IFRL NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY
Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of The Illinois Federation for Right to Life. They are presented only for your information.
Reversal of Mexico City Policy a Reversal of President Obama's Commitment to Reduce Abortions Says Fr. Pavone
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement today on President Barack Obama's Executive Order allowing taxpayer money to be given to groups that perform or promote abortions abroad.
"When President Obama takes money out of taxpayers' pockets to abort children, he can no longer claim with any legitimacy that he wants to reduce the number of abortions performed here or abroad," said Fr. Pavone. "Forcing Americans to pay for the killing of innocents will not 'bring us together;' there can be no common ground when the ground is soaked with innocent blood."
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/488449264.html
Hillary Pledges to Boost Foreign 'Aid' (USAID Population Reduction)
As new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks to put her own signature on America's foreign policy moving forward, it is starting to become clear what her promise of "smart power" means: supplementing the Bush-era legacy of bellicose interventionism with an added dose of taxpayer dollars for foreign aid. "I believe in development and I believe with all my heart that it truly is an equal partner along with defense and diplomacy" in advancing foreign policy goals, Clinton told USAID employees Saturday, pledging to "make sure that USAID (population reduction snake-pit) assumes once again the global leadership role you deserve it to have." To that end Clinton is advocating an increased budget foreign aid budget.
http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090124/twl-clinton-foreign-aid-1be00ca.html
Democrats Move to Expand Medicaid (Planned Parenthood family planning services)
Democrats and Obama are moving on so many fronts to change policies of the Bush administration that Republicans might not even notice them all right away, let alone be able to stop them. Last week, while social conservatives focused on Democrat legislation to expand health insurance for poor children — and on Obama's repeal of a rule that kept some international family planning groups from even discussing abortion [only "as a method of family planning"] — House Democrats included language in their economic stimulus bill that would expand the Medicaid program and allow its use for family planning services.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=weeklyreport-000003017556
Did Obama's Election Trigger New Stem Cell Experiments?
In a move the Food and Drug Administration denies has anything to do with the new presidency, the federal agency granted permission this week to begin the country's first embryonic stem cell treatments on human subjects. The FDA approved an application from Geron Corporation, based in Menlo Park, Calif., to inject stem cells derived from human embryos into 10 people paralyzed from the chest down by spinal cord injuries.
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86957
Court Upholds Murder `Feticide' Conviction
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the 66-year sentence of Preston Taylor for the 2007 murder of Brooke Balbach and her fetus. Taylor pleaded guilty to murder and feticide this past June, resulting in a sentence of 62 years for the murder of Balbach and an additional four years for feticide. In addition, Taylor faces more than $30,000 in fines and was ordered to receive alcohol treatment and mental help during his incarceration. Balbach, who at the time was four months pregnant, was found slain due to strangulation in her Warrick County home, just south of Selvin, on Dec. 14, 2007. She was discovered by truck driver Stanley Offil, her boyfriend, who had been out of town on work. Taylor confessed to the crime to a family member prior to him surrendering to police. The motive is still unknown.
http://www.tristate-media.com/articles/2009/01/25/warricknews/news/doc497733bc06067864235063.txt
Mother Fights To Save Her Unborn Baby's Life
A Delano mother wrote a letter to 17 News when she discovered her unborn child suffers from a rare disorder. The woman says she became desperate for help after her insurance provider denied her baby a procedure it needs to survive. "I've put it in God's hands because that's all I can do at this point. I feel like I did all I could do," Kema Welton said.
http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Mother-fights-to-save-her-unborn-baby-s-life/fnTcSGPHSUyZrOjMMQOWkA.cspx?rss=91
Judge Says Pro-Life Group's Suit Can Continue
Pro-Life Action League will be allowed to pursue parts of its defamation case against Planned Parenthood and the director of its Aurora clinic, a Kane County judge ruled Thursday. There were two counts in the initial suit, filed in 2007, claiming Planned Parenthood and clinic director Stephen Trombley libeled the anti-abortion group in letters to Aurora officials and in a newspaper advertisement by saying members of the PLAL had a history of violence. Judge Judith Brawka had dismissed those in September, ruling the comments were protected under the Citizens Participation Act because they were trying to influence elected officials. The CPA is intended to protect speech made by private citizens during consideration of government issues.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=264737
