September 3, 2008

After McCain’s Pick, Planned Parenthood President Blasts Sarah Palin’s Pro-Life Position Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has joined her pro-abortion colleagues at NOW and NARAL in blasting John McCain’s selection of pro-life Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Richards claimed women have no reason to be excited about her selection despite her status as the second woman to ever appear on a major party presidential ticket. That’s because she worries Palin takes an even stronger pro-life stance on McCain and will be just one step away from becoming president. “What might have been encouraging news for women was just the opposite — somehow McCain had managed to find a woman running mate even more conservative than he is on women's rights,” Richards complained. Richards called the naming of a pro-life woman to the ticket “heartbreaking news” after an “inspiring” week at the Democratic convention that saw Democratic delegates officially nominate pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama and his pro-abortion running mate Joe Biden. In the statement LifeNews.com obtained, Richards says there is no chance a pro-life woman can complete the mission of Hillary Clinton, who hoped to be the first woman to be elected as president or vice-president. “Right now there is so much shameless rhetoric from the Republicans about breaking the glass ceiling, especially from McCain and his running mate. What good does it do to break a glass ceiling with a woman who wants government to control women's reproductive health,” Richards said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life Groups Say Sarah Palin’s Abortion Rejection Reminds of McCain’s’ Adoption Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Politicians of all stripes may say they’re pro-life, but it’s quite another thing to put those beliefs into practice with concrete actions. Two pro-life groups say Sarah Palin did that when she rejected an abortion on her physically disabled unborn child and they say it reminds them of the decision John McCain’s family made to adopt a girl from Mother Teresa’s orphanage. Brian Burch, the president of Fidelis noted how Palin made the news earlier this year with the birth of her fifth child, whom she welcomed into life despite a pre-natal diagnosis that revealed the baby had Down syndrome. The governor made national headlines when she proclaimed: “I’m looking at him right now, and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?” Burch said McCain, “also matched his 20-year pro-life voting record with his family’s own commitment to life.” Few people know the story of McCain's youngest child. As a result of a 1991 Cindy McCain visit to Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh, the McCains adopted an infant daughter dying from a host of health issues. The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save the little girl's life, so the McCains, already the parents of six children, brought the child home to America, and paid for desperately needed surgeries and years of rehabilitation. That child is their teenage daughter Bridget. In fact, there was a second infant girl brought back from the orphanage that the McCains saved. She ended up being adopted by one of McCain's aides, Wes Gullett, and his wife. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin Announces Her Daughter is Pregnant, No Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Shortly after the announcement that she would become Senator John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has announced that her oldest daughter Bristol is pregnant. Bristol, who is 17 and unmarried, will keep her baby rather than having an abortion as so many teenagers do who become pregnant at a young age. The Palin family released a statement on Monday saying they are proud of her daughter and her decision to keep her baby."We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned,” Sarah and her husband Todd said. “We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support,” the Palins added."Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates,” they said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Smears and Gutter Attacks on Gov. Palin Expected But No Less Hurtful and Cruel --Part One of Two - Editor's note. Please send your thoughts to daveandrusko@hotmail.com.

I confess that as the father of three daughters and the uncle of a child with profound disabilities, I was going to respond with more anger and indignation than perhaps most people would to the cheap shot, all-out assault on the family of pro-life Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. But I don't think you have to have any more qualifications than to be a human being to be enraged at the guttersnipe attacks on pro-life Sen. John McCain's choice as his vice president, Gov. Palin's 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, and even Sarah Palin's four-month-old son, Trig!

On the off-off chance that you may have missed it, Gov. Palin's daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. According to a statement issued by the Palin family, Bristol intends to marry the baby's father. The statement they issued captured both the challenges any young couple will face in such a situation and the promise of help from Palin and her husband, Todd. "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned," they wrote. "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents." Is there any adult in the United States who is more than two degrees of separation removed from an unmarried pregnant teenage girl? It is a fact of life. What separates us is the quality of our response to a situation that puts any parent to the test. The Palins responded exactly as you would have expected, given their values. We remember that Gov. Palin had discovered that Trig, her last baby, would have Down syndrome. In our darkened world, such a prenatal diagnosis is a death sentence for 90% of these children. But the Palin family rallied together and the beauty of Mrs. Palin's life-affirming response is a beacon of light. Complete story: Smears and Gutter Attacks on Gov. Palin Expected But No Less Hurtful and Cruel

Republican Party Approves Platform Containing Pro-Life Human Life Amendment on Abortion St. Paul, MN (LifeNews.com)

-- The Republican Party on Monday approved a new platform that contains the same Human Life Amendment the GOP has advocated for years enshrining legal protection for unborn children in the nation’s Constitution. The platform also lauds the work of crisis pregnancy centers and their efforts to provide pregnant women with tangible help and resources. The platform draws on the nation's founding documents as expressing the earliest support for human life but backs a Constitutional amendment to make those protections clear."Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed," the final GOP platform draft says. "We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children.”Prior to the platform adoption, pro-life Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California told the convention that the GOP’s platform has stark contrasts from the ones Democrats put forward, which strongly supports abortion.“For those who say there is no difference between the parties -- this platform will prove them wrong. This platform recaptures our principles … because Americans deserve only the best,” he said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Governor Sarah Palin: The Woman The Pro-Life Movement Has Been Waiting For by Maria Vitale

--Back in 1984, I was a college student excited about casting my first vote in a Presidential election. I was doing an internship in the Governor’s Mansion in Ohio, which allowed me the opportunity to attend an event featuring then Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro. Someone I knew from the Governor’s office ushered my Dad and me up to the front of a receiving line, and I had the chance to shake hands with candidate Ferraro. As soon as it happened, I turned around and hugged my Dad. I was excited because this was the first woman to be on a major party Presidential ticket. I felt as if a new world were opening up for women. But there was a problem. Even though Geraldine was Catholic like me and Italian like me, she was also pro-abortion. At the time, I really didn’t understand what impact a Vice-President or President could have on abortion. I was very naïve, and thought that the key to resolving the abortion issue was nowhere to be found in politics. I ended up having a heated debate with my aunt over the issue of Ferraro’s support of abortion, which caused my aunt to run crying from the room. It wasn’t until much later, after I had joined the pro-life movement, that I saw the folly of supporting a pro-abortion Presidential ticket. I purposely refused to join a group which promoted women for public office when I found out that the group only supported pro-abortion candidates. In the years since, because of my pro-life convictions, I have been faithfully voting for the pro-life candidate for President. But I think that, deep in my heart, I had given up on the dream that a woman who shared my pro-life views would one day occupy a place in the Oval Office. With John McCain’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for Vice-President, I feel a new sense of optimism. I now believe that anything is possible—including a pro-life Madame President. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Assisted Suicide Question Was Above Barack Obama’s Pay Grade in Previous Comments Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Weeks ago, pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama infamously said the question of when human life begins is “above my pay grade” as a seeker of the White House. Judging from Obama’s evasive answer on the question of assisted suicide, it appears euthanasia was above his pay grade as well. In a March interview with the Mail Tribune, Obama wouldn’t give a clear answer about whether he supports assisted suicide or Oregon’s first-in-the-nation decision to legalize the grisly practice. “I am in favor of palliative medicine in circumstances where someone is terminally ill,” he said. “… I'm mindful of the legitimate interests of states to prevent a slide from palliative treatments into euthanasia.” At the same time, Obama appeared to praise Oregon for legalizing assisted suicide without expressly saying he supports the decision. “I think that the people of Oregon did a service for the country in recognizing that as the population gets older we've got to think about issues of end-of-life care,” he said. Wesley J. Smith, a noted attorney and author who is a bioethics watchdog, pointed out what he says is an attempt on Obama’s part to get away with not answering the question. “It is a complete straddle, which is a disappointment given the import of the issue,” Smith says. “Now, I note that there is an ellipses at the end of the answer, which might have edited out a more definitive response. But I doubt it, since a more definitive response would be newsworthy.” “This answer is along the lines of Obama's ‘above my pay grade’ punt about when human rights attach at the Saddleback Church,” Smith said. “Such wiggling may be politically smart, but it is also not leadership.” Full story at LifeNews.com.

Barack Obama Attacks John McCain on Abortion in New Radio Ad in Battleground States Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The campaign of pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama is going after Senator John McCain on abortion in a new radio ad airing in key battleground states. The ad accuses McCain of wanting to make abortion “illegal” and claims that women’s lives and health will be at risk should Roe be overturned. The ad comes at a time when McCain brought the abortion debate back into the campaign with the selection of pro-life Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. The radio ad is narrated by a nurse who makes the claim that McCain is against women. “Let me tell you: If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the lives and health of women will be put at risk. That's why this election is so important,” the Obama ad contends. “John McCain's out of touch with women today. McCain wants to take away our right to choose. That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are.” The narrator in the ad claims that, “as president, John McCain will make abortion illegal,” and the ad then includes an audio clip of an interview McCain gave on the television program “Meet the Press” in which he announces his support for a Constitutional amendment to offer legal protection for unborn children. “We can't let John McCain take away our right to choose. We can't let him take us back,” the Obama attack ad concludes. According to a Politico report, the ad will air in seven states considered to be toss-ups the and ones most likely to decide the election. Radio stations received the ad last Thursday, prior to Palin’s selection as the vice-presidential candidate. The web site indicated the ad appears to be airing in Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Colorado. Full story at LifeNews.com

Former Planned Parenthood President Says Sarah Palin Forcing Daughter to Keep Baby Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- As news of the pregnancy of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol makes the headlines, she is coming under attack from backers of pro-abortion candidate Barack Obama. But few have gone as far as former Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt, who suggested Palin is making her daughter keep the baby. "She probably feels powerless right now," Feldt said on Tuesday responding to the news about Bristol Palin. Feldt said Governor Palin’s pro-life views may have made it so she and her husband Todd prevented Bristol from getting an abortion. "Because of her family's attitude she probably doesn't feel that she has a choice in terms of what will happen to her,” Feldt said. Instead, the pro-abortion activist appears to say Palin wants her daughter to keep the baby to avoid the embarrassment and present a positive spin on the news in the media. “Her mother is weaving a narrative that it's a heroic thing of course that she is going forward with the pregnancy, she's getting married and it will all be beautiful and rosy,” Feldt added. LifeNews.com talked with Wendy Wright, the head of Concerned Women for America, who took strong exception to Feldt’s comments. “In Gloria Feldt’s bizarre world, families that cherish children are toxic. If the goal is to reduce the number of abortions, surely the first step is to allow families to love and embrace their children, not reject the weak and inconvenient,” Wright said. “She seems to hope that Bristol, who grew up in a Christian family that clearly cherishes children and even recently embraced a special needs child, would choose abortion and be proud of it,” Wright added. “It may be difficult for Gloria to understand that people could love an unexpected child, a welcome surprise. But to project her contempt for babies onto others, and refuse to allow that a teenager could want a baby is narcissistic.” Full story at LifeNews.com

New Pro-Life Movie Could Impact Presidential Elections

--After nearly sold-out preview screenings of COME WHAT MAY in Harrisonburg, VA and Grants Pass, OR, Valley Family Forum director, Dean Welty, believes that the powerful new pro-life movie could impact the November elections. "Audience survey card responses were tremendous," explains Welty. "This movie tells how Roe v. Wade can be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Moviegoers were excited or agitated on both sides because the movie shows in dramatic fashion just how flimsy the legal footing stands for Roe. New Justice appointees who believe in Constitutional original intent will likely overturn Roe." Polls show a very tight presidential race. A handful of voters from each precinct will make the difference. "If this new movie gets widely known, and it could breakout because it's very controversial, then watch out," Welty predicts. "What's remarkable is that COME WHAT MAY, a micro-budget feature, was largely produced by over 40 students mentored by only a handful of professionals," according to Mac Nichols, a local tax attorney who played one of the movie's U.S. Supreme Court Justices. Advent Film Group (AFG) produced the movie in association with Patrick Henry College, a true-to-life powerhouse in collegiate debate and moot court competition. PHC, founded eight years ago, enrolling only 300 students, has won the Moot Court National Championship twice and has beaten Oxford in England and again in Richmond, VA. The movie's legal argument is solid, claims George Escobar, founder of AFG. The film's legal framework for overturning Roe was written by Michael Farris, founder and chancellor of PHC and is a constitutional attorney who has successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Complete story: Illinois Federation for Right to Life - New Pro-Life Movie Could Impact Presidential Elections

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September 10, 2008

New Effort Launched to Decrease Eugenic Abortion of Down Syndrome Babies

In many Western countries up to 95 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted in an effort to curb the rising abortion rate for babies with Down syndrome, Concerned Women for America (CWA) of New York has teamed up with prominent Down syndrome groups to develop an informational brochure focused on giving "hope" and "help" to parents and families of children with Down syndrome.

The small brochure, titled, "When you've learned that your baby may have Down syndrome ... There is help and hope!", offers "encouragement, a positive perspective, and a list of resources and support groups to help families learn more about their baby's opportunities," said a CWA release on the brochure.

Man Gets 2 Life Terms for Killing Girlfriend & Fetus

The murder victim met David Miller at the Parkville Shopping Center parking lot when she was seven months pregnant to find out if he wanted to get to know this child and support her. Instead, he killed her and the fetus did not survive. Elizabeth Walters wanted to know what relationship the soon to be born baby would have with her father, even though David Miller was married to someone else. But when he got in her car, he shot Walters to death and wounded her girlfriend. He was sentenced to life without parole two times Monday--one for the death of the fetus and the other for the mother. A new Maryland law allows murder charges for killing an unborn child if the fetus is viable.

Teens Abuse Morning After Pill, Study Reveals

A new study has revealed that 22 percent of Brazilian teens aged 13 to 16 have already had sexual relations and frequently use the morning after pill to avoid pregnancy. According to local media reports, some 6,300 students from 272 schools were interviewed for the study. The percentage of pregnancies was high among those polled. Out of those who had already had sexual relations 42.3 percent had already gotten a girl pregnant in the case of the boys or had become pregnant in the case of the girls.

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YouTube Blocks More Videos on Racist Planned Parenthood Abortion Donations Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The popular video sharing web site YouTube has blocked a fifth investigative video from the pro-life group Live Action exposing the racist donations Planned Parenthood accepted. YouTube provided no advance warning, but sent an email citing "an alleged privacy violation." YouTube has also not responded to the group's inquiry about why the first four videos critical of Planned Parenthood were marked as "content inappropriate." UCLA student Lila Rose, who was behind the videos and the expose' of Planned Parenthood with the investigative phone calls, told LifeNews.com that the web site EyeblasTV contacted Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Schmidt's company owns YouTube and he said, "I don't know the details, but I'll certainly look into it" when asked about the problems. However, the next day, the fifth video was blocked from the Live Action Films user channel and neither Google nor YouTube have released any further information about the decision. "YouTube's discrimination is outrageous," Rose told LifeNews.com. "Rather than respond to our concerns about the censorship, YouTube is confirming its Orwellian conduct and silencing the voices of investigative reporters." Full story at LifeNews.com

Brother of Potential Euthanasia Victim Janet Rivera Allowed to Become Guardian Fresno, CA (LifeNews.com)

-- The family of potential euthanasia victim Janet Rivera has won again as a local court has allowed Michael Dancoff, her brother, the become the permanent conservator. Rivera, of Sanger, California, was denied food and water for 11 consecutive days in the same manner as Terri Schiavo. Schiavo lost her nutrition for 13 days before succumbing to the death her former husband wanted and won after a lengthy court battle. Rivera was left to die a painful death by starvation and dehydration a month ago when a Fresno County public guardian removed her ventilator and stopped giving her food and water. Janet began breathing on her own and a national outcry and help from a pro-life attorney resulted in the guardian reversing his position and reinserting Rivera's feeding tube. Judge Debra Kazanjian ruled today that Dancoff will be allowed to become the decision-maker regarding his sister's care. Josh Brahm, the director of education for Right to Life of Central California, talked with LifeNews.com about the latest decision. “I’m glad that the family has what they should have had all along: the right to make the decisions for Janet’s medical care,” he said. I hope that now this ordeal is over, the family can get back to a semi-normal life.” Full story at LifeNews.com

New Chapter for the Pro-Life Movement: Ending Abortion Closer Than You Think by Father Frank Pavone

September 1 was my 15th anniversary as National Director of Priests for Life. This is a good point, therefore, at which to reflect aloud with you on some of my perspective right now on the pro-life movement and the steps we need to take in the immediate future. From 1976, when I attended the Annual March for Life in Washington as a high school senior, to 1993, when I dropped everything else I was doing to devote myself full-time to the protection of my unborn brothers and sisters, a fire was growing within me. It was a passion for justice, focused on the single greatest injustice of our day: abortion. As the fire raged full-force, it made me realize that every ounce of my strength, and every moment of my time, must be devoted to ending this holocaust. Since then, every hour of my days and nights has been focused on this mission, and I have been inspired to a limitless degree by all those around me who have the same focus, the same passion, and live it out to the extent that their own vocations permit. There has not been a day that I have looked back. There has not been a day that I have not felt the enthusiasm of the very first day of this mission. I am convinced at the present moment that our movement is entering yet another phase of this battle. We are closer to victory than ever before, and now is the time to redouble every effort and to push over the finish line. Now is the time to cut off any “dead wood,” any projects that aren't bearing fruit, any expenditures and efforts that are not actually moving us toward the goal of ending abortion, and any bureaucracy in our structures that is hindering rather than advancing the mission. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Psychologists: APA Deceptive on How Abortion Adversely Affects Women, Men Chicago, IL (LifeNews.com)

-- Two prominent psychologists are participating in the second national conference on the kind of profound grief and regret men can experience after their involvement in an abortion decision. They said the American Psychological Association missed the boat in a recent report on abortion's negative effects. Psychologist Dr. Vincent Rue is one of the featured speakers. He has been a practicing psychotherapist for more than 30 years and is an academic who formerly served on the faculty at California State University at Los Angeles and San Diego International University. In comments sent to LifeNews.com, he told the post-abortion conference how the American Psychological Association has misled the public on problems resulting from abortions. "Despite the fact that – less than a month ago – the APA pronounced that abortion is psychologically safe for women we are in the midst of a conference in which men are recounting their grief over abortion," he said. "The APA has missed the boat and has misguided the American public," Rue added. "It is out of touch with reality and the pain and suffering of these very real people." Rue pointed out that the APA position is at odds with a statement by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Britain released earlier this year. The British group warned that the issue "remains to be fully resolved," that additional study was needed and that women should have access to counseling about possible consequences. Full story at LifeNews.com.

California Planned Parenthood Made Abortion Referral, Didn't Report Abuse Santa Clara, CA (LifeNews.com)

-- Details have emerged from documents in a California appeals court case that a Planned Parenthood abortion business referred for an abortion on a sexually-abused teenager without telling authorities about the abuse. The case prompts pro-life advocates to say parental notification is needed. According to court documents, a Santa Clara County sexual predator impregnated his 13-year-old stepdaughter and forced her to have a late-term abortion. The man then continued to molest her for another seven months until the child's mother discovered the abuse and contacted police. Despite two visits to Planned Parenthood and a surgical abortion at San Francisco General Hospital, no healthcare provider bothered to inform law enforcement. Attorney Katie Short, a spokeswoman for the Yes on 4 campaign supporting the parental notification initiative on the November ballot, provided LifeNews.com with the details. "This heart-rending and tragic real-life case illustrates better than any theoretical argument why Proposition 4 is so desperately needed in California," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

The Softer Side of the Pro-Life Movement: Abortion Worse Than Teen Pregnancy by David Frum

Whoever imagined that we would see a Republican convention rapturously applaud an unwed teen mother?

Yet that is just what happened on Wednesday night in St. Paul. At the conclusion of Sarah Palin's triumphant speech, the Alaskan Governor welcomed her family onto the stage: her husband, her five children and the fiance of Bristol, her visibly pregnant 17-year-old daughter. That moment confirmed a dramatic evolution in American politics: the transformation of the pro-life movement from an unambiguously conservative force into something more complex. A quarter century ago, a sympathetic journalist named Burton Yale Pines set out to understand the origins of the then-young social-conservative movement. Abortion certainly ranked as issue number one, reported Pines in his 1982 book, Back to Basics. But abortion did not stand alone. Social conservatives cared almost as much about relaxed standards of sexual morality, about government interference in home schools and about the then-new issue of homosexual rights. Social conservatives were united, Pines observed, by their "determination to [defend] the traditional nuclear family [from] more than a decade of attacks from anti-family forces on the left." Many or most of the issues that excited those first social conservatives have since faded away. The pro-life movement, however, has gone from strength to strength, breaking away from its culturally conservative origins and finding new allies in unlikely places. Full story at LifeNews.com.

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September 10, 2008

Prolife Election News

Pro-Abortion Groups Renew $30 Million Campaign Against McCain, Sarah Palin Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Three pro-abortion groups are renewing their pledge to spend $30 million collectively bashing John McCain. The organizations upped their commitment to the attack ads and get-out-the-vote efforts with the addition of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to McCain's ticket. NARAL, Planned Parenthood and Emily's List are the long-time heavy hitters of the pro-abortion movement and they each previously announced multi-million dollar campaigns targeting the presidential election. They told The Hill newspaper on Friday that voters can expect to see the effort roll out over the last 60 days of the election season. "This is the most anti-choice ticket in history of the Republican Party," NARAL Political Director Beth Shipp told the paper. "McCain put someone as outside the mainstream as you can on his ticket, which is Sarah Palin." Shipp is concerned that Palin will draw the kind of voters -- independents, pro-abortion Republicans and women -- that they are working to persuade to vote for pro-abortion candidate Barack Obama. NARAL's $10 million will reportedly target about three dozen Congressional districts where the organization thinks it can swing enough votes to Obama to make the difference in the election. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Joe Biden Quizzed on Abortion, Won’t Tell Others When Human Life Begins Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- After Barack Obama admitted he didn't know and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed the Catholic Church has changed its position, Joe Biden took his turn at answering the question of when human life begins. But Biden wouldn't give an answer for society -- saying he would only say when he thought life begins for his own political views. "Look, I know when it begins for me,” Biden said on the MSNBC program “Meet the Press.” Tom Brokaw set up the question by talking about his interview with Pelosi and referring to the comments Barack Obama made during the faith forum at Saddleback Church, in which he said the question was “above my pay grade.” “If Senator Obama comes to you and says, ‘When does life begin? Help me out here, Joe,’ as a Roman Catholic, what would you say to him?” Brokaw asked. “I'd say, ‘Look, I know when it begins for me,’” he said. “It's a personal and private issue. For me, as a Roman Catholic, I'm prepared to accept the teachings of my church.” However, Biden said he would have no problem departing from Catholic teaching that human life begins at conception and abortion is morally wrong. “But let me tell you. There are an awful lot of people of great confessional faiths – Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others – who have a different view,” he told the program. “They believe in God as strongly as I do. They're intensely as religious as I am religious. They believe in their faith and they believe in human life, and they have differing views as to when life.” Full story at LifeNews.com.

Sarah Palin Reveals More About the Birth of Down Syndrome Son Trig Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- In a new interview with People magazine published on Friday, vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin reveals more about the birth of her Down syndrome son Trig. She reveals her husband Todd was excited about the birth of another boy and told how she didn't inform her family about the disability. Palin told the magazine she was saddened and surprised to lean that her son would be mentally disabled but acknowledged that her husband Todd appeared more confident. The Alaska governor told him about the news when he returned from a business trip. "The good news is we have a boy," she tearfully told him. "But we have a challenge." Todd reportedly responded, "Awesome! I'm getting another boy." Palin initially did not tell her son or three daughters about the disability, and she told People she did so because she needed time to grapple with the opportunities of raising a disabled child before confronting her children. "Not knowing in my own heart if I was going to be ready to embrace a child with special needs," she reveals, "I couldn't talk about it." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Sarah Palin Told Pro-Life Group: Have Always Known Abortion an "Atrocity" Anchorage, AK (LifeNews.com)

-- Alaska governor Sarah Palin burst on the national political scene just over one week ago when she became John McCain's running mate and her pro-life views excited the majority of Americans who oppose abortions. The pro-life advocates who know her best, in Alaska, confirm she is a friend of life. On Sunday, pro-life advocates in Alaska gave her high marks. Ed Wassell, president of Alaska Right to Life, pointed to a letter his group received in 2002 when Palin did not receive its endorsement in her bid for Lieutenant Governor. The pro-life organization has a policy of supporting candidates with long pro-life voting records and, as mayor of Wasilla, Palin hadn't yet had a chance to put her pro-life views in action. Palin was upset by the decision and defended her pro-life views in an email to the group. "For what it's worth, I also wish to express my personal disappointment in not receiving your endorsement. It feels a bit like taking a kick in the gut. I am as pro-life as any candidate can be," Palin wrote. She said she understood "the atrocity of abortion" since her childhood. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Sex and the City Actor Eigenberg Backs Obama, Joins Colleague OKing Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Chalk up another member of the cast of the popular television show, and recent movie, Sex and the City to the pro-abortion agenda. Actor David Eigenberg, who plays bartender Steve Brady on the program, stumped for Barack Obama this weekend and said he backs abortion. Eigenberg hadn't been politically active until recently, when he learned that Obama is pro-abortion -- a position that matches his own. The actor campaigned for the presidential hopeful in Wisconsin over the weekend, and joined pro-abortion Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota and NARAL president Nancy Keenan for an event. "I don't stump for anybody, and I don't come out here with an entourage of PR people," he told the Madison Capital Times after the event with 60 people. "I'm here because I'm so excited about Barack Obama." Eigenberg's wife is pregnant with his 18-week-old unborn child and he is a brother to five sisters, but the actor admitted he takes a pro-abortion view and that he appreciates Obama's views -- which call for keeping abortion legal in all cases throughout pregnancy and funded with taxpayer dollars. "When somebody gets behind women's issues like Barack has, it tells me one thing about the person," Eigenberg said to the Madison newspaper. "I know immediately that they are not here to judge the individual; they are here to accept everyone as human beings and the decisions that they've made in their lives, and the decisions they're going to make in their lives." Full story at LifeNews.com

Joe Biden Misleads in Interview, Routinely Supports Tax-Funded Abortions Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Joe Biden repeatedly made the claim in a Sunday interview on the NBC political show "Meet the Press" that he opposes taxpayer funding of abortions. However, a look at his voting record over the years reveals numerous instances where Barack Obama's pro-abortion running mate did exactly that. "I don't support public, public funding. I don't, because that flips the burden. That's then telling me I have to accept a different view," he said on the program. As recently as February, Biden voted against an amendment. that would permanently prevent abortion funding at Indian health care service facilities. The amendment from Sen. David Vitter would codify a longstanding policy against funding of abortions with federal Indian Health Service (IHS) funds. In April 2005, Biden voted against the Mexico City Policy, which President Bush instituted to prohibit taxpayer funding of groups that promote or perform abortions overseas. He also voted for international abortion funding in July 2003. In a May 2003 vote, Biden also voted for a pro-abortion amendment to repeal the law that prohibits performance of abortions of military base hospitals, all of which are taxpayer-funded. Full story at LifeNews.com

Starting a Serious National Conversation About Barack Obama
The Case against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate
By David Freddoso (Regnery Publishing, 2008, 244 pages)

If there is an overriding lesson to David Freddoso's meticulous, measured, and thoroughly mesmerizing examination of the rise of a very unlikely presidential nominee it might be "don't embellish!" There is plenty, more than enough, in the record of pro-abortion Sen. Barack Obama that Americans will find unappealing.

But getting the truth out about the one-term senator is much easier said than done. "Our press normally fixes a critical eye on ambitious politicians who promise us the world," Freddoso writes in the introduction. "That eye just seems to well up with tears whenever it falls upon the junior senator from Illinois." All of us have many first-hand brushes with that reality. For example, how many times have we heard that pro-life Senator John McCain's choice for vice president--pro-life Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin--is "short on experience"? Ask exactly what it is in Obama's time in the Illinois state Senate or the United States Senate that qualifies him to hold the most powerful office in the world, and you get variations of what I have often heard from starry-eyed friends: just look, it's all there. Where? On Obama's web page. Truth be told, as Freddoso does so well in his book, Obama has a paper-thin bordering on non-existent list of accomplishments. If you listen attentively, most of the time the core of the case Obama makes for himself just glides over this inconvenient truth. Instead it's about being a "reformer" who is able to "reach across the aisle" to Republicans because he "transcends" humdrum partisan politics.tarting a Serious National Conversation About Barack Obama

Joe Biden Attacks Sarah Palin on Abortion, Calls Her "Backwards Step for Women" Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- In a potential preview of the lone debate between the vice-presidential hopefuls that will take place this fall, pro-abortion candidate Joe Biden is attacking Sarah Palin on abortion. In an interview, Biden said it would be a "backwards step for women" if Palin becomes the first female Vice President. During a campaign stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a local television reporter asked Biden, "Do you think, if she does win, that would be a step forward for women." Biden, a Delaware senator who is Barack Obama's running mate, disagreed and pointed to Palin's pro-life views on abortion as the reason why. "Well look, I think the issue is what does Sarah Palin think? What does she believe?" he said. "I assume she thinks and agrees with the same [pro-life] policies that George Bush and John McCain think," Biden added. "And that's obviously a backward step for women." Dorinda Bordlee, a prominent attorney who is the senior counsel of the Bioethics Defense Fund, told LifeNews.com she was flabbergasted by Biden's remarks. She said she is not surprised that a man like Joe Biden, who has a long pro-abortion voting record, would attack Palin. By saying pro-life policies are a "backward step for women," Biden is apparently "completely unaware of the mountain of evidence showing abortion's traumatic impact on women's physical and psychological health," she explained. Full story at LifeNews.com

Joe Biden Slams Sarah Palin on Down Syndrome Son, Stem Cell Research Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Joe Biden, Barack Obama's pro-abortion running mate, is coming under fire for comments he made today attacking vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. After attacking her on abortion, Biden then slammed Palin on the birth of her son, who has Down syndrome. During her acceptance speech last week, Paling promised the parents of disabled children that she would be their advocate in the White House. Biden questioned that commitment by attacking Palin's stance on the issue of embryonic stem cell research, which has never helped a single patient. "I hear all this talk about how the Republicans are going to work in dealing with parents who have both the joy, because there's joy to it as well, the joy and the difficulty of raising a child who has a developmental disability, who were born with a birth defect,'" Biden said. "Well guess what folks? If you care about it, why don't you support stem cell research?" The McCain campaign released a statement to LifeNews.com on Tuesday responding to Biden's accusation and saying Biden's comments on stem cell research were "offensive." "Barack Obama's running mate sunk to a new low today launching an offensive debate over who cares more about special needs children," McCain spokesman Ben Porritt said. "Playing politics with this issue is disturbing and indicative of a desperate campaign." Full story at LifeNews.com

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Election News

September 12, 2008

Democratic Activist: Not Having Abortion is Sarah Plain's Only Qualification Columbia, SC (LifeNews.com)

-- A leading Democratic Party activist is making waves across the country with an offensive remark about vice-presidential candidate Sarah Plain. South Carolina Democratic Chairwoman Carol Fowler, whose husband formerly led the national party, said Plain's only qualification is she didn't have an abortion. In the Alaska governor, Fowler said moccasin had chosen a running mate "whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion." Earlier this year, Plain and her husband decided to keep their disabled baby Trig, who has Down syndrome, even though 90 percent of babies with the condition become victims of abortion. “Among Democratic women and even among independent women, I don't think it helped him,” Fowler added in the ABC News interview. Told that her selection has encouraged white women to strongly support moccasin, Fowler responded: "Just anecdotally, I believe that those white women are Republican women anyway." Anne Briton, the president of the American Federation of Republican Women, took exception to the remarks, in a statement sent to LifeNews.com. She said she called the Democratic Party HQ in South Carolina and asked how many abortions Fowler believed one should have in order to meet the qualifications to be vice president. “There is no place for this sort of bitter personal attack upon women in politics or politics period," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Catholic Bishops Criticize Joe Biden on Comments on Abortion, Human Life Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- After Nancy Pelosi caught their attention with her misrepresentation of the Catholic Church's position on abortion and the beginning of human life, the nation's Catholic bishops are turning their attention to Joe Biden. In a weekend interview, Biden took his turn answering the questions. The pro-abortion Delaware senator wouldn't give an answer for society -- saying he would only say when he thought life begins for his own political views. “I'd say, ‘Look, I know when it begins for me,’” he said. “It's a personal and private issue. For me, as a Roman Catholic, I'm prepared to accept the teachings of my church.” In a statement sent to LifeNews.com, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman, U.S. Bishops Committee on Doctrine, took Biden to task. While Senator Biden did not go as far as Pelosi in saying that human life begins at some other point or that Catholic teaching allows abortion, the bishops still had a problem with his comments. "The senator's claim that the beginning of human life is a 'personal and private' matter of religious faith, one which cannot be 'imposed' on others, does not reflect Catholic teaching," they said. They said the Catholic Church's teaching on abortion and human life rests on two questions -- "neither of which is private or specifically religious." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Sarah Palin's Keeping Disabled Baby May Reduce Abortions Doctor Worries Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com)

-- A leading Canadian doctor is drawing gasps from people across the world with a comment that he worries abortions will go down because of Sarah Palin's story. The number two doctor at the national Canadian physicians group worries Palin's decision to keep her disabled baby will reduce abortions. Palin's story of deciding to give birth to her disabled son Trig despite knowing he would be afflicted with Down syndrome, has been an encouragement to families with special needs children. But it's bad news to André Lalonde, executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. "The worry is that this will have an implication for abortion issues in Canada," he told the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper Tuesday. Lalonde said that, "above all else, women must be free to choose" and that positive messages like the one from Palin "could have detrimental effects on women and their families." But Krista Flint, director of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, said families feel doctors encourage abortions by stressing the drawbacks to a baby with special needs. "We know overwhelmingly the message families get is 'Don't have this baby, it will ruin your life,' and I don't think people would look at Sarah Palin and see a ruined life," Flint said. "Regardless of politics, I think it's a good example." ACTION: Contact the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada with your concerns about the comments. Email Dr. André Lalone at alalonde@sogc.com or call 613-730-4192 ext 227. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Obama Campaign Furthers Attack on McCain, Palin on Stem Cell Research Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The Barack Obama campaign on Wednesday furthered the attack Joe Biden made on John McCain and Sarah Palin over the issue of stem cell research. On Tuesday Biden claimed Palin isn't truly concerned about disabled people because she opposes embryonic stem cell research. As LifeNews.com reported, Biden questioned Palin's commitment to stem cell research in general -- ignoring her support for adult stem cell research and other ethical alternatives. The McCain campaign responded yesterday afternoon by calling the charge offensive. Now, Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, has fired back. “John McCain has adopted and promises to implement a Republican platform that takes an even more extreme position in opposing stem-cell research than that of George Bush four years ago," Sevugan claimed. “While the McCain campaign may not believe the American people deserve a debate on the issues, it’s simply insulting for them to suggest that raising a substantive difference on this critical issue is playing politics." But Wesley J. Smith, a leading bioethics watchdog, says the debate will soon be moot because McCain understands that alternatives like iPS cells are making embryonic stem cell research unnecessary. Full story at LifeNews.com.

After Pelosi and Biden Flubs, Catholic Bishops to Address Abortion at Mtg Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- After pro-abortion politicians Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden misrepresented or deviated from Catholic teaching on abortion and the beginning of human life, the nation's Catholic bishops say they must address the subject. They plan to tackle the problem of deviant Catholic pols at their November meeting. The meeting has already been scheduled for after the elections, but the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says the full body of U.S. bishops will discuss the problems. They will address "the practical and pastoral implications of political support for abortion" during their annual assembly, November 10-13, in Baltimore, the USCCB told LifeNews.com Wednesday. At the conclusion of its September 9-10 meeting in Washington, the committee, which is the highest authority of the USCCB outside the conference’s plenary assemblies in November and June, initially signaled their concerns. In a statement released today, the USCCB said the nation's bishops affirm the comments from Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Doctrine, correcting Biden and Pelosi. "In light of recent comments by Catholic politicians misrepresenting Catholic teaching" more discussion is needed, they said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Media Bias: CNN Calls Pro-Abortion Group Attacking Sarah Palin "NonPartisan"

by Matthew Balan

CNN’s Jessica Yellin filed a report from Anchorage, Alaska on Tuesday’s American Morning which cites a "non-partisan" organization whose official policy stance includes a pro-abortion position, and whose president used to work for NARAL. Yellin’s report examined how the Alaska governor balances her government work with her family life. The CNN correspondent then went to the critics of the governor’s record: "But some women's groups are critical. The non-partisan National Partnership for Women and Families gives Alaska a D-minus when it comes to its parental leave policy. For example, there's no guarantee of paid leave for new parents." Yellin followed this with a sound bite from Dr. Vicki Lovell of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The National Partnership for Women and Families may be "non-partisan" on paper, but it does have a liberal agenda. One of its professed goals is increasing "women’s access to quality, confidential reproductive health services and block attempts to limit reproductive rights." Full story at LifeNews.com.

McCain Campaign Ad Bashes Barack Obama on OKing Sex Ed for Kids Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The campaign of John McCain has released a new television ad that bashes pro-abortion candidate Barack Obama. The ad highlights Obama's voting to teach "comprehensive sex education" to kindergartners and says he is wrong to push sexual teaching on children. The ad says Obama has a poor record on education issues and that his "one accomplishment" is "legislation to teach 'comprehensive sex education'" to kindergartners. "Learning about sex before learning to read? Barack Obama. Wrong on education. Wrong for your family," the spot concludes. The campaign cites a July 2007 article showing that, before his election to the U.S. Senate and when he was a member of the Illinois legislature, Obama served as the chairman of a committee that approved a bill to change the sexual education curriculum from grades 6-12 to start at kindergarten instead. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Last Chance for Life

Near the end of a town hall meeting in Johnstown, Pa., a woman arose to offer a passionate plea to Barack Obama to “stop these abortions.” Obama’s response was cool, direct, unequivocal. “Look, I got two daughters -- 9 years old and 6 years old. ...I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.” Punished with a baby. Obama sees an unwanted pregnancy as a cruel and punitive sanction for a teenager who has made a mistake, and abortion as the way out, the road to absolution and redemption. The contrast with Sarah Palin could not be more stark. At the birth of her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, Gov. Palin said: “We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. “We have faith thatevery baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.” Between the convictions and values of Palin and those of Barack, then, there is a world of difference. In the culture war that is rooted in religious faith, they are on opposite sides of the dividing line. But more crucial than their conflicting beliefs is the political reality. This election is America’s last hope to reverse Roe v. Wade. Upon its outcome will rest the life, or death, of millions of unborn children. The great social cause of the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, of the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, of the entire right-to-life movement, hangs today in the balance. Complete story: Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Last Chance for Life

Bishops: No Reason for Pro-Life Catholic to Back Pro-Abortion Candidate Kansas City, KS (LifeNews.com)

-- Two leading Catholics bishops have issued a statement making it clear that pro-life issues like abortion and euthanasia must be the top priority for Catholic voters. While not endorsing any candidate, the Catholic leaders say those issues should guide the choices Catholic voters make in November. Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Kansas City - St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn address the questions in a joint pastoral letter released Thursday. "With the approaching general election this November, we believe this to be an important moment for us to address together the responsibility of Catholics to be well informed and well formed voters," they say. While Catholic voters should be concerned with "a wide range of issues" about which there is disagreement as to the best public policies. But when it comes to pro-life issues, the Church strongly believes a pro-life policy is necessary without compromise, they say. "There are, however, some issues that always involve doing evil, such as legalized abortion ... as well as public policies permitting euthanasia ... or destructive human embryonic stem cell research," they write. "A properly formed conscience must give such issues priority even over other matters with important moral dimensions. To vote for a candidate who supports these intrinsic evils because he or she supports these evils is to participate in a grave moral evil. It can never be justified," they say. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Barack Obama, Bob Casey Promised Common Ground on Abortion, Where is It? by Nat Hentoff

Then the shoe dropped, sort of: "Now Barack Obama and I," Casey told the convention, "have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion. But the fact that I'm speaking here is testament to Barack's ability to show respect for the views of people who may disagree with him. I know Barack Obama. And I believe that as president, he'll pursue the common good by seeking common ground (on this issue) rather than trying to divide us." I waited expectantly to hear how common ground would be found on the now widely known fact that while in a senator in the Illinois legislature, Obama voted several times against a bill with this language: "A live child born as a result of an abortion (a botched abortion) shall be fully recognized as a human person and accorded immediate protection under the law." Is Sen. Bob Casey going to tell us where and how he has found common ground with Obama on this death penalty to babies born alive? I reported on such a case when a nurse protested as she was ordered by the doctor to put one of those unexpected in a pail in an adjoining room, where it would be disposed of. The child was not considered "one of us." Full story at LifeNews.com.

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September 12, 2008

Singer Jordin Sparks Defends Abstinence at MTV Video Music Awards Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- In a Hollywood culture that promotes sex and views teenagers and young adults who don't subscribe to the notion of promiscuity as Neanderthals, anyone who dares stand up against the culture shows some real courage. That's what Jordin Sparks did last night at the MTV Video Music Awards. VMA host Russel Brand started the exchange with a comment about the promise rings worn by members of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band popular with teenagers. Not content to let Brand have the last word on the brothers' commitment to abstinence, pro-life pop-R&B singer Jordin Sparks, a previous American Idol winner, shot back. “I just have one thing to say about promise rings. It’s not bad to wear a promise ring, because not everybody – guy or girl – wants to be a slut," she said. The comment cause a controversy in the "sex sells" music marketplace and Sparks followed up on her comments in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It’s something I feel strongly about,” she said. “I wish I would've worded it differently — that somebody who doesn't wear a promise ring isn't necessarily a slut — but I can’t take it back now. It was a split-second thing, and it came out kind of wrong. Still, I don’t regret it.” Full story at LifeNews.com

Prominent Psychiatrist: "No Particular Need for Sex-Education"

I am a retired professor of psychiatry, having taught in 5 universities in different parts of Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand. I have also run child and adolescent psychiatric units. I have been on school boards. It is from a review of the literature and from my experience that I write this brief opinion.

1) There is no particular need for "sex education." For many centuries there was no sex education, yet children were conceived and their parents enjoyed the process. Discovery of each other and what is pleasant in bed, on the wedding night and thereafter, is an important part of the exciting and unique pleasure that bonds the couple.

2) Sex education inhibits pair bonding. To educate young people about something that comes naturally robs them of the spontaneity and joy of sex that is vitally important for pair bonding and thus family stability.

3) The more sex education, the more sexual self-consciousness. There is substantial evidence that the more sex education, especially on technique, the more the couple is sexually inhibited. The greater the emphasis on sexual performance, the less communication and interpersonal intimacy there is.

4) The more sex education, the more sexual activity. It is quite conclusive now, that the more sex education, the more sexual activity and all the problems that go with that. The introduction of sex education is well correlated with the increase in abortion, STDs and boy-girl interpersonal problems. Good education gives people the desire to try it out or learn more experientially. Paradoxically, in that respect, current forms of sex education are good education but have the wrong results.

Complete story:Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Prominent Psychiatrist: "No Particular Need for Sex-Education"

Alaska Woman Won't be Starved to Death Thanks to Pro-Life Law Firm's Help Anchorage, AK (LifeNews.com)

-- A leading pro-life law firm has stepped in and helped save the life of an Alaska woman who was in danger of becoming a euthanasia victim. The case involved what is becoming a growing and disturbing trend -- with doctors and hospital staff deciding a patient is too far gone and removing a patient's life support. The unnamed patient's husband filed a lawsuit against the hospital and a doctor in May to keep the medical staff from removing his wife’s life support, which would have terminated her life. Kenneth Kirk, an attorney working with the Alliance Defense Fund, subsequently filed a motion for stay on the husband’s behalf to keep the hospital from taking the patient's life. The motion was granted, and the Alaska Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on May 30 prohibiting the hospital from discontinuing life support pending appeal and further order of the court. The hospital then determined that it would remove her feeding tube instead, which would have caused the woman to starve to death. Following additional proceedings and efforts by Kirk, the hospital changed positions and will now allow continuation of the patient’s nutrition, hydration, and pain treatment. Full story at LifeNews.com..

Catholic Archbishop Returns Order of Canada Medal Over Pro-Abortion Award Montreal, Canada (LifeNews.com)

-- The Catholic Archbishop of Montreal, Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, has returned his Order of Canada medal because he's upset the group that bestows the honor recently awarded abortion practitioner Henry Morgentaler. Turcotte had hoped the Morgentaler award would be revoked. Morgentaler is the infamous Canadian abortion practitioner who founded the first abortion center in Montreal in 1968 and eventually forced the nation to allow abortions. He's subsequently filed lawsuits to make Canadians pay for abortions with their tax dollars. Turcotte said Thursday he hoped the national outrage over Morgentaler getting the award would prompt officials with the Order of Canada to revoke the award. Since that hasn't happened, he said he is returning his medal because its worth has been compromised. He said he doesn't want to be perceived as supporting Morgentaler's award by not returning the one he received in 1996. He said he must stand up for his convictions concerning the "respect for human life, from conception to death." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Planned Parenthood Continues Violating FDA Guidelines on Abortion Drug Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com)

-- The dangerous abortion drug RU 486 has killed 13 women and injured thousands more, but leading abortion business Planned Parenthood continues to violate FDA guidelines about its usage. A pro-life group says the abortion center is not giving women the complete drug but mixing dosages. Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa is now offering no appointment, walk-in abortions at its centers without an appointment with a doctor. The abortion business can do this by distributing the dangerous mifepristone abortion drug at all of their locations with a physician consulting by web cam. Kim Lehman, the head of Iowa Right to Life, says this will make the abortion process worse for women. Worse for women though is the decision by the abortion business to violate the Food and Drug Administration protocols. The mifepristone abortion drug involves a two-part process with the abortion drug starving the unborn child to death and the misuse of an ulcer drug called misoprostol to cause contractions and expel the body of the dead baby. Lehman says Planned Parenthood is putting women at risk by skimping on the first drug and upping the dosage of the second. "Planned Parenthood does not follow FDA protocol," she said. "Planned Parenthood gives women a cheaper combination of the pills in an RU 486 abortion, against the recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration, which makes these abortions more profitable for the abortion group and more dangerous for women." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life Group Upset Russell Brand Attacked Sarah Palin on Abortion on MTV Hollywood, CA (LifeNews.com)

-- The millions of teens and young adults watching the MTV Video Music Awards noticed the feud between British comedian Russell Brand and pro-life singer Jordin Sparks over abstinence. But what they didn't see was an attack on vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin over abortion. Brand's attack was even too strong for MTV, which told the actor to remove it from his monologue during the awards show. Brand, who told Americans to vote for pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama during the ceremony, planned to attack the Alaska governor over her daughter's pregnancy. "They asked me to tone down the gags about Sarah Palin," he told the London Telegraph about his planned line. "I wanted to say she was forcing her teenage daughter to have a baby because she is so anti-abortion." "But also, as a Republican she is pro-execution so she is going to give her the electric chair for being a little slut," Brand said he planned to say. "They weren't keen on that one." Though the music television network didn't air the comments, it was happy enough that Brand pulled in a 20 percent higher audience that it plans to ask him to host next year's awards. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Britain Will Honor Woman Who Started Abortion Business on New Postage Stamp London, England (LifeNews.com)

-- Royal Mail, the official postal system for the British government that is used by the nation's residents is planning a new postage stamp that will honor the woman who started the nation's biggest abortion business. The stamp honors Marie Stopes, who began the abortion business in the 1920s. he abortion advocate will appear on a 50 cent stamp that is part of a series honoring the contributions of women to England. Stopes started the first birth control clinic in England and is seen as the pro-abortion British counterpart to Margaret Sanger, who was the mother of Planned Parenthood. Marie Stopes, like Sanger, was also controversial for her racist, anti-Semitic, and pro-eugenics views. She advocated the "perfection of the race" through selective breeding, disapproved of her son's choice for a wife because she wore glasses, and sent a letter to Adolf Hitler praising him. Anthony Ozimic, political secretary for the British pro-life group SPUC, told LifeNews.com the British government is wrong to honor Stopes. "Praising Marie Stopes as a woman of distinction should be as unacceptable as praising Adolf Hitler as a great leader," he said. "Both promoted compulsory sterilization and thereby the eventual elimination of society's most vulnerable members to achieve what they called racial progress." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Marie Stopes Only Collects 500 Signatures for Intl Pro-Abortion Campaign
by Samantha Singson London, England (LifeNews.com)

-- After nearly a year of soliciting signatures as part of a campaign for global “safe abortion,” Marie Stopes International has little to show for it. Less than 500 people have signed an online petition which calls for “full access to legal, voluntary, safe and affordable abortions as part of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care” around the world. The campaign, which was co-sponsored by the pro-abortion groups Ipas and the UK-based group Abortion Rights, was launched at the International Global Safe Abortion Conference that took place in October 2007 in London, an event that was held in conjunction with the UN and UNICEF sponsored Women Deliver conference. Both the conference and the campaign seek to bolster international commitment to abortion and call “for women’s access to legal, safe abortion to be recognized as a fundamental human right.” A detailed look at the list of campaign supporters reveal that nearly 20% of the signatures are from employees of the three sponsoring organizations. Of the 498 signatures on the campaign web site, 77 are from Marie Stopes employees, 16 from Ipas employees and 3 from those who work at Abortion Rights. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Man Assaults Pregnant Girlfriend After She Refuses His Demand to Get Abortion Pittsfield, MA (LifeNews.com)

-- A Massachusetts man will likely be headed to prison after police apprehended him following a violent assault on his girlfriend. Joshua W. Figler, 24, is accused of slamming his 20-year-old girlfriend's head into a refrigerator after she refused his demand to get an abortion. Figler was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court yesterday and is charged with assault and battery and aggravated assault and battery. He was released on his own personal recognizance afterwards but faces seven and a half years in prison if convicted on all charges. Police arrested Figler on Wednesday after he attacked the unidentified woman, who attends Williams College. The woman was treated at Berkshire Medical Center for bumps and bruises and later released. According to the Berkshire Eagle newspaper, Pittsfield police officer Cheryl Belknap indicated Figler learned about the woman's pregnancy on Saturday and did not want her to keep the baby. "(She) wants to keep the baby and refuses to get an abortion," said Belknap. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Prenatal 'Testing' not Mandatory and is Usually 'Search and Destroy'

--In a routine internet search for the news, I followed a link to a fascinating recent New York Times article "Palin fuses motherhood and politics in a new way". The author, Jodi Kantor, carefully avoided the more obvious abuse of Sarah Palin by the media, concerning her ability to simultaneously serve as mother and public official. However this quote caught my eye: "In just a few months, she has gone from hiding her pregnancy from those closest to her to toting her infant on stage at the Republican National Convention." As a pro-life mother, I feel it's my place to explain to reporters another significant reason why a woman, sharing my beliefs about abortion, might conceal a pregnancy when there is an untoward fetal diagnosis. Each time a mom like us mentions that her preborn child has been diagnosed with a disability, she risks hearing the suggestion that she ought to abort. This suggestion might come from co-workers, friends or even family members. With it comes a piece of information that we'd rather not know: someone we care about believes that it's OK to kill a baby prior to birth. It's a sad bit of news, each time it happens. Even having a few kids in rapid succession as I did, later in life, can bring this kind of information.

But moms who obtain a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome are expected to abort, and, unfortunately, 80 to 90 percent of them actually do.Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Prenatal 'Testing' not Mandatory and is Usually 'Search and Destroy'

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September 16, 2008

Jane Fonda to Give Keynote for Arizona Planned Parenthood Abortion Business -Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com)

-- Actress turned political activist Jane Fonda will continue her abortion advocacy next month when she headlines an event for Arizona Planned Parenthood. Fonda will deliver the keynote address for the abortion business at its annual Founders' Celebration, an event to honor volunteers and raise money. The event will be held on October 18 at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix and proceeds benefit the pro-abortion group. When Jane Fonda reportedly converted to Christianity in 2001, some pro-life advocates hoped the political activist would part ways with her radically pro-abortion former husband Ted Turner. However, Fonda continued to trumpet abortion and her Arizona appearance follows a keynote address at a Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando fundraiser in May. "I am a big believer in the work that Planned Parenthood does," she told the Sentinel newspaper before that event. Though Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion business in the United States, breaking $1 billion last fiscal year in revenue thanks to more than 250,000 abortions, Fonda says it's the organization's sex education that attracts her. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Supreme Court Justice Scalia: Nothing Qualifies Judge to Create Abortion Right -Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Justice Antonin Scalia is one of the most outspoken jurists on the Supreme Court when it comes to talking about abortion. Scalia repeated the mantra on Monday that he's presented to college students and community forums about how the high court doesn't have the power to declare a right to abortion. During a speech at Utah State University's Taggart Student Center, where 1,700 people came to hear the respected judge tell it like it is, Scalia criticized those jurists who engage in what he called "abstract moralizing." In addition to faulty decisions like Roe v. Wade, Scalia said it results in a corrupt political process where citizens and politicians expect new judges to "rewrite" the U.S. Constitution and make policy decisions normally reserved for legislatures. "These are social preferences that can only be handled in a political process," he said. Scalia touted his "originalist" views whereby he says the Constitution has a fixed and knowable meaning established at the time of its drafting. "I'm questioning the sanity of having value-laden decisions being made by unelected judges," he said. "Nothing I learned at Harvard or in my practice of law qualifies me to decide whether there is a right to abortion or to assisted suicide." Full story at LifeNews.com.

Maryland Man Gets Life in Prison for Killing Girlfriend and Her Unborn Child -Towson, MD (LifeNews.com)

-- A Maryland man is headed to prison for killing his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child after she had hoped to excite him about the impending birth of her baby. David Miller met Elizabeth Walters at a shopping center parking let and Walters told Miller he is the father even though he is currently married to someone else. This is the first time the Maryland unborn victims law came into play, which makes the state one of 36 that protect pregnant women and unborn children and offer them justice in these kinds of violent crimes. The laws allow criminals to be held accountable for killing or injuring both mother and child. According to WJZ-TV, Miller shot Walters to death and killed her unborn child after getting in her vehicle at the shopping center. As a result of the crime and the involvement of the unborn victims law, Miller will serve a life term in prison without the possibility of parole. Scott Shellenberg, Baltimore County State's Attorney, told the TV station the unborn victims law was appropriate for Miller’s crimes. "In this case the intent was to kill the child, so he wouldn't have to be responsible and because of that we felt the facts all fit perfectly," he said. Walters’ adoptive parents say they're glad Miller’s is getting a stiff prison term for killing their daughter and grandchild. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Judge Tells Woman Who Neglected Child No Kids, May Encourage Abortion Austin, TX (LifeNews.com)

-- A judge in Travis County, Texas has handed down a unique sentence for a woman convicted of child neglect. District Judge Charlie Baird told Felicia Salazar, 20, who admitted to failing to provide protection and medical care to her then-19-month-old daughter last year, that she can’t have any more children. Though the decision makes sense in terms of not giving the young woman more parental responsibilities some pro-life advocates say there is a concern it could encourage Salazar to have an abortion should she become pregnant again. Baird sentenced Salazar, who had no criminal history, to 10 years of probation after she reached a plea bargain with prosecutors. In Texas, judges set conditions of probation. In addition to requiring Salazar to perform 100 hours of community service and to undergo a mental health assessment and setting other typical conditions, Baird told Salazar not to have any more children. Baird told the Statesman newspaper that Texas law gives judges the discretion to set any conditions of probation deemed reasonable. He also said that neither Salazar nor her lawyer, Kent Anschutz, objected. "When you look at her background, the circumstances of this case," he said, "a reasonable condition of her probation was that she not conceive or bear any children." But Anschutz told the newspaper he is worried how this decision will play out. "Although I fully understand the sentiment and perspective of the judge in this matter, I question the enforceability of that particular condition," he said.

Alliance Defense Funds Challenges IRS on Pastors Not Making Endorsements Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The Alliance Defense Fund, a pro-life law firm, is recruiting several dozen pastors to endorse political candidates on September 28 despite a federal ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship. The effort is intended to elicit an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service that ADF would then challenge in federal court, with the ultimate goal of persuading the Supreme Court to overthrow the 54-year-old ban. ADF attorney Erik Stanley said, "For so long, there has been this cloud of intimidation over the church. It is the job of the pastors of America to debate the proper role of church in society. It's not for the government to mandate the role of church in society." Stanley also said, "We're not encouraging any congregation to violate the law. What we're encouraging them to do is exercise their constitutional right in the face of an unconstitutional law." A pro-abortion group of Christian and Jewish clergy, led by United Church of Christ pastors Eric Williams and Robert Molsberry, will petition the IRS to stop the protest before it starts, calling the political endorsement effort an attack on the law and the separation of church and state. The group, which is backed by three IRS officials, wants the agency to determine whether ADF, a not-for-profit organization, is risking its own tax-exempt status by organizing an "inappropriate, unethical and illegal" series of political endorsements. Stanley said three dozen church leaders from more than 20 states have agreed to deliver a political sermon that will endorse a political candidate despite the risk of losing their churches' tax-exempt status. He added, "The sermon will be an evaluation of conditions for office in light of scripture and doctrine. They will make a specific recommendation from the pulpit about how the congregation would vote." Stanley added, "They could oppose a candidate. They could oppose both candidates. They could endorse a candidate. They could focus on a federal, state or local election."

Oregon Pregnancy Center Was Victim of Arson, Police Now ConfirmLebanon, Oregon (LifeNews.com)

-- An Oregon pregnancy center was an apparent victim of arson in a possible attack on it from an abortion advocate. That’s what local police confirmed on Friday. Officials say the cause of a fire at the Pregnancy Alternatives Center in Lebanon was arson. They told AP the FBI has joined the investigation along with the Oregon State Police, the Oregon Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The fire caused heavy damage to the attic and roof of the building, which is located in the downtown area of this small city. Pregnancy Alternatives Center of Lebanon, Oregon offers free, confidential help to women with unintended pregnancies. Information is available on all options, including parenting, adoption, and abortion. Abortion advocates have launched numerous legislative attacks on pregnancy centers with bills to regulate the content of information they hand out to pregnant women. The pro-abortion activists complain that pregnancy centers are telling women about the medical and mental health risks associated with an abortion such as the link between abortion and breast cancer, and the numerous mental health concerns such as depression and an increased risk of drug or alcohol abuse following an abortion.

Man Drowns Saving Son with Down Syndrome By Kathleen Gilbert NOKESVILLE, VA, September 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com)

-- In a moving example of paternal love and sacrifice, a man drowned earlier this week after attempting to save his disabled son, who had fallen into a septic tank on the family's Virginia property. 66-year-old Thomas VanderWoude and his 20-year-old son Joseph, who has Down syndrome and who is the youngest of seven sons, were working in their yard in Nokesville, VA when Joseph fell through a septic tank cover that had suddenly collapsed. VanderWoude immediately jumped in after his son and managed to hold his son's head above the surface, saving his life. By the time two men finally pulled Thomas out of the tank, he had been underwater for as long as 20 minutes. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.VanderWoude's son Joseph was in critical condition at Prince William hospital as he fought infection for several days, but recently began to improve. News of VanderWoude's death devastated the Prince William County community, where he was widely known as a devoted Catholic father and excellent coach.A retired Navy pilot and Vietnam veteran who was still "in greatshape," VanderWoude coached basketball and soccer at Seton School in Manassas and, until recently, when one of his sons took over the job, served as athletic director at Christendom College in Front Royal. Anne Carroll, Director of Seton School and longtime friend of the VanderWoudes, said the sacrifice Tom made for his son matched his reputation for generosity.Man Drowns Saving Son with Down Syndrome

New Liturgical Guide Helps Priests Preach Pro-Life Perspective on Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A new liturgical guide written and distributed by the head of Priests for Life aims to help priests preach the pro-life perspective on abortion. Fr. Frank Pavone, the head of the Catholic group, says the guide is the culmination of a three-year project to assist pastors. “For the past three years, I have written homily hints on how to take the readings assigned to each Sunday and preach on abortion,” Father Pavone told LifeNews.com. “The lectionary has a three-year Sunday cycle, and today we completed the reflections for each Sunday of each of the three years. Now, these homily hints can be used as each cycle continues to repeat through the years," he explained. Pavone tells LifeNews.com that many priests do not preach on abortion because they are not sure how to go from the Sunday readings into that topic. "However, every line of Scripture is about life," Pavone says. "These weekly guides to preaching on abortion show how that is true and provide the insight and suggestions the priests need to address the issue in light of the readings." Pavone also says the liturgical guide helps priests stay within the confines of the teachings of the Catholic Church and its leaders. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Brother of Jailed China Forced Abortion Opponent Threatened Over Interviews -Beijing, China (LifeNews.com)

-- The brother of a blind attorney who is one of the leading figures against forced abortions in China has been threatened for giving interviews to Western media outlets. Meanwhile, the family of Chen Guangcheng was prohibited from visiting him in jail recently. Chen is a lawyer from Linyi who was preparing to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of women who were forced to have abortions or be sterilized in a massive family planning campaign. After Chen exposed the brutal forced abortion campaign in Linyi in interviews with American media outlets, local officials imprisoned him on trumped up charges. Chen's family hoped to visit him during the Beijing Paralympic Games, but they were denied permission even though Chinese officials had promised media interviews during the games. According to Radio Free Asia, Chen’s eldest brother, Chen Guangfu, hoped to visit on September 11 and his elderly mother and daughter, Kesi, came along. When they arrived at the prison, officials told them the family visitation day had been postponed. “The family visit days at the prison were scheduled to be September 11 and September 12. While waiting in line and registering, we found out that the visit days have been changed to September 27 and September 28," Chen Guangfu told RFA. "It seemed that most other people had received the notice of the change, but we did not.” After leaving the prison, Chen Guangfu's neighbor called him and said reporters had stopped by his home to interview him about Chen's imprisonment. However, some of the 40 local police who are stationed outside his home and that of Chen's wife Yuan, scared them off. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-life pharmacy owner explains his no-contraception policy

--Citing ethical objections and the potential of some contraceptive drugs to cause abortions, some pharmacies in the United States have decided not to carry contraceptives. One such store is Kay Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Mike Koelzer (picture), who explained his decision not to carry contraceptives in an e-mail interview with CNA. Koelzer explained that he stopped supplying birth control pills because, as is written on the drugs’ packaging inserts, such pills decrease the lining of the mother’s uterus. This makes the womb less hospitable for a newly fertilized egg to attach. “It would be similar to taking a field, putting an asphalt parking lot on top of it, and thentrying to grow a lawn on it,” he said. Koelzer, a Catholic, added that he also decided not to stock contraceptives because “the Church teaches that all use of contraceptives is intrinsically wrong.” An August story from ABC News reported that Koelzer had received many responses to his decision, about 80 percent of which were critical. Koelzer told CNA that he typically does not respond to the critical comments, most of which came by letter or e-mail. “If the writer has a genuine question and the letter is respectful in nature, I then respond by answering their questions,” he remarked. “But letters like these are rare.” Illinois Federation for Right to Life - Pro-life pharmacy owner explains his no-contraception policy

Appeals Court: Chinese Woman Can Challenge Forced Abortion Asylum Ruling -Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com)

-- A federal appeals court panel ruled last week that a woman who is escaping the forced abortion policy in China can appeal a decision denying her political asylum in the U.S. The woman could have been forcibly sterilized had she not escaped persecution from family planning officials in her home land. A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Shao Yu Yuan can challenge her denial of asylum under the Convention Against Torture. China has a coercive family planning policy prohibiting most couples from having more than one child and officials there subject violators to forced abortions and sterilizations. They also target the families of violators with political persecution, prison, loss of job, or denial of basic rights. According to an affidavit submitted in her case, Shao Yu Yuan said family members had told her that many pregnant women in her hometown in China's Fujian Province were taken by authorities and forced to undergo forced abortion and/or sterilization. The panel ordered the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals to give Shao a hearing on her request and her attorney, Ted Cox, told AP the ruling would likely allow the mother of two daughters to stay in the U.S. Full story at LifeNews.com.

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Election News

September 16, 2008

Ad With Late-Term Abortion Survivor Bashes Barack Obama on Infanticide

-- A new pro-life group that features a late-term abortion survivor is running a national television advertisement against presidential candidate Barack Obama. The ad takes Obama to task for his votes against a bill to care for survivors of such abortions when he was in the Illinois legislature. The new group, BornAliveTruth.org is a joint effort between Gianna Jessen, who survived a saline abortion decades ago, and pro-life blogger Jill Stanek. Stanek is the former Chicago-area nurse who exposed the practice of live-birth abortions, where doctors purposefully cause the premature birth of an unborn child for the sole purpose of letting her die. Her exposure of the practice led to the Illinois bills Obama opposed and a national law President Bush signed requiring medical centers and personnel to provide such babies with adequate medical care after birth. "I'm a survivor, as are many others...but if Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn't be here," Jessen says in the ad. "Four times, Barack Obama voted to oppose a law to protect babies left to die after a failed abortion. Senator Obama, please support born alive infant protections. I'm living proof these babies have a right to live." Stanek tells LifeNews.com that Obama's campaign is not officially responding to the ads. Full story at LifeNews.com (including ad).

Barack Obama Campaign Puts Out Faith Merchandise Despite Abortion Support Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Barack Obama couldn't be further away from the Christian position on abortion, yet his campaign is rolling out new "faith merchandise" targeting Catholic and evangelical voters. However, pro-life advocates say a bumper sticker with a Christian message won't be enough to persuade voters. The Obama campaign announced the new merchandise in an email to the BeliefNet web site. The merchandise makes Obama look as if he is moderate on issues that are of concern to Christians, like opposing abortion, even though he backs unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy and financed with taxpayer dollars. “Check out the Believers for Barack, Pro-Family Pro-Obama, and Catholics for Obama buttons, bumper stickers and signs," Obama Deputy Director of Religious Affairs Paul Monteiro says. “Believers for Barack rally signs and bumper stickers, along with all Pro-Family Pro-Obama merchandise, are appropriate for people of all faith backgrounds," he adds. "We'll soon be rolling out merchandise for other religious groups and denominations, but I wanted to get this out to you without delay." "Clergy for Change" and "Pro-Israel Pro-Obama" merchandise will soon be offered. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Media Outlets Disclaimer Abortion Survivor Gianna Jessen's Story in Obama Ads Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Gianna Jessen survived a botched saline abortion decades ago and now appears in a television commercial attacking Barack Obama for opposing a bill to protect newborns in similar situations. However, the mainstream media reporting on the ad has questioned Jessen's bona fides. ABC News's Jake Tapper reported on the new ads and wrote that Jessen "says she survived an failed abortion" making it appear Jessen is making up the story. He said Jessen "claims" to have survived the abortion her 17-year-old mother had. Politico's Jonathan Martin called into question the veracity of Jessen's story as well, by calling her a "self-proclaimed abortion-survivor." Jill Stanek, the former Chicago-area nurse who exposed the practice of her hospital leaving infants who survive abortions to die without medical care, comments on the reporting on her blog. "I suppose speculation is warranted," she said. "So in answer to that, here are documents proving Gianna is indeed an abortion survivor." The first is Gianna's birth medical record (see story), indicating she was "Born during Saline abortion"... Next is Gianna's birth certificate, listing infamous abortion practitioner "Edward C. Allred, M.D.," as the physician who delivered her after the abortion went awry. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Abortion Women's Group Says Sarah Palin Making it Support Barack Obama Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A leading pro-abortion women's group says John McCain's selection of pro-life Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is forcing it to endorse Barack Obama. However, the so-called National Organization for Women (NOW) has already met with Obama and heaped words of praise on his running mate. NOW president Kim Gandy said on Tuesday that the Palin pick has forced its hand and made it so the organization is forced to back Obama for president. "NOW is going to be endorsing the Obama-Biden ticket," she told NPR. She said her group "very, very rarely endorses in a general election" but "the addition of Sarah Palin gave us a new sense of urgency." "She is being portrayed as a supporter of women's rights ... as a feminist when in fact her positions on so many of the issues are really anathema to ours," Gandy said about Palin's pro-life stance. "There's no question that a lot of women think it's a great thing for a woman to be running for vice president," Gandy said on NPR. "But they are completely dismayed when they find out her positions." Yet, the idea that NOW is only backing Obama because of Palin doesn't square with its actions and Gandy's own comments. NOW heaped praise on Joe Biden, the pro-abortion Delaware senator Obama chose as his vice-presidential running mate. She also admitted at the time that her group would be opposing McCain. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Salon Article on Sarah Palin and Hospital Abortions Leaves Out Half The Story Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The liberal Salon magazine released a news article on Monday attempting to dig up dirt on vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The article claims Palin was involved in an effort to stop abortions at a local hospital, but the Salon piece leaves out the rest of the story. According to the Salon, Palin was involved in an effort by local pro-life advocates to persuade the board of Valley Hospital in Palmer, Alaska, to stop doing abortions. Once the board agreed, local abortion advocate and physician Susan Lemagie filed suit against the hospital to force it to do abortions. The case ultimately went to the Alaska Supreme Court, which ruled the hospital must allow women to get abortions there. Salon indicates that Palin was involved in a protest local pro-life advocates organized outside Lamagie's office. However, the magazine leaves out the rest of the story -- about how hospital officials made their way to Washington to lobby for a measure to allow them to opt out of doing abortions. It also does not mention how presidential candidate Barack Obama, and abortion advocacy groups that support him, opposes a new Bush administration proposal that would enforce those laws preventing hospitals from being forced to do abortions. The debate over forcing the Alaska hospital to do abortions was part of a larger campaign by abortion advocates to force medical centers and medical personnel to do abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Atlantic Monthly to Apologize for Pro-Abortion Photo Attacking McCain, Palin Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The Atlantic Monthly magazine will issue an apology to the campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin for an attack on the two candidates. The magazine will apologize for a contract photographer who doctored photos of McCain and included a caption attacking him on abortion. The publication hired photographer Jill Greenberg, who is a strong McCain opponent, to take pictures of the candidate for an article. However, Greenberg took some of the photos from her shoot and doctored the images to attack McCain. In one, she places a caption above his head with the words, "I will have my girl kill Roe v. Wade." The fictitious comment is an obvious reference to Palin, the pro-life Alaska governor McCain chose as his vice-presidential running mate. Editor James Bennet said Greenberg's actions were inappropriate and violated the terms of the contract the publication signed with the photographer. He told Fox news that Greenberg won't be paid for the photos and may be subject to a lawsuit on behalf of the magazine. "I mean this photographer went in there under our auspices to take a cover shot for us … but while she was there she behaved in an incredibly underhanded and unprofessional way," he said. ACTION: Send your complaints about her actions to: Jill Greenberg Studio, 8570 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 250, Beverly Hills, CA 90211, or email jill@manipulator.com. Full story at LifeNews.com

Lindsay Lohan Attacks Gov. Sarah Palin on Abortion, Urges Vote for Obama Hollywood, CA (LifeNews.com)

-- Actress Lindsay Lohan is the latest member of the Hollywood elite to attack vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Lohan complains that Palin wants to protect women and children from abortion and urges her fans on her Myspace blog to support pro-abortion candidate Barack Obama. "I really cannot bite my tongue anymore when it comes to Sarah Palin," Lohan writes in a Sunday post. "I couldn't be more supportive of a woman in office, but let's face it, it comes down to the person, and their beliefs, male or female." "I feel it's necessary for me to clarify that I am not against Sarah Palin as a mother or woman," Lohan adds, referring to the national news Palin has received about her decision to keep her disabled baby rather than have an abortion. Still, Lohan goes after Palin on abortion. "Women have come a long way in the fight to have the choice over what we do with our bodies... And its frightening to see that a woman in 2008 would negate all of that," she writes. The blog post has sparked a huge response on the Internet and more than 1,200 comments have been posted on Lohan's blog. Full story at LifeNews.com

Sarah Palin Tells Charlie Gibson She is Pro-Life on Abortion, Stem Cell Research Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- During her interview with ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson, vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin reaffirmed her pro-life positions on abortion and stem cell research. She said she supports reversing Roe v. Wade and opposes abortion in the very rare cases of rape or incest. Gibson asked Palin if Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision allowing virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy, "should be reversed." "I think it should and I think that states should be able to decide that issue," the Alaska governor said. "I am pro-life. I do respect other people's opinion on this, also, and I think that a culture of life is best for America." Palin said she wants to work to reduce abortions by providing pregnant women and teenagers with tangible help and support. "What I want to do, when elected vice president, with John McCain, hopefully, is be able to reach out and work with those who are on the other side of this issue, because I know that we can all agree on the need for and the desire for fewer abortions in America and greater support for adoption, for other alternatives that women can and should be empowered to embrace, to allow that culture of life," she explained. Palin confirmed she opposes abortion in the rare instances where a woman is raped, which constitute less than one percent of all abortions nationwide. "My personal opinion is that abortion only be allowed if the life of the mother is endangered," she said. "I do understand others who are very passionate about this issue who have a differing opinion." Full story at LifeNews.com.

When Does a Baby Get Human Rights? Barack Obama's Abortion Vote Answers by Dr. Warren Throckmorton

When Pastor Rick Warren asked Barack Obama “at what point does a baby get human rights,” Sen. Obama hesitated and answered, “Well, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.” Once upon a time, as an Illinois state Senator, answering that question was well within his pay grade. In 2001 and 2002, then-state Senator Obama vigorously opposed a bill which defined very specifically when babies get human rights. The Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA), both the federal and Illinois versions, conveyed legal personhood to infants who accidentally survived an abortion. As if to answer Pastor Warren’s question long before it was asked, Obama provided the rationale for his position in a 2001 speech on the Illinois Senate floor. Full story at LifeNews.com

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September 18, 2008

Group Condemns Sarah Palin for Not Killing Disabled Baby in Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A writer for a libertarian group has written perhaps the most scathing attack on pro-life vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin since the Alaska governor was announced weeks ago as John McCain's running mate. Nicholas Provenzo condemns Palin for the birth of her baby Trig, who has Down syndrome. Provenzo, who writes for the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism, not only bashes her for allowing Trig to be born, but says she should have made the so-called morally justifiable decision to kill him in an abortion. The Center for the Advancement of Capitalism bills itself as a group "dedicated to advancing individual rights and economic freedom through Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism." "Like many, I am troubled by the implications of Alaska governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's decision to knowingly give birth to a child disabled with Down syndrome," Provenzo writes. "Given that Palin's decision is being celebrated in some quarters, it is crucial to reaffirm the morality of aborting a fetus diagnosed with Down syndrome (or by extension, any unborn fetus)—a freedom that anti-abortion advocates seek to deny." ACTION: Contact the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism with your condemnation of his remarks at http://www.capitalismcenter.org/Feedback or info@capitalismcenter.org. Full story at LifeNews.com

More Pro-Abortion Women's Groups Back Barack Obama, Slam Sarah PalinWashington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- More pro-abortion women's groups are getting behind Barack Obama and they're simultaneously attacking John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin. The endorsements are as much an attack on the Alaska governor because of her pro-life position as they are an endorsement of Obama. Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, is one of the leaders of six pro-abortion groups to back Obama. She told the Associated Press that she doesn't think having the nation's first female Vice President is a help to women. "We don't think it's much to break a glass ceiling for one woman and leave millions of women behind," she alleged of Palin's pro-life views. Palin's spokeswoman Maria Comella said she wasn't surprised the pro-abortion groups were backing Obama. But she was disappointed at how they attacked someone who could become the first female Vice President. "It's extremely disappointing that an organization that purports to be an advocate for all women not only opposes, but feels compelled to go out of its way to criticize and make negative comments, about the only ticket in the presidential race with a woman on the ticket," Comella said. Obama also won the support of the National Organization for Women, which hasn't officially weighed in on a presidential contest since 1984, when abortion advocate Walter Mondale picked pro-abortion Sen. Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. Full story at LifeNews.com.

John McCain: Let's Build a Culture of Life on Abortion, Help Pregnant Women -Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- In a Wednesday interview with Good Morning America, the ABC News lifestyle program, Sen. John McCain again clarified his pro-life views on abortion. He said he wants to build a culture of life and work to help pregnant women who are confronted with unexpected pregnancies. Host Diane Sawyer asked John and Cindy McCain about abortion and the Arizona senator spelled out his beliefs. "Well, let me just say this is all about courage and compassion. It's about changing the culture of America," he said. "I am pro-life and I support that position, and I know that Cindy does too." McCain went further than he has before in talking about how the pro-life community helps women who are pregnant. "We need to tell young American women who are faced with this terrible decision that we will help them have the courage to bring a baby into this world and we'll have the compassion and help them in every way that they can address it," he said. McCain indicated that the compassion for pregnant women in difficult circumstances won't end if Roe v. Wade -- the Supreme Court case that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy -- is overturned. Full story at LifeNews.com.

New McCain Statement on Stem Cell Research Shows More Pro-Life Movement -Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The campaign of presidential candidate John McCain has released a new statement on his position on stem cell research funding that has some observers saying it shows the senator continues to move in a pro-life direction on key bioethics issues. The campaign sent comments on Monday to the ScienceDebate2008 web site on the issue of stem cell research and federal funding. The statement indicates McCain still breaks with the pro-life movement on embryonic stem cell research funding, but it includes disclaiming language that one pro-life leader says is hopeful. "While I support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, I believe clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress," McCain says in the statement. The comments also back up previous LifeNews.com news articles showing McCain saying that embryonic stem cell research funding may soon be unnecessary. "Moreover, I believe that recent scientific breakthroughs raise the hope that one day this debate will be rendered academic," it says. McCain also indicates his support for ESCR alternatives, which some say he will prioritize as president instead of, as pro-abortion candidate Barack Obama wants, dumping more money into unproven and unethical embryonic research. "I also support funding for other research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research which hold much scientific promise and do not involve the use of embryos," McCain says. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Catholics United False Ad Claims John McCain Not Pro-Life on Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A so-called Catholic group that supports Barack Obama is running a new television ad in battleground states claiming Sen. John McCain is not pro-life on abortion. The ad doesn't mention any abortion-related votes but claims McCain voted against supporting pregnant women. Catholics United is a 527 special interest group that is airing a new television ad in Pennsylvania and Ohio that challenges his pro-life views. "John McCain, it's not enough to say you're pro-life, actions speak louder than words," the ad says. "You voted against one of the largest support programs for pregnant women." The ad is misleading because it never mentions what votes McCain supposedly cast that are against pregnant women. Catholics United appears to be targeting McCain for voting with most pro-life advocates against a bill to expand the SCHIP program, whic