April 1, 2008

Barack Obama Would Back Daughters' Abortion, "Don't Punish Them With a Baby" Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Barack Obama is drawing gasps from pro-life advocates today over comments he made during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania over the weekend. The leading Democratic presidential candidate appeared to back a potential decision by his daughters to seek an abortion saying he wouldn't "punish" them with a baby. Obama's comments came in the context of off-the-cuff remarks addressing the issue of AIDS. (see them here) The candidate indicated he favored teaching both abstinence education as well as sexual education and he appeared to be hard-pressed to come up with something else to say when he brought up his daughters. "When it comes specifically to HIV/AIDS, the most important prevention is education, which should include -- which should include abstinence education and teaching the children -- teaching children, you know, that sex is not something casual," he said. "But it should also include -- it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old," he added. "I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby," Obama said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Terri Schiavo's Family Calls for Observance of Terri's Day to Honor Disabled Woman St. Petersburg, FL (LifeNews.com)

-- Terri Schiavo's family and a leading pro-life group are calling on people to honor the disabled woman whose husband took her life in a painful euthanasia death. Together with Priests for Life, the Schindler family has established the observance of Terri's Day each March 31. That's the day Terri succumbed to a 13-day starvation and dehydration death at the hand of Michael Schiavo, her former husband who won a court order to take her life. This third anniversary should be an occasion for all of us to both remember the injustice done to Terri, and reach out to others with prayer and concrete action when they need the kind of help Terri needed," Terri's brother Bobby Schindler told LifeNews.com on Monday. Suzanne Vitadamo, Terri's sister, added that Terri's Day is also a way for her family to encourage others to take better care of the elderly and disabled. Our family continues to be consoled and uplifted by the many ways in which people honor my sister, learn from her story, and grow in compassion for all the disabled," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Planned Parenthood Abortion Business Makes $1 Billion Income for First Time Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A new annual report from Planned Parenthood shows the nation's largest abortion business has made over $1 billion in income for the first time in its history. The non-profit pro-abortion group shows the historical gain in its new annual report covering 2006-2007. While Planned Parenthood made $972 milion in its 2005-2006 annual report, last fiscal year it brought in $1.017 billion. On its web site posting of the annual document, Planned Parenthood says it "highlights our advancements in providing and protecting trusted health care services and medically accurate sexuality education." Instead, the report finds Planned Parenthood doing more abortions than ever before. The report shows an increase in the number of provided abortions from 264,943 in 2005 to 289,650 in 2006. Planned Parenthood reveals it has doubled “excess of revenue over expenses� funds from $55.7 million in 2005 to $112 million in 2006. Of concern to pro-life groups, Planned Parenthood acknowledges the receipt of over $336 million in government grants and contracts from both state and federal governments. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Abortion Law Firm Wants United Nations Cmte to Make Countries Back Abortion New York, NY

-- The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) just released a new and updated version of their signature document that uses the non-binding recommendations of UN committees to argue that sovereign nations must legalize abortion as part of their international legal obligations. Bringing Rights to Bear claims that these recommendations reflect the growing recognition among these UN bodies that reproductive rights are firmly grounded in international human rights treaties. For years, CRR has been at the forefront of what some have called a "stealth strategy" to redefine longstanding human rights like the right to life, the right to privacy and the right to be free from discrimination and insert abortion rights into those broad provisions. An integral component of the CRR strategy is to get the UN committees that oversee nations compliance with their treaty obligations to reinterpret the treaties to include abortion. UN compliance committees contain a large percentage of personnel from pro-abortion groups and have become increasingly active in reinterpreting UN documents and pressuring governments to follow their interpretations. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Actress Kate Walsh Criticized for Promoting Abortion, Slamming Abstinence Ed Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Actress Kate Walsh is coming under criticism from pro-life advocates for promoting abortion and slamming abstinence education. Walsh plays a physician on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" programs but pro-life groups say she shouldn't be considered an expert when it comes to abortion and sexuality. Walsh, a member of Planned Parenthood's Board of Advisors, hosted a Congressional forum this week that the abortion business promoted. During the panel, Walsh advocated cutting out all government funding for abstinence education, but Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council tells LifeNews.com she's mistaken if she thinks it will reduce teen pregnancy or abortion. He pointed to statistics from Adolescent and Family Health showing that 67 percent of the reduction in teen pregnancies is a result of abstinence education. Meanwhile, On Friday’s CBS "Early Show," co-host Julie Chen teased her upcoming interview with Walsh by touting the event. Chen offered no counterpoint to Walsh's slamming abstinence: "Abstinence is one -- abstinence is one aspect of sex education, but it is not the complete aspect. And to expect, I think, everybody to remain abstinent is just -- it's like asking them not to grow. It's like we don't ask people to not try out for sports," Walsh claims. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Liberal Columnist Nat Henthoff Blasts Barack Obama on Terri Schiavo Flip-Flop Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Barack Obama made headlines last month for flip-flopping on whether or not the federal government should have helped Terri Schiavo's family to save her life. Now, Obama is coming under fire from liberal columnist Nat Henthoff for saying he should have opposed the bill allowing the Schindler family to help their beloved daughter. In March 2005, just weeks before Terri died from a painful 13-day starvation and dehydration death, Congress approved legislation allowing her family to take its case from state courts to federal courts in an effort to stop the euthanasia from proceeding. “It wasn't something I was comfortable with, but it was not something that I stood on the floor and stopped,� Obama said. “And I think that was a mistake." Henthoff takes Senator Obama to task for the flip-flop in a column published in the magazine Forward. He called Obama's decision to flip-flop an "irresponsible robot-like judgment " not based on the facts of the situation Congress considered. "He should be proud of the Senate vote he now recants--and learn a lot more about the disabled," Henthoff wrote. "The reason Congress asked the federal courts to review the Schiavo case was that the 41-year-old woman about to be dehydrated and starved to death was breathing normally on her own, was not terminal, and there was medical evidence that she was responsive, not in a persistent vegetative state," Henthoff explained. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Texas Pro-Life Group's Abortion-Breast Cancer Billboard Draws Newspaper's Ire Waco, TX (LifeNews.com)

-- A pro-life group in Texas is drawing attention to the Abortion Breast Cancer link and Planned Parenthood's relationship with the Susan G. Komen Foundation with a new billboard that raises serious questions -- and is drawing fire. Pro-Life Waco has set up a billboard on the 1700 block of Franklin Avenue that poses suggestive questions: "What? An abortion increases my risk for breast cancer? Why does the Komen Race grant $45,000 to Waco's Planned Parenthood abortion provider?" The billboard also shows a concerned woman and has a pink background –- a color now associated with the breast cancer awareness campaigns largely backed by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which conducts its annual Race for the Cure on May 3 this year. The billboard is also visible from the offices of the Waco Tribune-Herald, which has voiced support of Planned Parenthood's policies and agenda in the past. An editorial in the March 23, 2008 edition of the paper called the billboard's claims "false" and "specious." ACTION: Contact the Waco Tribune-Journal and voice your opinion on their criticism of the billboard. Call 800-678-8742 or email: Michael Vivio, publisher: mvivio@wacotrib.com; Carlos Sanchez, editor: csanchez@wacotrib.com; Letters to the Editor: letters@wacotrib.com Full story at LifeNews.com.

Electoral College Maps Show John McCain Leading Obama, Defeating Clinton Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- New electoral college map projections from LifeNews.com based on March polling data shows John McCain has built a solid lead over both Barack Obama and would defeat Hillary Clinton. The feuding within the Democratic camp has allowed McCain to surge in polls in top battleground states. The analysis relies on polling data from respected firms such as Rasmussen, Survey USA, and others with most of the surveys coming in the last two weeks. LifeNews.com analyzed the latest polls in each state and only tabulated a state when polling data revealed a candidate has a lead greater than four percent, the typical margin of error. In each comparison, McCain captures most of the traditionally Republican states in the South and West while Obama and Clinton lead in traditionally Democrat states in the Northeast and on the Pacific coast. When matched against Obama, McCain has a 268-191 electoral vote lead with 79 electoral votes undecided. When compared with Clinton, McCain wins with 281-177 electoral college votes -- getting him past the 270 vote threshold needed for victory. Another 80 electoral votes are undecided. Full story at LifeNews.com.

"The View" Hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar Defend Jack Kevorkian New York, NY (LifeNews.com)

-- Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, longtime hosts of the chatty television program "The View," praised Jack Kevorkian in a recent episode. Following news that Kevorkian has planned a Congressional bid, they praised him for killing more than 130 people in assisted suicides and murdering a disabled patient. Kevorkian, a convicted murderer and assisted suicide crusader, made his candidacy for a Detroit-area Congressional seat official on Monday. Justin McCarthy, a news analyst at Media Research Center, noted the comments from "The View" hosts in a recent post on MRC's blog Newsbusters. Goldberg said she's a "big fan" of Kevorkian "because he believed that he could help people who were in, in a place where no one was helping them." "Euthanasia, like race, is one of those things nobody wants to talk about. It makes people very uncomfortable. I think euthanasia is, is an important thing and it should be there for people to make that decision if they chose to," she said. Joy Behar wondered: "Why is he a bad guy? I don't understand it...its over my head somewhere." ACTION: Send your complaints to The View by going to this web site. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Ohio Supreme Court Reverses Itself, Will Hear Case on Teen's Secret Abortion Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com)

-- The Ohio Supreme Court has reversed itself and will hold a hearing on a case involving a secret abortion on a 14-year-old girl who was a victim of rape. A Cincinnati couple is upset their daughter had an abortion at a local Planned Parenthood facility without their knowledge or consent as required by state law. The girl's parents filed a lawsuit against the abortion facility for violating the state's parental notification law by not telling them of her abortion, which may have been coerced. The girl in the case provided an incorrect phone number to Planned Parenthood officials for notification. Instead of giving the abortion center her parents' phone, she gave the number for her 21-year-old boyfriend. Planned Parenthood appealed a judge's decision requiring it to turn over to the family's attorney the abortion records of all women under the age of 18 to determine if there have been other cases and to show how the abortion business handles them. In August, the 1st District Court of Appeals determined that Planned Parenthood doesn't have to give the couple's attorney record of abortions done on other teenagers. In January, the Ohio Supreme Court decided on a 4-3 vote not to hear the appeal. On Wednesday, it reversed itself and agreed to review the case. Full story at LifeNews.com

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April 9, 2008

A Tragic Milestone - Abortion Deaths Daily far Exceed Iraq Conflict Casualties by Maria Vitale

Within the past week, newspaper headlines declared a tragic milestone: the overall death toll from the five-year war in Iraq has reached more than 4,000. Also, for every 15 troops wounded in Iraq, there has been one fatality. The war in Iraq will undoubtedly remain a key issue in the Presidential race. Newsmen and newswomen in particular are likely to focus much attention on that 4,000 fatality figure. Yet, I doubt whether a single questioner in a Presidential debate will point out a troubling truth: nearly that many American babies die in a single day from abortion. One day--nearly 4,000 deaths. A five-year war compressed into a single 24-hour period. Who will dare ask about an exit strategy for the war going on on our domestic front? Who will interview the grieving post-abortive mothers and fathers? Who will ask the grandparents where their grandchildren have gone? Who will grill candidates at the federal, state, and local level about their support for the war on unborn children and their mothers? Full story at LifeNews.com.

Kansas Health Dept. Won't Turn Over Abortion Records in Planned Parenthood Probe Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com)

-- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is refusing to turn over abortion records a district attorney needs to determine if a Planned Parenthood business has done illegal abortions. It faces 107 criminal charges filed by the District Attorney's office in October of last year. Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline says Planned Parenthood violated state limits on late-term abortions and falsified medical records related to them. Other charges include failing to maintain proper medical records and failing to discern the viability of unborn children prior to doing late-term abortions. Last month, a grand jury failed to issue an indictment against the Overland Park Planned Parenthood but its decision did not affect Kline's case. Kline issued a subpoena for the health department to turn over abortion records that would assist him in prosecuting the case, but the agency filed a motion to quash the subpoena. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday before District Court Judge Stephen Tatum and, if the motion is affirmed, Planned Parenthood officials tell the Kansas City Star it could seriously hamper Kline's efforts at holding it accountable. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Indiana Komen Breast Cancer Group Says Race Proceeds Won't Support Abortion Indianapolis, IN (LifeNews.com)

-- On the heels of a request from the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette for parishioners to boycott the upcoming Komen Race for the Cure, race officials are seeking to reassure residents the proceeds from the event don't support abortion. Some Komen affiliates have given donations to the abortion business Planned Parenthood. The diocese has gone on record as urging Catholics and local parishes to boycott the Komen Race for the Cure because of the donations and because the group denies the abortion-breast cancer link. The race in Indianapolis this month is expected to draw 40,000 participants, including a sizable number of people from northwestern Indiana. Dana Curish, executive director of the Indianapolis Komen affiliate, told the Lafayette Journal-Courier on Tuesday that none of the money from the race will go to Planned Parenthood. "I respect everyone's faith, and I am a religious person myself," she said. "We just want to raise as much money as possible for breast cancer screenings." But Curish also admitted the affiliate previously gave Planned Parenthood $4,000 in 2004 for screenings in three counties. Full story at LifeNews.com.

More Planned Parenthood Abortion Businesses Accept Overtly Racist Donations Los Angeles, CA (LifeNews.com)

-- A second report from a student-run magazine at UCLA finds more Planned Parenthood abortion businesses accepting overtly racist donations. After the first report showed a Planned Parenthood in Idaho accepting money from someone who wanted to reduce the number of black babies, centers in Oklahoma and New Mexico followed suit. The Advocate magazine told LifeNews.com on Wednesday that it released another video exposing the racist attitudes at the nation's largest abortion business. Posing as a donor, UCLA law student James O'Keefe called facilities in Oklahoma and New Mexico and asked to make a donation specifically to be use to kill African-American unborn children. The abortion center staff are more than happy to accommodate his request, with one Planned Parenthood employee saying, "for whatever reason, we'll accept the money." The magazine told LifeNews.com that Irene Gray of Planned Parenthood in Albuquerque, New Mexico took the call from O’Keefe last summer. Gray replied in sympathetic tones, “Yes, yes, it’s a strange time for sure� to the caller’s rant about affirmative action and how he thinks there is a need for fewer black people because they compete with white Americans for admission to schools. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Aides Say John McCain Won't Weaken Republican Party Platform Against Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- Aides to eventual Republican presidential nominee John McCain say his campaign will not work publicly or behind the scenes to weaken the party's pro-life platform on abortion. This is the second time McCain or his campaign has confirmed he will support the current language, which calls for a constitutional amendment banning abortions. An unnamed advisor spoke with the Washington Times and denied rumors from some that the McCain camp would change the language. "Do you think we are crazy? Why would we want to change the platform?" the McCain advisor said. The same official also called "dead wrong" a rumor that GOP activist Bobby Kilberg, considered unfriendly to pro-life advocates, would be heading up the platform committee. During a March interview with Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes, McCain replied with a short "yes" that he would keep the abortion platform as it stands now. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Ohio Teen Wasn't Father of Unborn Baby He Killed in Attack on Pregnant Mom Cincinnati, OH (LifeNews.com)

-- DNA tests have shown 16-year-old Alfonso Price was not the father of the unborn child he killed when he allegedly assaulted his pregnant 19-year-old girlfriend Kerria Anderson. Price reportedly kicked Anderson, who was eight months pregnant, in the stomach and hit her causing her to miscarry the baby. Anderson had planned to name her baby Precious but Price wanted her to have an abortion. “B---- you should have got an abortion, now your baby is going to die,� Anderson said Alfonso told her during the attack.

Anderson was eventually able to contact authorities from an adjacent store but the baby girl wasn't able to be saved. Her skull had been fractured in the attack. Now, local officials say Price was not the biological father and the defense lawyers in the court battle are spinning the results in their favor. Mary Jill Donovan, Price's attorney, told the Associated Press the DNA results show Anderson could be lying about the attack. "She said emphatically he was the father," Donovan said. "If she lied about that, what else is she not being truthful about?" But Rich Gibson, an assistant county prosecutor, said the DNA results don't change the fact that Price violently attacked Anderson and killed her unborn child. Full story at LifeNews.com.

MacArthur and Ford Foundations Want Others to Promote International Abortion Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A two-year old report has come to light that encourages foundations to fund religious organizations who agree to push the abortion agenda around the world. The report, which was funded by the wealthy MacArthur and Ford Foundations, catalogues hundreds of religiously affiliated non-government organizations that are likely to include sexual and reproductive health and rights as part of their work. Religion and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: An Inventory of Organization, Scholars and Foundations, issued by the Center for Health and Social Policy, argues that the worlds religions play an undeniable role in shaping attitudes toward "reproduction and sexuality" and can be an important ally in the effort to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (or, conversely, a key obstacle). The report encourages foundations who are striving to improve womens health and rights (including sexual and reproductive health and rights) to incorporate religion in their grant-making, as religions have the power to influence government policy both through the political process and through the religious belief of the policymakers. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Ted Turner Calls for Population Control, Wants Limit of Two Children Per Family Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com)

-- Ted Turner, the eccentric pro-abortion billionaire and founder of CNN, wants more global population control. He believes the world's population is getting out of hand and that it will result in environmental problems -- and his solution is to ask people to voluntarily limit themselves to two children. His comments came during an interview with PBS's Charlie Rose that aired Tuesday. "We're too many people; that's why we have global warming," he said. "Too many people are using too much stuff." Turner suggested that "on a voluntary basis, everybody in the world's got to pledge to themselves that one or two children is it." Should the world not cave in to his demands, he worries global catastrophe will ensue. "Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals," said Turner. "Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state -- like Somalia or Sudan -- and living conditions will be intolerable." Full story at LifeNews.com

Planned Parenthood Report: More Abortions, Fewer Adoptions and Prenatal Care Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A further examination of the new annual report Planned Parenthood recently released finds the abortion business is still the largest in the United States. As in previous years, the number of abortions it does has gone up and roughly 25 percent of all abortions in the United States are done at Planned Parenthood centers. The report shows that Planned Parenthood did 289,750 abortions, an increase over the 264,943 abortions it did during the 2005-2006 fiscal year. That's a whopping nine percent increase even though the number of abortions nationally are on the decline. "It claims to be reducing pregnancy; yet one out of every four abortions in the United States is committed at a Planned Parenthood facility," watchdog Jim Sedlak told LifeNews.com. The number of abortions dwarfs the number of clients receiving prenatal care -- which totaled just 11,058 in the new annual report. That number is almost a 20 percent decline from the 2005-2006 total of 13,261. The number of Planned Parenthood adoption referrals is also miniscule and continues to drop. The previous annual report showed a scant 2,413 referrals and the abortion business made three less in the last fiscal year. Full story at LifeNews.com..

Leading Pro-Life Group Supports John McCain, Says Abortion Contrast Significant Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- The National Right to Life Committee has announced it is supporting eventual Republican nominee John McCain for president. Officials from the prominent pro-life group told LifeNews.com the difference on abortion compared with the pro-abortion Democratic candidates is significant.

The announcement of support came after a unanimous vote of the group's board of directors. "National Right to Life supports Senator John McCain for election as President of the United States and strongly opposes both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and urges all pro-life citizens to do likewise," the group told LifeNews.com on Monday. On abortion issues, McCain has a strongly pro-life voting record and has supported bills to ban partial-birth abortions, respect parental involvement regarding teenagers and prohibit tax-funded abortions in a variety of situations. The Arizona senator has also repeatedly called for overturning Roe v. Wade, said he would appoint judges who won't legislate from the bench, and says he will keep the pro-life plank in the Republican Party platform. "Senator John McCain has consistently taken a strong pro-life position against abortion, has a strong pro-life voting record against abortion and opposes Roe v. Wade," NRLC said in its statement of support. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Poll Finds Women in Battleground States Don't Know John McCain's Abortion Stance Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)

-- A new poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood finds 16 percent of women in top presidential battleground states can't say whether John McCain's abortion views match their own. The abortion business worries the results show women who support abortion may back McCain because they don't realize he's pro-life. The poll also shows telling those voters McCain opposes abortion makes pro-abortion voters less likely to support him. Conducted by Hart Research Associates, the survey finds about 25 percent of pro-abortion voters who back McCain are less likely to support him when they learn he favors overturning Roe v. Wade and supports abstinence-only education. It found that 51 percent of women polled say they don't know enough about where McCain stands on abortion to say whether their abortion views match. According to Hart, "The simple arithmetic of these findings suggests that just filling in McCain’s actual voting record and his publicly stated positions on a handful of key issues has the potential to diminish his total vote share." Hart added that when matched up against either pro-abortion candidate, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, telling pro-abortion voters about McCain's abortion stance could cost him 17 to 20 percent of his current level of support. Full story at LifeNews.com

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