though I had no control over what was happening to me. I started to question what I was doing, but in my logic I’d refer back to what the counselor had told me, and then I would think he was right. But still today, I feel like I did not decide to have the abortion. Gaylene’s traumatic reaction to her abortion experience included suicide attempts, alcoholism, drugs, crime, involvement in a cult and a major break with her family.Sadly, Gaylene’s story is not unique. For teens, the possibility of developing psychological and emotional problemafter abortion is substantially higher than for more mature women.2 One reason that teenagers are more vulnerable is because their psychological defense mechanisms are not fully developed. Their emotional immaturity leaves them more susceptible to events and circumstances that can profoundly damage their view of the world, other people, and themselves. Consequently, abortion can be especially harmful for teens because this major, traumatic experience occurs at a critical time in the development of their self-identity.3 Complete story:  - Illinois Federation for Right to Life - How Teens Are Coerced and Manipulated Into Abortion

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June 2, 2008
Extra Credit Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Sued for $50 Million for Injuring Teen in Failed Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A Planned Parenthood in the District of Columbia is the subject of a new lawsuit from the mother of a teenager injured in a botched abortion. The abortion involved a teenager who was a victim of rape and the abortion left her with significant medical problems. Emma Jean Butler took her daughter Shantese Butler to Planned Parenthood Metropolitan on September 7, 2006 for an abortion after Shantese was a victim of sexual assault. According to the lawsuit, Shantese Butler sustained significant physical damage as a result of the abortion. The abortion resulted in severe abdominal bleeding, severe vaginal injury, severe injury to the cervix, significant uterine perforation, and a small bowel tear. As a result of the injuries, Butler will be unable to have biological children the rest of her life. Additionally, parts of the unborn child were left inside Butler after a post-abortion examination conducted the next day. Kristan Hawkins, the director of Students for Life of America, notified LifeNews.com of the lawsuit, filed on February 12, 2008, that seeks $50 million in damages. Hawkins says Planned Parenthood has denied the injuries and Butler's infertility as a result of the botched abortion. Lawyers for the abortion business state in their response to the lawsuit that Butler's claims are barred by the doctrines of informed consent and assumption of risk. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Habitat for Humanity Partners with Planned Parenthood

Habitat for Humanity, a Christian ministry dedicated to building houses for the poor, is helping Planned Parenthood open an abortion clinic in Sarasota, Fla., according to news reports. In order to get around local zoning regulations, Planned Parenthood sold space to Habitat for Humanity for $10. The Sarasota City Commission approved the plan this month.  Daniel Weiss, senior analyst for media and sexuality at Focus on the Family Action, said he was disappointed by Habitat’s actions.“It's unfortunate and more than a bit maddening that an organization so widely respected for helping those in need would turn its back on the most defenseless among us — the preborn,” he said. Source: CitizenLink Source URL: http://www.citizenlink.org

KIDS THESE DAYS:Planned Parenthood needs ‘F’ for website
By STEVE SMITH

Count me as one parent who is very pleased that Planned Parenthood recently gave the Newport-Mesa Unified School District a failing grade in its sex education curriculum.Planned Parenthood’s idea of sex education should not be the standard for any parent. For proof, just visit their website, www.plannedparenthood.org.While Planned Parenthood failed the district for “obvious omissions to include any discussion of condoms, even when discussing HIV/AIDS or contraceptive methods,” I am giving Planned Parenthood an “F” for hiding and then ridiculing abstinence on its website.On their home page, for example, you will find the following health topics: birth control, abortion, STDs, HIV & Safer Sex, Pregnancy and Emergency Contraception.” No mention of abstinence.That list is followed by a button reading, “More Topics.” Click on that and a longer list appear — also without any mention of abstinence.But wait, it gets better. To find information on abstinence, you have to use the search option. That brings you to a page which, thankfully, admits abstinence is a 100% positive way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.Unfortunately, this valuable information is then tainted by a bullet point that reads, “[Abstinence] is endorsed by many religious groups.”Now, that may be true, but it is also endorsed by a lot of clear-thinking, levelheaded parents who do not watch televangelists and do not speak in tongue.Planned Parenthood can’t say that, however, because that would legitimize abstinence and possibly reduce their future client pool.
Most parents are relieved that schools are teaching sex education because they have no desire to do it themselves.But you may be surprised to read what I was told by Tom Antal, superintendent of secondary instruction for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District: “Schools do not have to have a sex education curriculum.”This is what makes the Planned Parenthood criticism so laughable: The district is under no legal obligation to offer sex education, but they do, and are still slammed by Planned Parenthood. Complete story: Daily Pilot - Serving Newport Beach & Costa Mesa, California

Planned Parenthood does it again

What is "Auburn Avenue Parking" and how does it tie in to Planned Parenthood?
Auburn Avenue Parking is the name used by PP in Cincinnati, Ohio to buy a building that it intends to use as a new clinic. Just as it did in Aurora, Illinois (Gemini Office Development) and Denver, Colorado (Fuller38), PP bought the property under a name that would not be associated with its evil empire.But vigilant pro-life forces discovered the subterfuge and are gearing up for an all-out fight against this new PP facility. They will be holding a public meeting this Saturday, May 31 at 2:00 PM at Elder High School at 3900 Vincent Avenue, Cincinnati.If you are in the Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky area, please come to the meeting and find out what you can do to help stop this PP clinic. The featured speaker at the meeting will be American Life League's vice president, Jim Sedlak.
Contact: Jim Sedlak Source: Stopp International Source URL: http://www.stopp.org

Kansas Judge Denies Testimony Request in Planned Parenthood Abortion Probe Overland Park, KS (LifeNews.com)

-- A Johnson County judge on Tuesday declined a request from a district attorney looking into potential illegal abortions at a Planned Parenthood to have another local judge testify. Johnson County Attorney Phill Kline wants Shawnee County District Judge Richard Anderson to testify in the case. Last week, Kline filed a motion with the state Supreme Court asking it to lift its gag order on Judge Anderson and allow him to testify in Kline's criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood. He had also asked a local judge to allow Judge Anderson to testify. District Judge Stephen Tatum said Tuesday he would not overturn an order from the Kansas Supreme Court to let Anderson testify. “I don’t tell the Supreme Court what to do,” he said, according to a Kansas City Star report. “When we get further direction from the Supreme Court, we will proceed accordingly.” Kline said in court Tuesday that the Kansas Supreme Court did not provide a legal reason for preventing Anderson from testifying. Kline also filed legal papers Tuesday saying Planned Parenthood engaged in a felony by making copies of state health department abortion reports that it failed to keep on file as required by law. Full story at LifeNews.com.

McKinney, Texas Sees New Pro-Abortion Planned Parenthood Facility
McKinney, TX (LifeNews.com)

-- The Dallas suburb of McKinney, Texas, twice identified by the Census Bureau as the country’s fastest-growing city, is getting a new Planned Parenthood facility. While the new office won't do abortions, it will make abortion referrals and distribute the morning after pill. The McKinney location is a full-service family planning clinic that provides some legitimate medical services like pelvic exams, cancer-screening Pap smears, mammography, and high-blood pressure screening. The idea behind the legitimate medical services is to develop relationships with women in order to sell them birth control, the Plan B drug and, ultimately, abortions. Jim Roderick, Planned Parenthood of North Texas president, said in a statement LifeNews.com received that the new facility is needed in Collin County because residents have supposedly been without the services. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Planned Parenthood could benefit from Senate's war funding bill.

Abortion provider Planned Parenthood could benefit from Senate's war funding bill
The U.S. Senate has approved price breaks for the country's leading abortion provider in legislation funding American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.As part of a war supplemental spending bill, senators voted 75-22 for an amendment that included the reinstitution of government subsidies for Planned Parenthood clinics and university and community health centers, according to Congressional Quarterly. Before the Senate recessed for Memorial Day, it also passed the war spending bill to which the amendment was attached.The war funding legislation now is pending in the House of Representatives. Congress will return June 2 from its recess.  If enacted, the amendment would mean the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), which recorded nearly 290,000 abortions at its affiliates in 2006, would be able to purchase contraceptives from manufacturers at discounted prices. The drugs would include Plan B, the "morning-after pill" that has abortifacient qualities, according to pro-life organizations.Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, said in his online "Washington Update" that the May 21 vote on the amendment shows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and his allies "are more concerned about funding the war against the unborn than the war in Iraq. Reid's personal political agenda is exposing our active-duty troops to new risks as they wait on Congress to duke out the abortion provisions."The effort to restore the subsidies came after the Bush administration, acting under a 2006 deficit reduction law, removed about 400 clinics from the list of groups eligible for drug price discounts, Congressional Quarterly reported.  
Complete story: Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Abortion provider Planned Parenthood could benefit from

Deal reached in lawsuit against Nebraska abortion clinic
By: TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer 05/27/2008

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A settlement has been reached between Planned Parenthood and a Nebraska woman who said she almost died after a botched abortion from one of the organization's doctors.James Snowden, an attorney for the Planned Parenthood clinic in Lincoln, said Tuesday that the terms of the settlement are confidential.The woman, identified in court documents as ``Jane Roe,'' had sought $37,000 in medical expenses, plus additional compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering, after having an abortion at the clinic.A lawsuit filed on her behalf in Lancaster County District Court alleged negligence and battery by Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs Inc. Dr. Meryl Severson, an abortion provider, was also named in the lawsuit, but he was later dismissed as a defendant.``Roe'' said in court documents that she was 10 weeks pregnant at the time of her Aug. 17 appointment with Planned Parenthood.As the abortion was administered, the woman said she complained of pain and told staff ``that something was terribly wrong.'' The lawsuit stated that when she asked Severson and his assistants to stop the procedure, they refused and forcibly held her down.While in the recovery area, the woman continued to complain of pain and suffered three seizures, the lawsuit stated.Paramedics were called, and court documents show the woman was taken to BryanLGH East Medical Center, where she underwent emergency surgery.According to court documents, ``Roe'' lost 80 percent of her total blood volume and needed multiple blood transfusions and a hysterectomy because of the 2 1/2- to 3-centimeter gash in her uterus. Complete story: Kearney Hub - Deal reached in lawsuit against Nebraska abortion clinic

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June 7, 2008

Top Pro-Abortion Group Emily's List Endorses Barack Obama for President
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Another top pro-abortion group says it's in Barack Obama's corner in his battle for the White House against John McCain. Emily's List released a statement today saying it is behind Obama now that he has virtually wrapped up the Democratic nomination. Ellen R. Malcolm, the president of the group, released a statement today saying she supports the pro-abortion senator. "Now that the primaries have concluded, I wholeheartedly congratulate Sen. Barack Obama. He has inspired millions of Americans and shown that he is more than ready to take on Sen. John McCain," she said. "The differences between Sens. Obama and McCain dwarf the nuanced policy differences between Obama and Clinton," she added. "We can never forget what John McCain stands for: a steadfast determination to overturn Roe vs. Wade." "I know that EMILY’s List members, like all Democrats, will be unified in our determination to undo the damage created by George W. Bush and the Republicans," she added. "I am confident that our party will come together to take the White House in November." Emily's List had endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party and it condemned fellow abortion advocates NARAL when the latter group came out in support of Obama just weeks ago. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Associated Press Hides Barack Obama's Pro-Abortion Views in New Analysis

--The Associated Press ran a news story on Tuesday saying Barack Obama has captured enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee. On the heels of the article AP trotted out a comparison piece contrasting Obama and eventual GOP nominee John McCain on top issues. However, the Associated Press piece contains a glaring error. It fails to fully articulate the manner in which Obama has pressed the drumbeat for abortion. Barack Obama began his presidential campaign in July 2007 spending time with his friends at Planned Parenthood, the nation's number one abortion business. He promised the pro-abortion group the first thing he would do as president is sign into law a bill that not only makes the abortion-on-demand-throughout-pregnancy ruling of Roe v. Wade the national law of the land, but overturns every single pro-life limit ever enacted by any of the 50 state legislatures. Obama has also promised to only nominate federal judges who will pledge to keep abortion legal throughout pregnancy for another 35 years. Obama won't even go as far as some of the pro-abortion colleagues in Congress and support a bill to ban the gruesome partial-birth abortion procedure that some have more accurately termed infanticide. Yet, in its analysis piece on Tuesday, all the Association Press managed to say about Obama is: "Favors abortion rights." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life Voters Must Work Overtime to Stop Pro-Abortion Barack Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A spokeswoman for a leading pro-life group says pro-life advocates need to begin work today to stop likely Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Karen Cross, the political director for National Right to Life, says Obama would advocate abortion at every turn if elected president. "Senator Barack Obama has a strong position and voting record in favor of abortion on demand," Cross told LifeNews.com. "He strongly supports the appointment of only U.S. Supreme Court Justices who favor Roe v. Wade." That means Obama would ensure legalized abortion throughout the entirety of pregnancy will remain legal in the U.S. for another 35 years, Cross says. "If Senator Barack Obama becomes president of the United States, hundreds of thousands more unborn children will likely die each year," Cross warns. Cross points to a speech Obama made before Planned Parenthood in 2007 promising to sign the so-called Freedom of Choice Act that would make the Roe decision federal law. She tells LifeNews.com the bill "would invalidate virtually all state and federal limitations on abortion, and would make partial-birth abortion legal again." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Habitat for Humanity Disassociates With Planned Parenthood Abortion Center Sarasota, FL (LifeNews.com)

-- After an avalanche of phone calls and emails from pro-life advocates locally and across the country, Habitat for Humanity in Sarasota, Florida has disassociated itself with a proposed Planned Parenthood abortion center. The local Habitat board voted Tuesday night to disengage from the project. Habitat had come under fire from pro-life advocates for helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle to building a new abortion business. Planned Parenthood has been looking to build a new abortion facility in the Rosemary District north of downtown Sarasota, Florida. However, according to local zoning rules, the abortion business can't build the new center unless a multi-family housing unit is built on the back of the lot. The zoning board turned down a five-year extension since it is not a builder and couldn't find a buyer for the lot. As LifeNews.com first reported, Planned Parenthood came up with a creative solution and tentatively sold the lot to Habitat for Humanity for $10. Duane Bates, the director of Public and Media Relations for the national Habitat organization, confirmed in an email to LifeNews.com that Habitat is no longer involved. "We wanted to inform you that Habitat for Humanity of Sarasota has declined a donation of land from Planned Parenthood, stating that accepting the land 'would not be in the best interests of our ongoing work in the community, the families we seek to serve or the broader Habitat for Humanity community,'" he said. ACTION: Contact Habitat for Humanity at 1757 N. East Ave., Sarasota, FL 34234 or call 941-365-0700 with your words of thanks. Also, contact the members of the local Habitat board (see http://www.sarasotahabitat.com/sarasota-habitat-leadership.html) with polite, respectful emails. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Florida Disabled Woman on Feeding Tube Could Become Next Terri Schiavo
West Palm Beach, FL (LifeNews.com)

-- A Florida woman who has been disabled by a stroke and is on a feeding tube could become the next Terri Schiavo. Karen Weber's husband wants to have her feeding tube removed because he claims she is in a persistent vegetative state and will not recover. Should he remove the feeding tube, Weber would likely suffer the same kind of painful 13-day starvation and dehydration death that Terri suffered. In a situation that is eerily similar to the one Terri and her family faced, Weber's husband has given up on her care while her family is fighting to save her life and says she is alert and responsive. According to an Associated Press report, Weber has been bouncing back and forth between a hospital and nursing home since the December stroke. Both sides are battling in court and a judge has already issued an injunction prohibiting the removal of the woman's feeding tube while a committee decides her competency. Like Schiavo, Weber is unable to communicate her own medical treatment wishes and left no living will instructing doctors and family members. AP says Karen's husband Raymond Weber has said he doesn't want the battle to become a media event and her mother, Martha Tatro, has said she will do everything she can to prevent Karen's euthanasia death. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Abstinence Education Proponents Prepare One Million Parent March
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Backers of abstinence education are preparing a new campaign to counteract the media bias and attacks from abortion proponents on Capitol Hill. They're hoping to organize a national march and rally featuring one million parents to support abstinence education for teens and young adults. The National Abstinence Education Association is leading the effort and it has already sent out tens of thousands of emails to supporters to try to recruit volunteers to help organize the event. A Washington Post report indicates the campaign could top $1 million and result in significant educational and public relations efforts to promote abstinence on a national level. The pro-abstinence group hopes the march will result in parents stepping up efforts on the state level to lobby for more abstinence funding and support and increased pressure on local schools to adopt pro-abstinence curriculum. Valerie Huber, the National Abstinence Education Association's director, told the Post: "There are powerful special interest groups who can far outspend what parents can in terms of promoting their agenda. But we recognize that parents more than make up for that by their determination and motivation to protect their own children." "Parents are being misled. They are told the content of the curricula in their children's classrooms stress abstinence and just have information to make decisions in case they become sexually active," Huber added. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Media Bias: Redbook Magazine Tells Women Only One Side of Abortion Story
by Maria Vitale

"Love Your Life." That's the slogan on the cover page of the May edition of "Redbook" magazine. It's an ironic statement, however, given one of the articles inside the pages. "The Shadow Side of Motherhood" explains that "Becoming a mom is one of life's greatest joys. But for some of us, the path to motherhood takes a gut-wrenching turn." The article deals with the various sadnesses that can accompany pregnancy--miscarriage, life-threatening illness, postpartum psychosis, premature delivery, separation anxiety from placing a child for adoption. In the midst of these stories is an account of a completely unnatural, preventable death -- the death of a child from abortion. Interestingly enough, the word "abortion" is never mentioned in the section entitled, "I terminated my pregnancy." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life Leaders Back Abortion Protest at National Education Association Event Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Pro-life leaders from across the country are endorsing a planned protest outside the National Educational Association's annual convention in July. They say NEA leaders and activists need to know that endorsing abortion and pro-abortion groups is anathema to its mission. Bob Pawson of Pro-Life Educators and Students talked with LifeNews.com last month and said he hoped pro-life teachers and students will join him at the protest. "Pro-Life activists, teachers, school employees, students, parents, and clergy are invited to come pray and peacefully picket" the event, he said. "Activate your groups. Bring your families, friends and pro-life signs and banners." The endorsement of several pro-life leaders could help the New Jersey teacher and union member turn out more pro-life supporters. Day Gardner the head of the National Black Pro-Life Union and Rev. Johnny Hunter, both leading African-American pro-life advocates, have put their voice behind the protest. "Why protest the NEA convention?" Gardner asked. "Some schools hand out condoms and there have been reports of young girls being referred for abortions by teachers without their parents' consent." "It is extremely important that we raise our voices to the NEA - to make a stand for our children. If parents don't - who will?" she said. Full story at LifeNews.com

California Proposal for Parental Notification on Abortion Makes November Ballot Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com)

-- California voters will, once again, have an opportunity to vote on allowing parents to be notified when their minor daughter is considering an abortion. The California Secretary of State has determined that Sarah's Law, the latest version of the parental notification initiative, has qualified for the November 4 ballot. Proponents submitted more than 1.2 million signatures on petitions seeking a third vote on adult involvement in minors' abortions, after Propositions 73 and 85 were narrowly defeated in 2005 and 2006. On Friday, the Secretary of State, using random sampling, determined that Sarah's Law had qualified and will be placed before voters in November. "Legislation was passed in this state in October requiring a minor to bring a parent into a tanning salon to sign a consent form because of health risks," Grace Dulaney, Sarah's Law spokeswoman, told LifeNews.com. "Common sense would dictate that some adult in the family be notified prior to an abortion, a serious medical procedure with significant potential health risks," she said. Named for a 15-year-old girl who died just four days after an abortion left her with a torn cervix and fatal infection, Sarah's Law will protect the health and safety of young girls and prevent sexual predators from hiding behind secret abortions performed on their minor victims, Dulaney explained. Full story at LifeNews.com..

Massachusetts Teenager in Self-Abortion Case Given Pre-Trial Probation
Salem, MA (LifeNews.com)

-- Massachusetts teenager Amber Abreu, an 18-year-old who was arrested after she used an anti-ulcer drug to kill her unborn child, has been given pre-trial probation. Abreu's case has reopened the question of whether the Roe v. Wade decision established a woman's right to an abortion on herself. Abreu used the Cytotec ulcer drug that abortion advocates have sometimes encouraged use of despite warnings from its maker that it's not intended for abortions. The drug failed to kill the child immediately and Abreu eventually gave birth to a baby girl in January 2007 who weighed just 1.25 pounds. She was in the sixth month of pregnancy at the time she tried to abort the baby. Despite the delivery, baby Ashley Abreu was unable to be saved and she died four days later at a local Boston hospital. Prosecutors in the case say the Roe decision does not protect women in cases where they kill their own unborn child and that the Supreme Court has given states the right to protect babies before birth. As a result, she has been charged with producing a miscarriage. On Monday, Salem Superior Court Judge David Lowy Monday gave Abreu a pre-trial probation. Judge Lowy also ordered Abreu to complete a mental health evaluation and have treatment as indicated. If Abreu complies with the order, the judge said he would dismiss the charges against her. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Canadian Doctor Quits Working at Hospital Rather Than Treat Disabled Patient Winnipeg, Canada (LifeNews.com)

-- A Canadian doctor has quit his job at a hospital rather than treat a severely disabled patient. Samuel Golubchuck is a terminally ill elderly patient undergoing treatment in a Winnipeg hospital's ICU and his doctors want to refuse life-sustaining treatment. Now, the doctor who wanted to impose his values on Golubchuck by forcing him off respirator and feeding tube has resigned rather than continue treatment. Golubchuck's family -- citing religious reasons because they are Orthodox Jews and saying it is what he wanted -- filed a lawsuit and a temporary injunction requiring doctors to not take his life. Upset with the court's decision, Dr. Anand Kumar submitted a resignation letter and called the court order "grotesque" and "immoral." "Given that I believe that continued support of this patient is tantamount to torture, I cannot ethically follow the mandates of the court order governing his care," Kumar wrote. Full story at LifeNews.com.

British Miracle Baby Survives Failed Abortion, Now Healthy Six-Month Old
Sutton, England (LifeNews.com)

-- A British baby has survived an abortion at eight weeks into pregnancy and is now a health six-month old with no signs of illness. Doctors told mother Jodie Percival she should consider having an abortion because her unborn child supposedly had a major kidney problem. Percival, of Nottinghamshire, England, went ahead with the abortion of her unborn son at eight weeks into the pregnancy. "I was on the (birth control pill) when I became pregnant," Percival, 25, told a London newspaper. "Deciding to terminate at eight weeks was just utterly horrible but I couldn't cope with the anguish of losing another baby." She returned to her physician for a follow-up visit where she learned the abortion failed and she was still 19-weeks pregnant. "I couldn't believe it,' Percival said. "This was the baby I thought I'd terminated. At first I was angry that this was happening to us, that the procedure had failed. I wrote to the hospital, I couldn't believe that they had let me down like this." "They wrote back and apologized and said it was very rare," she added. Percival's son Finley was born in November -- three weeks premature -- and weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces. While he has a minor kidney condition, he is expected to lead a normal life. Full story at LifeNews.com.

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June 20, 2008

Barack Obama's Flowery Words Can't Cover Up Extreme Pro-Abortion Position
by Laura Echevarria

Well, it's official. Barack Obama is the presumptive nominee; Al Gore has presented his imprimatur and the media, well, they are fawning all over Obama. But if Barack Obama is elected in November, those who have performed and promoted abortions will have found a new champion. And make no mistake, he will champion their cause. Barack Obama's language on abortion is loose and the delivery is designed to allow the listener to walk away feeling good about how the message was conveyed. This is intentional. In a recent meeting between Barack Obama and religious leaders, the attendees discussed a number of issues and abortion took up a good portion of the meeting. According to one account, Obama claimed that he wants to "discourage" the practice of abortion. Barack Obama has a 0% voting record with NRLC and a 100% voting record with NARAL Pro-Choice America. He opposes the Hyde Amendment, Mexico City Policy and is a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act. Barack Obama also voted to block legislation that would require an abortionist to give notice to the parent of a minor if the minor lives in another state. Barack Obama is not willing to give on this issue. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Top Pro-Abortion Activist Meets With Barack Obama's Campaign Manager
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Underscoring the close relationship presidential candidate Barack Obama will have with abortion activists if he's elected, his top campaign manager met with one of the key leaders of the pro-abortion movement. Ellen Malcolm, founder of Emily's List, met with campaign manager David Plouffe. The meeting took place at the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago on Tuesday. While there is no transcript and not much in the way of news about the content of the discussions, it appears Obama and the pro-abortion group are on the same page. Malcolm would only tell CNN that the meeting, which took longer than an hour, was "great." Emily's List Executive Director Ellen Moran and Obama's deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand were also present for the powwow. The meeting is important given the tension between Malcolm and the Obama campaign as Emily's List supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Virginia Catholic Charity Under Fire for Helping Teenager Get Secret Abortion Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com)

-- A Catholic charity in Virginia is coming under fire for allegedly helping a foreign teenager in the foster care system to have a secret abortion. Officials with Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Richmond allegedly signed a parental consent form for the abortion, violating state law. The charity apparently was helping a 16-year-old Guatemalan girl whose parents were lost and became a ward of the federal government. According to a Washington Times article, the charity fitted the girl, who already has one child, with a contraceptive device to prevent her from becoming pregnant. After CCC officials learned of the pregnancy, the newspaper indicates they took the unnamed girl for an abortion and illegal signed the consent form that is supposed to be completed by a parent, grandparent or adult relative. The incident first came to light on Friday when the Catholic magazine The Wanderer published a letter from three Catholic bishops to their colleagues with concerns about the situation. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Los Angeles Times Favors PR for Planned Parenthood Over Abortion Scandals
by Dave Pierre

As we reported last year, a stunning undercover videotape surfaced that appeared to show a staffer at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles advising a woman whom she thought to be a 15-year-old girl to conceal a statutory rape. Even though this eye-opening episode happened right in the backyard of the Los Angeles Times, the paper did not publish a single story about it. Not one. Yet last week (6/9/08), the Times published a glowing, front-page feature about a 15-year-old "sex ed girl." The impressionable young teen walks the streets of Los Angeles and speaks to other teens about "safe sex." In the most flattering of language, the Times beams, "She has memorized pages and pages of information on sex education and sexually transmitted diseases. She's ready to pass out cards from ... listing services and clinics. She is also armed with condoms." A pair of flattering, smiling photos of the teen accompanies the article. Full story at LifeNews.com.

John McCain Keeping Open Mind to Embryonic Stem Cell Research Alternatives Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- In John McCain, pro-life voters have a solid presidential candidate against abortion but they have had concerns about his desire to spend public funds on embryonic stem cell research. However, the Arizona senator continues to keep his mind open to alternatives to the destructive practice. McCain holds to the same pro-embryonic stem cell research position as Barack Obama but, unlike his pro-abortion opponent, McCain is open-minded to funding promising alternatives instead. Responding to a new statement the nation's Catholic bishops produced opposing embryonic stem cell research on religious, scientific, and moral grounds, a McCain representative had some positive things to say. Bob Heckman, director for conservative outreach for the McCain campaign, told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that, while McCain is "pro-life in his heart," his position on funding ESCR "was a tough decision for him to make, like it is for many pro-life Catholics." He said McCain continues to talk about the subject with pro-life advocates like Princeton professor Robert George, a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, and one who would encourage McCain to look elsewhere when considering federal spending. "He has said that this is a very difficult decision for him and that his mind is genuinely open," Heckman said. "He is encouraged by advancements in the science, and he hopes it gets to a point where this is a moot question." Full story at LifeNews.com.

President Bush: Americans Face "Clear Contrast" on Abortion in Election
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- President Bush told a crowd at the President's Dinner on Wednesday night that Americans face a clear choice in November on abortion and judges. He noted that John McCain and Barack Obama couldn't be more far apart on the two key issues for the pro-life community. While McCain takes a strong position opposing abortion and has said he wants Roe v. Wade and its era of unlimited abortions overturned, Obama has repeatedly voted for abortions and making taxpayers fund them with public money. "This November, the American people will have a clear choice when it comes to confirming good judges and building a culture of life," the president said. "Republicans aspire to build a society where every human being is welcomed in life and protected in law," he explained. "We’ve funded crisis pregnancy programs and supported parental notification laws." "We outlawed the cruel practice of partial birth abortion. We defended this good law all the way to Supreme Court -- and we won," Bush added. "This victory shows how important it is to put good judges on the bench." Bush used the issue of judges to underscore his point and noted how McCain voted for his two Supreme Court picks who pro-life advocates think will help overturn Roe. Obama voted against both picks and has promised to only appoint judges who will keep unlimited abortions legal another 35 years. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Australia Jury Finds Women Guilty of Manslaughter in Key Euthanasia Case
Sydney, Australia (LifeNews.com)

-- Two women charged in a controversial euthanasia-murder case have been found guilty of manslaughter. The common law wife of a former pilot and her friend had pleaded guilty in a New South Wales Supreme Court to murdering Graeme Wylie. The women had refused offers from prosecutors to plead guilty to assisted suicide and, as a result, the jury found them guilty of manslaughter. The women are accused of following the advice of Australian euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke, who suggested they give Wylie a lethal dose of Nembutal. They reportedly imported the drug from Mexico and used it in his death. Wylie suffered from dementia and couldn't remember his own birthday or how many children he had. Shirley Justins, Wylie's partner, and their friend Caren Jennings are accused of murdering Wylie in March 2006. Jenning, a former NSW representative of the euthanasia group Exit International, had hoped to use the case to overturn Australian law against assisted suicides and to establish that so-called mercy killings are compassionate and should be legal. Instead, according to a Brisbane Times report, the jury found Justins, 59, guilty of manslaughter and Jenning, 75, guilty of being an accessory to manslaughter. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Arizona Senate Approves Bill Banning Non-Doctors From Doing Abortions
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com)

-- On Wednesday, the Arizona Senate approved a bill on a voice vote that would prohibit non-doctors from doing abortions. The measure is targeted at nurses and other non-physicians after a Planned Parenthood nurse admitted she had been doing abortions for years. The state currently has no law either direction on whether anyone other than a licensed physician can do an abortion in the state. Most states across the country require doctors for abortions. Bob Stump, a Republican legislator from Peoria, is the sponsor of House Bill 2269 and the measure must get one more vote in the Senate before it can go to Governor Janet Napolitano, who is pro-abortion and has repeatedly vetoed bills with any limits on abortions. Stump says abortions should be limited to doctors because physicians are needed to provide medical care for women in the numerous cases when an abortion goes awry and causes medical problems. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Capital Investors Look to Adult Stem Cell Research Over Embryonic for Success
by Jennifer Lahl

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm in the Silicon Valley has just bet on adult stem cell research .  While the amount of funding is still not known, we do know that they've invested in a new Bay Area company, iZumi Bio Inc. Collaborative work with iZumi and San Francisco based J.David Gladstone Institutes, "will build on breakthrough methods of creating induced pluripotent stem cells which are adult skin cells that can be coaxed to develop into many cell types. These cells might some day help to regenerate injured spinal cords or damaged hearts, scientists hope." The technology sidesteps the ethical objections raised against research in human embryonic stem cells, which are derived from early stage human embryos that are often destroyed in the process. In addition, the technology may help avoid immune system rejection of replacement tissues, because an adult patient's cell could be the source of stem cells that are a genetic match to that individual. Thane Kreiner, CEO of iZumi had this to say, "We all feel the (induced pluripotent stem cells) technology has the potential to transform the regenerative medicine space." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life T-Shirts Get Sixth-Grader in Trouble

--Thomas More Law Center is suing, alleging viewpoint discrimination.
K. B., a 12-year-old Hutchinson, Minn., middle-schooler, is in trouble with his principal and one of his teachers after he wore pro-life T-shirts to school every day in April.Brian Rooney, an attorney and spokesman for the Thomas More Law Center, is suing the school, alleging viewpoint discrimination   “Every day, his teacher andhis principal harassed him, threatened him with suspension, told him to turn the shirt inside out, told him to take the shirt off, told him to go home — all in front of his fellow classmates," Rooney said.K.B. rotated through three shirts that read: "Abortion — growing, growing, gone"; "What part of abortion don’t you understand?"; and Never known — not forgotten." School policy allows messages on clothes, as long as they aren’t lewd, pornographic or disruptive. “The school is saying that it was disruptive, but the only one that made it disruptive was the principal and one teacher," Rooney said.Jeremy Tedesco, litigation counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said it's important students stand up for their First Amendment rights. “Schools every day engage invalue-based education, and lots of times Christian parents realize that the values being taught are not in accordance with their religious beliefs," he said. "Students need to stand up for their rights when they are discriminated against by the schools.” 
Source: Family News in Focus
Source URL: http://www.citizenlink.org

AMA, Pharmacists for Life butt heads

--The American Medical Association is clashing with Pharmacists for Life after adopting a 2007 report supporting legislation that would require all pharmacists and pharmacy chains to fill legally valid prescriptions, or provide referrals to other pharmacies that will comply. Pharmacists for Life spokesman C.J. Kahler says the American Medical Association (AMA) is ignoring physicians' rights to use their conscience and refuse a particular type of procedure. He believes the AMA has made a dangerous move." The danger is that all citizens of the United States have First Amendment rights to exercise their conscience," Kahler said. "... [A]nd I think [this 2007 report is] a direct infringement on their constitutional rights." But AMA argues that when pharmacists refuse to dispense certain drugs -- such as birth-control pills, the "morning-after" pill, and lethal doses of drugs for physician-assisted suicide -- they are placing their personal views in potential conflict with the best interests of the patient. Kahler refutes that argument by noting that all people have conscience rights, and should be able to act on those consciences.
Contact: Charlie Butts Source: OneNewsNow Source URL: http://www.onenewsnow.com

Australian Web Site Tells Kids: ‘Die to Save the Planet’

--Planet Slayer, a Web site of the Australian Broadcasting Corp., features a greenhouse calculator that tells kids when to die in order to save the planet. The site instructs users to take a quiz to “find out what age you should die at so you don’t use more than your fair share of Earth’s resources.” Typically, your cartoon character — a pig — blows up at the end of the quiz, leaving a puddle of blood. If your answers are "green," the site tells you, "You will live forever." Wesley J. Smith, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, took the test and was told he should have died at age 7.4. “This is being sold to children, and it is shameful and profoundly nihilistic,” he wrote on his blog. “It illustrates again how profoundly anti-human and pro-death certain aspects of our culture are becoming."  Source: CitizenLink
Source URL: http://www.citizenlink.org

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June 30, 2008

Focus on the Family Head James Dobson Criticizes Barack Obama on Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Leading pro-life advocate James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, is criticizing Barack Obama over his pro-abortion position. Obama has begun trying to reach out to evangelical voters to disrupt John McCain's base, but Dobson says Obama is using a phony set of Christian views to do so. Dobson has a national radio program set to air today that responds to Obama's views and recent request from his campaign to meet with Dobson. The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of the program, and it indicated Dobson reserved his harshest criticism for Obama's position that abortion should be legal without limits and paid for at taxpayer expense. Dobson said Obama employs the "lowest common denominator of morality" and called it a "fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution." "This is why we have elections, to support what we believe, to be wise and moral. We don't have to go to the lowest common denominator of morality which is what he is suggesting," Dobson said. "Am I required in a democracy to conform my efforts in the political arena to his bloody notion of what is right with regard to the lives of tiny babies?" Dobson said. "What he's trying to say here is unless everybody agrees, we have no right to fight for what we believe." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Abortion Practitioner Accused of Killing Baby Born Alive After Botched Abortion Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com)

-- An abortion practitioner in Kansas stands accused of killing a baby who apparently was born alive following a failed abortion procedure. Officials with the pro-life group Operation Rescue alerted LifeNews.com to the situation and said it involves infamous late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. Tiller runs the Women's Health Care Services abortion center in Wichita, Kansas and often employs other abortion practitioners there on a part-time basis. The incident saw Shelley Sella, a California abortion practitioner sometimes employed by Tiller, intentionally stab to death an infant born alive during an abortion. In this case, former Tiller employee Tina Davis told OR staff that the incident took place sometime in the last two years. Davis informed the pro-life group of the baby's horrific death in April and the organization reported it to the Wichita Police Department. The pro-life group also notified the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, which has confirmed that the case has been assigned to an investigator. Sella reportedly splits her time with Tiller's abortion center, one in California, and smaller abortion centers across the country. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Why Do Doctors Withhold Abortion's Medical, Mental Health Risks From Women?
by Kevin Roeten

On every medical procedure done, 95% of recipients want to be fully informed of all statistically related risks . If the author is replacing his knee, he would want to know the expected recovery time, pain to expect, pain duration, prosthesis lifetime, possible complications, and possible problems with a metal detector. This demand occurs even if the casual connection between the procedure and the risk has not been fully proven. But not abortion. It would eliminate business. This procedure is not required for the patient's life, even if it destroys another life. Are the risks are worth it? A fact noted in, 10% of women undergoing elective abortion will suffer the immediate complications of perforation of the uterus, infection, embolism, retained tissue, hemorrhage, cervical injury, endotoxic shock, 'boggy' uterus, or failure to recognize an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. Tubal pregnancies increase by 30% after one abortion by 160% after two. In another study, over 50% of women experienced one or more of the following after abortions: depression, guilt, regret, nervousness, and insomnia. Sleep shows that women are 2x as likely to have sleep disorders after an abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com.

National Pro-Life Student Group Exposing Racism of Abortion Business Founder
by Colin Mason

Margaret Sanger is one of the pro-choice movement's iconic figures. She is extolled as a pioneering feminist, health worker, and woman's activist. Her quotes on these subjects are treated as scripture. But she was also an outspoken supporter of eugenics, who wanted more children from the fit and sterilization, even segregation, for the unfit. The infamous Negro Project, which targeted Blacks for contraception and sterilization, was one outcome of this. Planned Parenthood, of course, does not want you know these facts. So the organization works hard to burnish Sanger's reputation, and goes into damage control mode whenever questions are raised about her more unsavory views. At the same time, however, they continue to quietly practice what she preached. Although Planned Parenthood denies it, it continues to be obsessed with race, deliberately targeting minorities in their propaganda, methods, and even choice of building sites. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Barack Obama May Throw Bone to Pro-Lifers With Abortion "Reduction" Plank Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- In an idea that is more symbolism over substance, a leading Democratic Party activist says he's going to talk to Obama about adding language to the Democratic Party platform calling for the "reduction" of abortions. Yet the proposal wouldn't call for any actual bills or efforts to limit abortions. Rev. Jim Wallis, who hosted a Democratic candidates forum for CNN last year, says he plans to share the idea with Obama and his campaign before the Democratic convention. "Abortion reduction should be a central Democratic Party plank in this election," Wallis told ABC News. "I'll just say that flat out." "This is going to be a big Denver conversation," Wallis told the television station. "You don't have to call for criminalizing anyone. You don't have to take a different stance about a woman's right to choose. But you begin with the need for reducing abortion dramatically." The only problem is Wallis' idea includes no actual ways to reduce abortions. His proposed language includes no mention of the kinds of initiatives Obama has opposed -- limiting taxpayer funding of abortions, allowing parental involvement, or banning late-term abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Study: Catholic Voters Favor Democrats, Could Help Pro-Abortion Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A new study of Catholic voters conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University shows them leaning more towards the Democratic Party this election. That could be a plus for pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. With more than 47 million potential voters, Catholics are a popular group for outreach efforts of both political parties. The study included a survey showing Catholic attitudes on social, political and moral issues have shifted during the Bush administration, although it concluded opinions regarding abortion and social justice issues have remained relatively stable. The poll found a shift of three percent in favor of the pro-abortion position from 2002 to 2006. But the shift on other political issues could lead more Catholics to support Obama over John McCain, who opposes abortion and has repeatedly voted for sensible limits. The Georgetown University study found that Catholics who are more likely to attend church services regularly are more pro-life and more likely to favor Republican candidates. The results mean McCain should focus on turning out these pro-life churchgoing Catholics if he wants to win in November. Full story at LifeNews.com.

John McCain, Republicans Shouldn't Run From Pro-Life Issues in November
by Marjorie Dannenfelser

Imagine you are the Karl Rove for your very own Republican candidate. Say you have stumbled upon a position your candidate holds that garners 68 percent-plus support in public opinion polls. The issue polls best among women and young people - often tough nuts for the GOP to crack. Say you noticed Democrats getting wise to the popularity of the issue and are running and winning campaigns that include it in their election platforms. You notice that your candidate's own Democrat opponent, however, takes the 32 percent or less stance. Further, you learn that the election your guy is running in will be decisive in determining the fate of the popular issue. Happy Day! You've got contrast. You've got a salient, winning issue around which you can organize a part of a winning coalition of voters. What do you do? Communicate enthusiastically about it to that 70 percent majority that shares your view? Then encourage them to vote for your guy so to advance the cause? Or pray that the issue would just go away? Proclaim it "dead" or lacking in intensity, hoping that it is so far from "top of mind" that your potential like-minded voters forget the issue is in play? Inside the Washington D.C. beltway, the obvious gets murky when the unsettling abortion issue comes up. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Cancer Patient in Commits Suicide When Health Care Won't Cover Drugs
London, England (LifeNews.com)

-- A cancer patient in England killed himself in despair after learning that the national health service there denied him chemotherapy treatment. Pro-life advocates say the news underscores the pro-euthanasia mentality that occurs when patients are denied lifesaving or critical treatment. Albert Baxter, 77, was terminally ill but he was turned down by the British NHS for a drug that could have shrunk his tumor and allowed him to enjoy more years of his life. He told health care officials that he would pay for the drug, but they said they would drop coverage for the rest of his cancer treatment if he did and he would be forced to pay for the entirety of it on his own. After learning his request for the drug was denied again on an appeal from his physician, Baxter suffocated himself to death with his bed sheets. His friend Barrie Curryer found Baxter dead in his kitchen, according to a London Daily Mail article. "What really upset him was that he worked all his life and paid into the health system and was refused treatment," Curryer said. "He thought it was because of his age, which I think played a part too." "The trust people just sit in a room and read about John but don't see the patient," he said. "John's oncologist and GP wanted the drug." Full story at LifeNews.com.

What media ignore about teen pregnancy pact

--Time magazine revealed last week at least eight students at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts have entered into a "pact," according to Principal Joseph Sullivan, to get pregnant and raise their babies together.
Currently, 17 GHS students are pregnant, four times the norm, all 16 or younger. Sullivan has now gone mum, certainly after school and city lawyers told him to shut up. Sullivan's statement to Time magazine, "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," demands prosecution if that mother was under 16 when impregnated and Sullivan, as a mandated reporter, didn't inform the Massachusetts Department of Social Services of a case of suspected sex abuse.  Massachusetts General Law Chapter 265 Section 23 states, "A child under 16 years of age is unable to consent to sexual intercourse."  In fact, Sullivan was mandated to report the pregnancies of any of his 17 students under age 16, since pregnancy is evidence a crime may have been committed.  The law would also have required the same of mandated reporter Kim Daly, the GHS school nurse who by last month had distributed 150 pregnancy tests since the beginning of the school year, according to Time. A request for a pregnancy test by a girl under 16 is demonstration she may be the victim of sexual abuse.  These incidents also beg lawsuits galore, if the absentee parents get smart. Illinois Federation for Right to Life - What media ignore about teen pregnancy pact

Asking for a Mulligan

  "Any of the attempts to describe him inaccurately he takes head-on with the new commercial," said Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama's closest friends and confidants. "You begin a new campaign with an introduction. You can't presume that everybody was paying attention during the primary season. So let's start with basics. He describes his roots, his philosophy, his love of country. That's a really good start." -- As quoted in this morning's Washington Post.
 
As the saying goes this would be funny if it weren't so serious. Pro-abortion (times two to the nth power) Sen. Barack Obama is launching an 18-state ad buy to "reintroduce himself to voters," according to the headline that accompanies the story written by the Post's Dan Balz and Anne Kornblut. Those 18 will include the usual toss-up states as well as others which have normally voted Republican for president in the recent past. This enormous expenditure reflects Obama's virtually bottomless financial resources.  The Obama for-public-consumption explanation is two-sided. Heads--people really don't know the junior senator from Illinois, they say, suggesting there is a vacuum of information, despite the longest run-up to a presidential election in recorded history.   Tails (as illustrated by the new 60-second ad about to be unveiled)--Obama acknowledged ongoing concerns among his advisers that voters do not know whether he shares the values and beliefs of ordinary Americans, a potentially critical vulnerability," write Balz and Kornblut. "The ad speaks to the reality that enough questions were raised about Obama through the long nomination battle that he needs to address them."   An essential part to date of the very successful Obama campaign machinery is its ju-jitsu-like ability to turn vulnerabilities into strengths, including even his (unjustified) reputation for straight-shooting. For example, blessed with more money than Ft. Knox, last week.  Obama said sayonara to his long-standing pledge to accept public funding for the general election. As best I can tell Obama is arguing that since he raised so much money over the Internet, this is the functional equivalent of accepting public funding. Talk about spin!  The candidate of "change" also turned down pro-life Sen. John McCain's invitation (in WashingtonPost columnist David Broder's words) to join McCain "in a series of town hall meetings where they would appear together and answer questions from real voters -- without a formal agenda, press panel or professional interviewers."- Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Asking for a Mulligan

BUSTED: Pro-Abortion Filmmaker Caught in Documentary Deception

Pro-Life activist Carlos Polo turns tables on abortion-promoter Eve Reinhardt
Pro-abortion filmmaker Eve Reinhardt got the proverbial taste of her own medicine recently after contacting Carlos Polo, Latin American director for the pro-life Population Research Institute (PRI), to request an interview for her latest project, a theatrical performance using video images.  According to Polo, Reinhardt claimed thatshe was an independent filmmaker seeking to do an "impartial" documentary on the abortion issue, and wanted to shoot an interview with him.  But after doing some research, Polo discovered that the project'swebsite is entitled "The Decency Gap", a slogan long used by abortion proponents who object to the United States' Mexico City Policy, which prohibits funding for international organizations that perform or provide information about abortions.  The site is filled with pro-abortion rhetoric, and states openly that the documentary is being funded by Planned Parenthood, among other pro-abortion organizations.  
Polo decided to turn the tables on Reinhardt, and arranged a meeting with her - and his own cameraman. "What's the name of the project?" asks Polo at the beginning of his interview, which was posted on YouTube by the Catholic news agency ACI Prensa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83JXW41BRA0).   Reinhardt responds: "Oh we don't know yet, we're kind of like, toying around with different things. I have about two more years to go before this is complete."   "I'm a little afraid," says Polo, "because I do know what your project is. I know that your project is called 'The Decency Gap'."
 - Illinois Federation for Right to Life - BUSTED: Pro-Abortion Filmmaker Caught in Documentary Deception

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