IFRL NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY
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.
Pro-Abortion Groups Post 'Wish List' on Obama's Web Site
A coalition of pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, the Guttmacher Institute, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the American Civil Liberties Union, have posted a reproductive health wish list on the Obama Transition Team Web site, change.gov.
The list outlines the steps the groups think the next president should take during his first 100 days in office to promote and fund abortion in America and around the globe.
The 50-plus-page document, "Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration," is a laundry list of actions that the coalition says president-elect Barack Obama should put in place to "advance a reproductive health agenda that will make a profound difference in the lives and health of women, men and family in the United States and around the world."
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=41920
U.S. Bishops Correct FOCA Novena Message
Officials at the Pro-life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued statements seeking to correct "misleading" information provided in a widely-circulated announcement for a novena to stop FOCA.
The officials insisted that the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would not pass immediately after President-elect Obama takes office, but they reaffirmed that the possible coercion of pro-life medical institutions and changes to abortion funding restrictions are real concerns.
The novena announcement in question, which did not originate with the USCCB, asks Catholics to pray to stop FOCA, legislation designed to protect abortion rights even if the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade is overturned. The novena was to start on January 11.
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=93076
Parents of Downs Children to Unite at March for Life to Raise Awareness of Eugenic Abortion Epidemic
The parents and families of children with Down syndrome are preparing to gather at the March for Life in the U.S. Capitol on January 22 to spread awareness of the massive number of disabled children targeted for eugenic cleansing in the womb.
Eileen Haupt of Vermont and Leticia Velasquez of Connecticut have already gathered dozens of families of disabled children wishing to form a presence at the march. The initiative, known as KIDS (Keeping Infants with Down Syndrome) will commemorate the 9 out of 10 Downs children in the U.S. who are killed in the womb, as well as seek to address modern prejudices against the disabled. The group is open to all members of the disabled community.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09011309.html
Wisconsin Health Clinic May Become Site of Second-Trimester Abortions
Pro-lifers in Wisconsin are closely watching the progress of a proposal that may bring second-trimester abortions to an outpatient health clinic in Madison. A spokeswoman for the groups that run the Madison Surgery Center confirmed that they are considering aborting babies between 13 and 22 weeks, according to the Capital Times.
"This would mean that you could go to the center for arthroscopic knee surgery, and maybe in the next room they'd be dismembering an unborn baby," said Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life. "Also, the fees you pay for the surgery would in fact be subsidizing abortions, since the funds will be commingled."
http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/Jan09/nv011409.html
Trial Wrapping Up: Abortionists Attempt To Silence Pro-Lifer
The trial of Rev. Walter Hoye is nearing conclusion, after a week of testimony, mostly from prosecution witnesses, about Mr. Hoye's alleged activities at the Family Planning Specialists clinic in Oakland, California. Unbeknownst to these witnesses and the district attorney, however, an associate of Mr. Hoye had been videotaping from across the street on both the days on which Mr. Hoye was accused of violating the law. Thus, until the defense revealed the existence of the videotape during cross-examination, the witnesses conjured up phantom patients whom Mr. Hoye had allegedly harassed, as well as claiming that he threatened two escorts and the clinic director.
http://lldf.org/articles/WalterHoyeVsOakland
Timing May Pose Problems for March for Life on January 22
The March for Life, an annual anti-abortion protest that attracted about 200,000 people into the city last year, and which is returning to town next week, will be a double whammy for a city already strained by inaugural crowds. The Jan. 22 protest, which begins on the National Mall and loops around the Capitol building, will demand additional preparations from the city's police and public transportation force just two days after the city is inundated with inauguration spectators. The Metropolitan Police Department will have officers working 12-hour shifts and has planned extensively in preparing for and staffing the event, MPD spokeswoman Traci Hughes said.
http://www.dcexaminer.com/local/Timing_may_pose_problems_for_annual_March_for_Life_01_12.html