Defunding Planned Parenthood
When the movie "Juno" received four Academy Award nominations and actually won the Oscar for best original screenplay, former Planned Parenthood President Gloria Feldt was worried. In the film, Juno, a pregnant teenager, decides against an abortion, a change of heart partially due to her experience at an abortion clinic.
Feldt admitted to About.com, "The clinic in Juno is terrible." But, she added: "It's a terribly untrue stereotype." When Juno arrives at the clinic, a flippant and heavily pierced receptionist seems to care more about forcing a lavender condom on her than on offering real help for her current dilemma. This is a parody on what we know about Planned Parenthood: They're a lot more about contraception and abortion than about abstinence and adoption.
Feldt described workers in Planned Parenthood clinics as "compassionate" and "dedicated to making women feel comfortable."
However, it's pretty hard to make someone "comfortable" about aborting her baby. Juno decided to opt out. She kept remembering something the pro-life volunteer outside the clinic told her: "It has fingernails."
Despite its name, Planned Parenthood is all about preventing children from being born -- and you and I are helping to foot the bill. By law, taxpayer dollars cannot fund abortion. But organizations with privately funded abortion programs are eligible for public funds if they are used for other purposes. The truth is, Planned Parenthood is, by far, the nation's largest abortion provider, performing more abortions every year. In fact their 2007-08 annual report shows an increase of more than 15,000 abortions in 2007. Even though it turns a huge profit, the organization receives more than $300 million in federal funding annually. Its leaders say they keep the money on the contraception side of the operation.
But, in some states like Texas, authorities are getting wise to Planned Parenthood.
Four clinics in San Antonio were ordered in April to cease and desist from all abortions. It seems they were aborting without licenses. Clinic officials claim they didn't know they needed a license to give out the abortion pill. They do. Because the clinics receive state funding, some Texas lawmakers are asking for an investigation.
Corpus Christi, seeing the need for some budgetary restraint, announced in December that it is cutting out Planned Parenthood. Citizens who pushed for this said the organization is far too wealthy and controversial to be deemed worthy of public support.
And, in the Texas Panhandle, after a 12-year battle, all Planned Parenthood clinics have been shut down. In 1997, there were 19 of them.
A couple of Texas legislators have proposed completely cutting Planned Parenthood from the state budget. The idea is to channel funding from Planned Parenthood clinics, which also offer pap smears, cancer screening and contraception, to general practice clinics.
Other cities and states are looking at defunding Planned Parenthood. In Orange County, Calif., supervisors took steps in April to eliminate funding for "health education" programs at sites where abortions also are performed. This is a trend that should be encouraged.
Contact: Penna Dexter Source: Baptist Press
Publish Date: May 21, 2009 Link to this article.
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2 points of truth among Obama's 'wild word fraud'
I was at the Grotto on the Notre Dame campus Sunday afternoon when President Barack Obama received his honorary doctor of laws degree and gave his commencement speech.
At the same time, Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life officiated an alternative service for those who couldn't bear to see such a prominent enabler of child murder lauded at a Catholic university.
Whoops, was "prominent enabler of child murder" the sort of "demonizing" Obama preached against in his homily?
I did indeed think at first it was a homily. While listening to Father Pavone with one ear, I listened to Obama with an earpiece in the other ear thanks to a friend who placed her cell phone by her television.
Obama kept fading in and out. I only caught:
Your generation must decide how to save God's creation. … We too often seek advantage over others. … Too many of us view life only through the lens of immediate self-interest. … The strong too often dominate the weak … admirable conviction about the sacredness of life … women who do carry their children to term [emphasis mine] … co-exist with … civility … to give future generations the same chance that you had … the Golden Rule – the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. The call to love … realize the dream of civil rights for all of God's children … all children of God … the same love of family, the same fulfillment of a life well lived …
"The Emerging Brave New World" highlights the gradual dehumanization of human beings that has invaded American culture
Wow, I thought, maybe Notre Dame President John Jenkins was right: Exalting Obama had indeed provided an opportunity to dialogue about abortion. They must have had one powerful conversation during the mile-long limo trip from the South Bend airport to the Joyce Center. Obama had been converted!
But later I filled in the gaps by reading the entire text of Obama's speech and was only reminded what a twisted and deceptive guy we have on our hands as president.
And audacious, but we knew that. Obama took the opportunity presented him on a Catholic podium to smooth over and promote his pro-death agenda, like omitting the word "embryonic" when explaining:
Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved.
How disingenuous to exclude what the moral fight is about. And how disingenuous to pose such a faulty premise, that to save one person's life we must kill another.
There were so many more examples.
But in the midst of wild word fraud, Obama made two profound and true statements.
The first was an insight into how Obama operates. This came as he retold a story from his book "The Audacity of Hope," about a doctor who called him out for shrill descriptions of pro-lifers on his Senate campaign website:
And I didn't change my underlying position, but I did tell my staff to change the words on my website.
This is Obama on life issues in a nutshell. He's pro-death to the core, but he wordsmiths to sound reasonable about it.
Obama's other statement gave the real bottom line:
Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it … the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable.
Obama was admitting, I think for the first time, that the pro-abortion and pro-life views are irrevocably and diametrically opposed. They're not fixable.
So the best Obama can do is call for pro-lifers to chill, to not "demonize." Why? As one pro-lifer e-mailed me:
Obama wants to turn down the vitriol in the debate, which is totally in the favor of abortion, claiming we need to be more civil to each other, i.e., we should stop demonizing the abortion. Which translates: Don't out me.
It's too late. The dust certainly hasn't settled on this weekend's Notre Dame debacle, so we don't know how it will ultimately impact the fight over abortion one way or the other.
But one thing is for sure: Obama has now been branded as radically pro-abortion. What pro-lifers have unsuccessfully attempted since 2004 when Obama ran for U.S. Senate, he and Notre Dame accomplished in a month.
And polls strangely show this is beginning to matter more and more to the American people.
Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: WorldNetDaily
Publish Date: May 20, 2009 Link to this article.
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Nurse wins conscience ruling from state Supreme Court
Decision sends complaint about religious discrimination toward trial
St. Tammany Parish Hospital
A pro-life nurse has won a victory for the conscience rights of health care providers at the Louisiana state Supreme Court which has sent her complaint over religious discrimination down the path towards a trial.
The case being handled by the Alliance Defense Fund was brought on behalf of nurse Toni Lemly who had worked in the St. Tammany Parish Hospital, but sued when she objected to dispensing the "morning after" abortion pill because of her religious beliefs and was demoted.
The hospital's lawyers sought to have her case dismissed out of hand, and when that attempt failed, went to the state Supreme Court to try to obtain that ruling. The high court, however, issued a single-word ruling on the hospital's demands: "Denied."
That means Lemly's complaint now is headed towards a trial, according to the ADF, although there always is the possibility of a settlement being reached.
"The hospital acted unlawfully when it refused to make a reasonable accommodation for Ms. Lemly and instead terminated her fulltime position," said Brian Arabie, a Lake Charles attorney who is allied with the ADF and is working on the case.
The hospital declined to return a WND call requesting a comment.
The nurse had told the hospital she objected to administering the abortion chemicals because of her religious beliefs, and in response the hospital fired her from her fulltime position and gave her only part-time work, costing her pay and benefits.
"The hospital declined several reasonable suggestions made by Lemly, a nurse for 23 years, that would have enabled the facility to continue administering the pill while allowing her to abstain from dispensing it herself," the ADF report said. "The hospital chose not to act on any of her suggestions."
Eventually Lemly sued the hospital over its decision, and the district court denied the hospital's motion for summary judgment in 2007, leading to the hospital's decision to pursue its action to the state's highest court.
"Toni provided St. Tammany Parish Hospital with options that would have accommodated both her fulltime position and their wish to distribute the morning-after abortion pill," Arabie said. "Instead, the hospital chose to engage in discrimination based on her courageous commitment to the unborn. We are hopeful that the hospital will change course, do what's right for a dedicated nurse and her constitutional rights, and discontinue the need for any further litigation."
The ADF noted that the Louisiana legislature, in the meantime, has launched an effort to protect such conscience rights.
H.B. 517, which would protect those individuals from retaliation when they exercise their right not to participate in medical procedures such as abortions that violate their religious beliefs, just days ago passed the state House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate. Also awaiting Senate approval, after overwhelming approval by the House, is H.B. 340, a constitutional amendment that would protect religious liberty rights from violation by the government, the ADF said.
WND reported earlier when Donna Harrison, president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, urged people to contact the White House to express their views on the subject of conscience rights.
"We don't want to kill our patients," she said in an interview with Greg Corombos of Radio America/WND.
There also is an online petition campaign on the issue at Freedom2Care through which people can contact the Department of Health and Human Services.
President Bush, at the closure of his presidency, installed a rule requiring that doctors could not be forced to perform procedures which they find morally objectionable – especially abortion.
But President Obama's is considering a campaign to rescind the conscience protection.
Physicians already have forecast that if morally objectionable procedures are forced on doctors and nurses, multitudes will simply leave health care, and hospitals even could be closed down.
According to LifeNews.com, a poll of 800 Americans found 87 percent believe it is important to "make sure that healthcare professionals in America are not forced to participate in procedures and practices to which they have moral objections."
Charmaine Yoest, president and chief executive officer of Americans United for Life, the oldest national pro-life organization in the country, said Obama's election actually is invigorating the pro-life movement.
"Immediately after the election, our servers melted down from so many people looking to take a stand against an abortion agenda," Yoest told WND. "Subsequently, what we've found over the last several months is that every time we've asked people on that list to do something, the response has been overwhelming."
"A lot of activists are waking up," said Joy Yearout, political director of the Susan B. Anthony List, to Politico. "For eight years we had President Bush and his veto pen to protect us – and we don't have that anymore."
Since his election, Obama also has repealed a ban on U.S. taxpayer funding of foreign abortions and overturned the nation's ban on experimenting on human embryos for stem cell research.
He's also installed in his administration's highest levels several rabidly pro-abortion politicians, including former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, now Health secretary.
Contact: Bob Unruh Source: WorldNetDaily Publish Date: May 22, 2009 Link to this article.
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World's Most Powerful Population Lobby Targets Dominican Pro-Life Reforms
The Dominican Republic has come under fire from some of the world's most powerful abortion advocates, aiming to block a proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine legal protection of the country's unborn.
The International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC), backed by European nations, major foundations and the UN Population Fund, has launched an aggressive campaign to thwart proposed Article 30, which would protect human life "from conception." The country's national assembly approved the amendment in a first reading by an overwhelming majority of 167-32 on April 21st, but it must go through a second reading before final promulgation by the President.
IWHC is seeking to draw Dominicans into street protests and letter writing campaigns to the legislature, claiming that Article 30 "violates international agreements signed and ratified by the Dominican Republic, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [ICCPR], the American Convention on Human Rights [ACHR] and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women [CEDAW]."
In fact, however, the ACHR states that, "Every person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception." The two UN treaties cited, ICCPR and CEDAW, do not mention abortion at all, and the committees that monitor them have come under increased scrutiny for reading a right to abortion into the treaties and pressuring States party to the treaties to liberalize abortion laws.
According to its latest annual report , IWHC's largest backers for its $5.5 million annual contributions include the governments of Denmark, Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), De Beers, and powerful foundations including Ford, the Open Society Institute, Hewlett, MacArthur, Packard, Rockefeller, Woodstock, and Bill & Melinda Gates. IWHC also holds $3 million in assets.
As its funding sources suggest, IWHC maintains strong ties to the population lobby from which it emerged. A recent history of population control details how the Population Crisis Committee (today's Population Action International) founded IWHC to distribute abortion kits in the 1980s. The Hewlett Foundation promoted IWHC to fund abortion that lost U.S. aid under the then newly-enacted "Mexico City Policy." When "population control" fell out of favor in the midst of massive scandals, the major foundations and feminist organizations re-branded the movement as promoting women's rights. Today, IWHC's mission is promoting "sexual reproductive rights and health" for adolescent girls and women.
IWHC's first president was Joan Dunlop, protégé of John D. Rockefeller, 3rd. Soon after the group's founding Dunlop recruited Adrienne Germaine, IWHC's current president from the Ford Foundation where she had successfully convinced Ford to include abortion services in its extensive population control programs. Germaine was a chief negotiator for the Clinton administration's attempts to get abortion recognized as an international human right at the 1994 Cairo and 1995 Beijing UN conferences. When that effort failed, she joined an elite group of UN officials that launched the 1996 Glen Cove "Roundtable" Report. The report lays out a strategy, which IWHC is using in the Dominican case, to misuse UN human rights treaties to establish a right to abortion by claiming that it already exists.
Contact: Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D. Source: C-FAM Publish Date: May 21, 2009 Link to this article.
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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.
California Governor is Considering Budget Cuts - Including Defunding Planned Parenthood
What pro-lifers can do to make it happen!
While most companies struggle to survive in the current state of our economy, recent annual reports show that business has never been better for Planned Parenthood and profits have never been so high.
In a press release last weekend, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards admitted that clinics like Mar Monte, California have seen as much as a 21 percent jump in the number of women they perform abortions on in a weekly basis.
But despite the booming business of the baby-butchers, 90% of "family planning" (aka, abortion services) is funded by the "federal government" (aka, YOUR tax-dollars).
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Tension Mounts over Possible Abortion Referral Venture at Boston Catholic Hospitals
Pro-life and Catholic advocates are voicing concern that Boston Catholic hospitals may soon refer for abortions as part of a joint medical venture it won last week, and which reportedly requires access to "family planning" services including abortion, contraception, and sterilization.
The archdiocesan-owned Caritas Christi Health Care network first raised questions in February after it was revealed that the networks' hospitals had joined with Centene Corp. to bid on a state-subsidized health insurance contract, called the Commonwealth Family Health Plan. According to joint statements by Caritas/Centene, the contract requires access to abortion, contraception and sterilization, or at least referral for such services. The joint venture is expected to take effect July 1.
The bid to take over the Commonwealth Family Health Plan "will contract with providers, both in and out of the Caritas network, to ensure access to all services required by [the state], including confidential family planning services," said a February statement.
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Oklahoma passes bill to ban abortions based on sex selection
An Oklahoma bill to ban abortions based on an unborn child's sex has been passed by the state legislature and now heads to the governor for signing.
H.B. 1595 passed the Senate on Friday by a vote of 35 to 9. The bill had passed the House by 88 to 6. Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, urged Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry to sign HB 1595 into law.
"Aborting a baby because she's a girl or he's a boy is offensive on so many levels, it's hard to imagine anyone trying to justify the practice," Fr. Pavone said.
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Abortion tops 50% for pregnant Brit teens
More than half of the pregnancies to underage girls in Great Britain ended in abortion last year for the first time.
New government statistics show there were about 40,000 pregnancies to girls under the age of 18 in 2008, and more than 20,000 of those ended in abortion, according to the Daily Mail.
Amazingly, some supporters of abortion rights applauded the development.
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Louisiana House Approves Bill Allowing Providers To Refuse Certain Reproductive Health Services
The Louisiana House on Tuesday voted 82-13 to approve legislation (HB 517) that would allow some health professionals to refuse to provide certain medical services that they object to on religious or moral grounds, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
The House-passed bill is an amended version of a measure, introduced by Rep. Bernard LeBas (D), that a House committee rejected earlier this month. The revised bill narrowed the list of procedures that can be denied, and it applies to health providers only in public facilities, not religious health facilities statewide as in the original bill. Under the bill, public health care employees would be allowed to decline to provide abortions or abortifacient drugs. They also would be allowed to refuse participation in embryonic stem cell research or cloning, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Public employees would be immune from civil lawsuits and have job security under the measure.
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Spain's "Disastrous" Contraceptive Policies have Resulted in the Oldest European Population
A report by Spain's Institute for Family Policy says that Spain, with one of the western world's lowest birth rates and a high average life expectancy, is now the most rapidly aging country in the European Union.
The Institute's head, Eduardo Hertfelder, told media that the government's "dreadful" contraceptive policies are having a "catastrophic effect."
The report says that the Spanish youth population has dropped from 10 million in 1981 to 6.6 million in 2008. The process of population aging follows Spain's precipitous drop in birth rates. In 2000, a UN report found that the Spanish birth rate was the lowest in the world with 1.07 children per woman. Hertfelder stressed that the Spanish population is being bolstered now only by increases in immigration.
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Legislation Would Protect Kids from Morning-After Pill
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., has introduced legislation that would pull federal funding from any school that hands out the morning-after pill.
The Schoolchildren's Protection Act (HR 2458) has 40 co-sponsors.
"It is morally unacceptable for taxpayers to fund (this drug) for school-age children," Lamborn said in a statement. "Additionally, these drugs can lead to serious health consequences, such as heart attacks and strokes. It is in everyone's interest to protect our children."
The morning-after pill is a series of pills given to women within 72 hours of sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. The pills, also referred to as "emergency contraception," contain high concentrations of the hormones found in oral contraceptives.
Contact: Roger Greer
Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: May 20, 2009
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ADF Takes Pro-Life License Plates to Supreme Court
An appellate court sided with the state of Illinois after it denied the group Choose Life Illinois specialty license plates with the slogan "Choose Life."
Now, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking for a review of the case.
Steven Aden, senior legal counsel for ADF, said the message should not be censored.
"ADF is asking the Supreme Court to take the case," he said, "because we believe what happened here is unconstitutional discrimination against the pro-life viewpoint, in violation of the free-speech clause in the First Amendment."
"Choose Life" plates are available in 19 states, and have been approved in five others.
Contact: Nima Reza Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: May 20, 2009
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Opposing an abortion industry bailout
A campaign against tax-supported abortions is in the works.
Several pro-life organizations are rallying support to fight against the move. Operation Rescue is one of them, and Cheryl Sullinger is a spokesperson.
"We know that President Obama has promised healthcare reforms. We know that tax-funded abortions [are] going to be a part of that," she notes, "and we've joined with a number of other groups to help oppose that."
A recent Gallup Poll indicates that 51 percent of Americans say they are pro-life. Sullinger believes success in the campaign depends on them.
Cheryl Sullinger (Operation Rescue)
"We know that we're not going to get anywhere on this without the grassroots rising up and saying, 'Look, we don't want our tax money going to bail out a failing abortion industry.'" She adds.
To further combat a culture of death, Sullinger and others are planning some future demonstrations and protests.
Contact: Charlie Butts Source: OneNewsNow Publish Date:
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Congressmen Challenge Obama to Follow Through on Notre Dame Statement, Stop Efforts to Repeal Conscience Regulation
During his commencement address at Notre Dame on Sunday, President Obama said he was in favor of what he termed a "sensible conscience clause" as well as a reduction in abortions. In response two U.S. congressmen yesterday held a press conference and sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to publicly forgo his efforts to rescind the Bush era conscience protection regulation.
The Obama administration in February began the process of repealing a conscience regulation instituted by the Department of Health and Human Services under President Bush late last year. The measure had been stridently opposed by pro-abortion extremists. The regulation enforces existing conscience protection laws, which ensure medical professionals cannot be denied employment if they refuse to participate in activities to which they have moral or religious objection, such as abortion.
In the letter to Obama, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) write: "You indicated that you wanted to 'honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion.'
"Given our agreement in regard to a conscience clause, we respectfully request that you put an end to your Administration's review of the Bush Administration rule that enforces existing conscience protection laws and completely forgo the rescinding of this rule."
The congressmen also urged Obama "to commit to defending conscience protections in future rulemaking that affects both individual and institutional health care providers."
"We should reduce the number of abortions by continuing the restrictions on abortion funding," said the letter. "We urge you to use all the tools at your disposable to keep conscience protections in place and reduce the number of abortions in the United States."
"If this Administration wants to be the Administration of choice, than all people need to have their choices protected," Congressman Sensenbrenner said.
"The religious and moral views of health care workers should be respected. Workers should have the right to refuse to participate in an abortion procedure without the fear of losing their job or being discriminated against."
"We're simply asking President Obama to ensure that his deeds match his words," said Rep. Chris Smith, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus.
"This past weekend President Obama said that he believes we should 'honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion," Smith noted. "To make that happen, Mr. President, simply stop all your efforts, and those of your Administration, to rescind the current conscience regulations that protect the fundamental right to prolife healthcare workers - and Catholic Hospitals - to refuse to participate in procedures that they find morally reprehensible.
"Protecting conscience is the truly pro-choice position and respects the diversity of opinion in our society as well as the sanctity of life."
Contact: Kathleen Gilbert Source: LifeSiteNews.com Publish Date: May 20, 2009 Link to this article.
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Brazilian Pro-Life Leader Calls for Criminal Investigation of Abortion Performed on Nine-Year-Old
Brazilian demonstrators hold an anti-abortion march in Brasilia
Following abortion carried out against father's wishes, child and mother remain hidden and "under guard"
Brazilian pro-life leader Fr. Luiz Carlos Lodi da Cruz is calling for a criminal investigation into the now-famous abortion of two unborn children conceived by a nine-year-old girl in Recife, Brazil.
In an open letter, Lodi observes that all abortions are criminal in Brazil, even when they are exempt from a criminal penalty, as they are in cases of rape. However, the abortion was carried out despite the fact that the father had withdrawn permission for the procedure, calling into question the exemption of the doctors from criminal penalties.
"For the authors of the crime to enjoy the non-application of the [criminal] penalty, it is not sufficient for the pregnancy to be the result of a rape," writes Lodi, President of the Anapolis Pro-Life Association, in an open letter. "In this case, as the mother is incapable [of giving consent], it is necessary to have the consent of both parents, who legally represent her."
As LifeSiteNews has reported, accounts from the scene indicate that the father was on his way to the public hospital where his daughter was interned to withdraw permission for the procedure, when an international pro-abortion organization engineered the transfer of the child and her mother to another facility. The abortion was carried out shortly thereafter.
Lodi observes that "the consent of the mother was probably obtained through fraud, which applies to medical conduct mentioned in article 126 … of the penal code, that is, imprisonment from three to ten years."
Lodi writes that the abortion was carried out in an "agile and coordinated move by feminist groups" who were under pressure to ensure that the girl's twins were never born. If they had been, Lodi writes, the girl would have become "an icon of the pro-life cause" after having been used to promote abortion in the Brazilian media.
In addition to the criminal nature of the abortion itself, Lodi points out that the girl and her mother "were placed in an unknown and inaccessible 'shelter,' where they remain today, under guard (or imprisoned), impeded from communicating with the Tutelary Council [child protective services] of Alagoinha (unanimously against abortion) and with the father himself, Mr. Erivaldo."
The case of the Recife abortion made international headlines last March when Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of Recife announced the excommunication of the doctors who had carried it out. The Brazilian and international public, which had been given the false impression that the girl's life was in danger, protested vigorously.
Although Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation of Bishops, sent Archbishop Cardoso a letter of support, other bishops distanced themselves from the excommunication. Archbishop "Rino" Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Life, attacked the excommunication in the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, and some Brazilian bishops questioned the act's legality. Pro-life leaders have repeatedly expressed support for Archbishop Cardoso.
Contact: Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Source: LifeSiteNews.com Publish Date: May 16, 2009
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Catholic Couple "Outs" About Their "Silent Abortions" Due to Contraception
Alton and Juliana Davis chose Sunday, May 17th, the day that President Obama was honored at Notre Dame University, to make a public revelation of their own failure to follow Church teaching on contraception early in their marriage and to acknowledge the probability that they had aborted their first children through so-called "silent abortions," because of their use of artificial contraception.
The Davis's are co-founders of an apostolate called The Leaven, whose purpose is to defend the Catholic Church's teaching on the value of human life, and to support and promote Natural Family Planning in Nebraska by promulgation of the Church's encyclical on the sacredness of life and sexuality, Humanae Vitae.
"Today, May 17, 2009, is the day I decided to come out about my so-called 'silent' abortions caused by artificial contraception," said Juliana in a press release.
"I had abortions that I never realized I had until I learned how several methods of birth control I used in the early 70's worked; that is, they caused the tiny babies (embryos) growing within my womb to abort without my knowing it because they were unable to implant in my uterine wall."
"This is my first public acknowledgement of my abortions by contraception, and of course, it is embarrassing to reveal past sins publicly," Juliana said. "God has forgiven me and I have forgiven myself, but now I think I must let other women know, especially young women, that many forms of birth control, such as Plan B emergency contraception RU-486 as well as the Pill cause early abortion that has damaging psychological side effects as real as any surgical abortion."
In her personal testimony about her journey to the truth about contraception, Juliana says, "In June of 1987, we began an apostolate called The Leaven, which we felt the Lord had asked us to name it, to honor those who honor Him by accepting the teachings of the Church in Humanae Vitae. We thought we would do family retreats to help others understand how wonderful marriage could be, as we had found it to be once we knew and accepted the truth.
"Humanae Vitae is a prophetic document," Alton Davis added, "and its truth is not only for Catholics, but for all people for all time."
"As I began reflecting on my personal story," Juliana continued. "I also began to allow into my consciousness the "funny period" that I had back in the mid '70's. I began to face that I have probably had an abortion, and my impression is that she was our first daughter, that we had actually had the six children that we hoped for when we married. It has begun to dawn on me that my story is going to include that I have had a so-called silent abortion (another lie of contraception: no abortion is silent!)."
"Contraception hurts women," Juliana concludes, "but our God is a healing Father who forgives and gives the living water of new life as we become able to receive it."
Juliana is also the Nebraska Regional Coordinator for the internationally known Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a project of Priests for Life and Anglicans for Life which promotes public awareness of the devastation abortion brings to women and men. The campaign seeks to expose and heal the secrecy and silence surrounding the emotional and physical pain of abortion.
Link: Silent No More Awareness Campaign
Contact: Thaddeus M. Baklinski Source: May 20, 2009 Publish Date: LifeSiteNews.com Link to this article.
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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-Life Musician/Activist: "1 Minute Biology Lesson" is "Above President Obama's Pay Grade"
David MacDonald, a pro-life musician and activist, says that a simple diagram explaining precisely the basic biology of when life begins has become one of his most useful tools in explaining the pro-life position to students at schools that he visits.
Over the last month MacDonald has spoken to over 2,000 students at various schools, to whom he has presented his pro-life testimony. "I was surprised that the majority of students did not know when life begins," he told LifeSiteNews.com. "It's a confusion which I've seen in teens, adults, and even good intentioned people who are educated."
"It's amazing that even after the Genome project, when every biologist on the planet is in agreement, that the general public is still in the dark."
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President of Honduras gives green light to morning-after pill
President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras has vetoed a decree that prohibited the sale of the morning-after pill in the country, thus giving a green light to the sale of the drug that prevents the implantation of a newly conceived child.
The president's private secretary, Eduardo Reina, said Zelaya vetoed the bill "because it is unconstitutional." The Honduran congress will need a two-thirds majority in order to override the presidential veto. The measure to prohibit the drug was supported by the Medical College of Honduras.
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Amnesty International Calls for Nicaragua to Overturn Abortion Restrictions
Amnesty International (AI), a group originally founded by Catholics to fight human rights abuses, but that has recently made its support for abortion as a "human right" official, has now called Nicaragua's ban on abortion a form of "torture." AI issued a media release on Friday backing a group of UN committees that are pressuring the government of Nicaragua to loosen its abortion laws to allow exceptions for pregnancy due to rape.
The United Nations committees on Human Rights, on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Committee against Torture have all pressured Nicaragua to lift its total ban on procured abortion. AI submitted a briefing to the UN committees that called abortion an "essential medical service" and said, "Denial of an essential health service meets each of the elements of article 1 [of the Convention Against Torture] and is torture within the meaning of the convention."
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Oklahoma Funds Science and Stem Cell Ethics
The Oklahoma Legislature having voted unanimously to outlaw all human cloning--still no word on what the governor will do with the bill--state bureaucrats are now putting $5.5 million into adult stem cell research over the next five years. From the story:
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust board voted Monday to contribute $5.5 million to adult stem cell research. The board committed $500,000 for a yearlong planning phase to decide how the money should be distributed, followed by $1 million in grants each year for five years.
The action was taken after presentations on adult stem cell research under way in Oklahoma. Adult stem cells could someday be used as "regenerative medicine" to treat or cure many ailments such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, said Dr. Stephen Prescott, president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
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Miguel Estrada for the Supreme Court
Media reports have consistently pointed out that the President is looking at several Hispanic candidates for the Supreme Court. Pundits say Democrats would cherish the idea of confirming the first Hispanic to the Court.
However, the Democrats' shameful treatment of Miguel Estrada, the first Hispanic nominee to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, cannot be overlooked. As you may recall, unable to block Estrada's nomination and knowing he would be confirmed if a full Senate vote was allowed, Democrats used an unprecedented and unjust partisan filibuster to prevent a vote from ever taking place.
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GOP House Members Send Obama Letter Asking Him To Reinstate 'Conscience' Rule
House GOP members on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama praising him for saying that he wants to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion" during his commencement address at the University of Notre Dame last weekend, The Hill reports. The Republican lawmakers -- Reps. James Sensenbrenner (Wis.), Chris Smith (N.J.) and John Fleming (La.) -- said Obama's speech indicated to them that he would reinstate the HHS provider "conscience" rule, which expanded the ability of health workers to refuse to provide services or information they objected to on moral or religious grounds and prohibited federal funding for health entities that do not comply.
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Congressmen call on Obama to honor pro-life consciences by keeping HHS regs
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Two congressmen on Tuesday responded to President Barack Obama's commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame, calling on him to honor pro-life consciences by rejecting the possible cancellation of federal conscience protection rules for pro-life medical workers.
Speaking at a Washington, D.C. press conference and also sending a letter to the President, Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) noted President Obama's Notre Dame commencement speech remark that he wanted to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion." Expressing their agreement on the need for a conscience clause, the representatives' letter asked that President Obama end the White House Office of Management and Budget's review of the Department of Health and Human Services' conscience protection rules enacted by the Bush administration. They also asked him to "completely forgo" their rescindment.
"In addition, we urge you to commit to defending conscience protections in future rulemaking that affects both individual and institutional health care providers," they wrote to the president.
"We should reduce the number of abortions by continuing the restrictions on abortion funding… We urge you to use all the tools at your disposable to keep conscience protections in place and reduce the number of abortions in the United States," Reps. Sensenbrenner and Smith continued.
"If this Administration wants to be the Administration of choice, then all people need to have their choices protected," Rep. Sensenbrenner said at the press conference. "The religious and moral views of health care workers should be respected. Workers should have the right to refuse to participate in an abortion procedure without the fear of losing their job or being discriminated against."
"We're simply asking President Obama to ensure that his deeds match his words," said Rep. Smith, who co-chairs the House Pro-Life Caucus.
He added that President Obama could "honor the conscience" of pro-life workers simply by stopping efforts to rescind what Rep. Smith called the "fundamental right" to refuse to participate in procedures they find "morally reprehensible."
"Protecting conscience is the truly pro-choice position and respects the diversity of opinion in our society as well as the sanctity of life," he continued.
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) also attended the press conference.
The conscience protection rules implement existing federal laws by requiring hospitals, clinics, researchers and medical schools to sign written certifications as a prerequisite to receiving Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding. The rules also forbid state and local governments which receive federal grants from discriminating against pro-life hospitals and other institutions.
A December 2008 HHS announcement said the rules would "increase awareness of and compliance with" federal laws. The rules also designated the HHS Office for Civil Rights as an entity to receive violation complaints.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has supported the conscience protection regulations, citing in a Sept. 12, 2008 letter the "growing hostility on the part of some professional organizations and advocacy groups to rights of conscience in health care" and describing other "undisguised hostility to conscience rights."
Source: CNA Publish Date: May 20, 2009 Link to this article.
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Assisted Suicide as a "Prophylactic" Against Future Suffering
The media repeatedly pound home the false meme that assisted suicide is only about people diagnosed with a terminal illness. True, some American activists make that argument. But the "terminal illness limitation" is unquestionably the minority view within the movement.
Case in point: On April 15, 2008, Ruth von Fuchs, a leader in the Canadian Right to Die Society told Canada AM (CTV) that she supports Betty Coumbias--the Canadian woman who is not sick, but who wants to travel to Switzerland with her terminally ill husband to commit assisted suicide. From the transcript (no link):
RUTH VON FUCHS: Anyhow, the thing with Betty Coumbias I think will be an extension, because it will show there is no duty to live, that life is not an obligation, it's a right but not an obligation. It will also show, I think, that it's rational and sensible to take steps to avoid oncoming suffering or misery. Betty is virtually certain that if she had to live without George she would suffer from intractable depression.
[AM Canada Host Seamus ] O'REGAN: She's anticipating that she will be depressed from loneliness.
RUTH VON FUCHS: Yes...And people say she could be wrong, and I suppose that's true. But she's not a young woman and she's thought about this for a long time. It's possible that she is correct.
It's also possible that the tribunals in Switzerland will rule that some sort of wait-and-see policy is required. But then there would be a promise to her that if indeed she's right and is wretched without George, then at the end of a certain time--a month, for instance [Me: Grief doesn't end in a month!] she could receive assistance then.
I am sorry, what kind of husband would support his wife throwing herself, figuratively speaking, on his cremation pyre? That question goes unasked. Instead, Von Fuchs sees assisted suicide as not just about ending actual suffering, but as a proper "prophylactic" against feared future suffering:
O'REGAN: So, what she's trying to do is not only -- I mean, I guess there's a political element here, do you think? I mean, does she want to make a statement? Obviously, does she want to carry this through in a public way?
RUTH VON FUCHS: I think she's ahead of her time, in a way. So, she's trying to lead her society into questioning some of the old assumptions that life is a duty, that we must not anticipate, that we must start to suffer. But we don't take that attitude in other areas of life. We think it's very wise to do things like buckling up your seat belt to prevent being thrown from your car. Prophylactic measures are considered very sensible in many areas of life.
Assisted suicide analogized to buckling one's seat belt: The truth about this movement is there for everyone to see--if they will only look. Von Fuchs isn't on the fringe of the assisted suicide movement, she's the mainstream.
Contact: Wesley J. Smith Source: Secondhand Smoke Publish Date: May 19, 2009
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Abstinence Funding in Jeopardy
President Barack Obama wants to eliminate abstinence education, but pour an additional $150 million into "comprehensive," condom-based sex education.
His 2010 proposed budget kills funding for Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) and the Title V Abstinence Education Program, the two main abstinence-education programs.
Congress is not obligated to implement the president's recommendation.
Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, said recently: "At a time when teens are subjected to an increasingly sexualized culture, it is essential that common-sense legislators from both sides of the aisle reject this extreme attempt to defund the only approach that removes all risk.
"Members of Congress would be well-advised to listen to youth and parents in their districts who overwhelmingly support these valuable programs."
Contact: Jennifer Mesko
Source: Citizenlink
Publish Date: May 19, 2009
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Ultrasound technology and laws credited for pro-life shift
Some doctors and pro-life leaders now say ultrasound technology is partly responsible for Americans' gradual shift to identifying themselves as pro-life. Nebraskan legislators are now considering joining the many states which require that a woman considering an abortion be provided an ultrasound of her baby.
A recent Gallup poll showed 51 percent of Americans now self-identify as pro-life, composing a majority for the first time. The change has led to speculation that improved ultrasound technology has helped change minds.
"Ultrasound used to be less available, very grainy. Now the baby is very clear, very distinct," Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life told Fox News.
Massachusetts Doctor Eric J. Keroack reported to Fox News that a two-year study showed 75 percent of his patients who were unsure about having an abortion decided not to after choosing to view the ultrasound images of their child.
Currently, six states require verbal counseling or written materials to include information on accessing ultrasound services. Twelve states regulate the provision of ultrasound by abortion providers.
Last week Nebraska lawmakers advanced a measure requiring abortion providers to display ultrasound images of unborn children so that patients can easily view them. On Thursday they voted 37-5 to send the measure to a second round of voting.
Nebraska state Sen. John Harm told Fox News the proposed law gives struggling women the option to view an ultrasound and "hopefully see a beating heart and the development of the child."
"I've had correspondence with women who've gone through an abortion and who've said that if they had the option of seeing the ultrasound, they might not have made that decision," he said.
Defenders of abortion argued that the technology is being used to generate guilt among women who have abortions.
"The other side has made it pretty clear that this is a strategy to get women to change their minds," Gretchen Borchelt, senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center, told FOXNews.com.
She said her organization does not support requiring women to view ultrasound images.
Last year Oklahoma passed legislation requiring abortion providers to perform an ultrasound on every woman seeking an abortion and to place the monitor in a position easy for the woman to view.
The legislation requires doctors to provide "a simultaneous description of what the ultrasound is depicting" and describe the dimensions of the unborn child, the presence of cardiac activity, and the presence of external members and internal organs if they are present and viewable.
The bill clearly states that there will be no legal penalty for either the physician or the woman if she refuses to look at the ultrasound images.
However, the bill is being challenged by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents abortion clinics.
Source: CNA
Publish Date: May 20, 2009 Link to this article.
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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.
CNN's Roe v. Wade Poll -- Please Hire a New Research Team
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, commented on the CNN Poll released Monday by saying, "I am astonished that CNN could not do a better job in accurately portraying what Roe v. Wade says and doesn't say. Please hire a new legal team and a new research team before you ask the public another question about abortion."
The constitutional right found in Roe was not a right to abortion per se. Furthermore, Roe allowed abortion through all nine months, and if the public is going to be asked its opinion on Roe, they should be informed of that.
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Adult Stem Cells Target Tumor Destruction
Scientists at University College-London report that they have engineered adult stem cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells in mice. Mesenchymal stem cells, a type of adult stem cell found in bone marrow and connective tissue, have been shown to be good vectors to carry factors to different parts of the body, as well as seek out cancer cells throughout the body. The research team, led by Dr. Michael Loebinger, altered these adult stem cells to express the cancer-killing protein TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand), which causes the death only of cancer cells. In the lab, the cells were able to find and kill cells from lung, squamous, breast, and cervical cancer. They also injected the cells into mice with breast tumors and showed they were able to safely kill the tumors but leave healthy tissue intact. Results were presented at the American Thoracic Society's 105th International Conference in San Diego.
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Adult Stem Cells Improve Chronic Heart Patients
Doctors from the Netherlands report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that bone marrow adult stem cells injected into the hearts of patients with chronic heart disease can improve heart function and patient health. Fifty patients, average age 64, who had chronic myocardial ischemia–decreased oxygen to the heart, often due to blocked arteries–were tested in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The results were assessed at 3 months and 6 months after injections of the adult stem cells. Patients who received the adult stem cell injections had improved blood flow, reduced pain, and were able to exercise more.
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Inquiries about adoption, abortion on rise
A Gallup Organization survey indicated 10 percent of married women are putting off pregnancy due to the current economy.
USA Today reported Joan Jaeger of The Cradle, a Chicago adoption agency, said 30 percent more women with unplanned pregnancies than a year ago seek information about adoption services.
Financial considerations have caused more abortion inquiries. Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation, an abortion-provider advocacy organization, indicated her group's hotline activity has almost tripled within the past year. Many calls are from women in families experiencing job loss.
"The economy has made them take a second look at adoption," says Scott Mars of American Adoptions...
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Next Archbishop of St. Louis: No Communion for Pro-Abort Politicians
As he prepares to take the helm of the St. Louis diocese, a position formerly held by Archbishop Raymond Burke before he was transferred to the Vatican, Archbishop-elect Robert Carlson has said he agrees with his predecessor's take on Church law, specifically that pro-abortion Catholic politicians must be denied Communion if they refuse to repent.
The St. Louis Dispatch Sunday interviewed Carlson, the current bishop of Saginaw, MI, who will be installed as St. Louis' archbishop June 10. They asked: "Do you believe Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, and who persist in doing so even after consultation with their bishop, should be denied the Eucharist if they approach to receive it?"
Carlson answered: "If I were to enter into dialogue with somebody, and after they reflect on the discussion and that person persisted, it could come to that point."
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Chicago March for Life
Americans for Life have announced a March for Life to be held on May 22 in the Chicago business district. A rally will be held at the State of Illinois building from 11:30am to 12:15pm. The March to the Federal Plaza will be from 12:15 to 1pm. From 1pm to approximately 2:30pm a wide range of topics and speakers will be featured at the Federal plaza.
Please join us at the May 22, 2009 March for Life 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in downtown Chicago.
The Americans for Life rally is sponsored by Costello Jewelers, Richards Building & Supply, Choose Life Illinois Specialty License plates and Lake County Right to life. For information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Bea Sutkus at WYLL at 708-256-2851 or by email at bea@salemradiochicago.com.
11:30 am to 12:15 pm Rally at the State of Illinois Building 100 West Randolph Street
(between LaSalle and Clark Sts.)
Speakers:
Dick Walsh, Chairman, Americans For Life
Sandy Rios, Radio Host from WYLL
Mary Anne Hackett, Illinois Right to Life Committee
Tom Morrison, Illinois Family Institute
Jim Finnegan, License Plates For Life
12:15 p.m. to 1:00 pm March For Life from the State of Illinois Building to the Federal Building Plaza
1:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Rally in the Plaza north of the Federal Building at 50 West Adams
Speakers:
Joe Scheidler, Pro-Life Action League
Jill Stanek, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
... and religious leaders for pro-life causes
Pro-life flags, signs, placards, hats, and all displays WILL BE PROVIDED at the event. Please DO NOT bring homemade signs.
Parking garages are available downtown and in Grant Park. Participants are encouraged to take public transportation to the March For Life. To plan your trip to the event in downtown Chicago by commuter rail, go to www.metrarail.com. To see bus routes in the city go to www.transitchicago.com.
Life-Line - a silent protest of prayer 
When: On June 7, 2009 at 1:30 P.M. Where: Peoria Stadium We will line up along War Memorial from 2-3 P.M. holding signs with positive pro-life messages that will speak to the hearts and minds of those driving by. This will also be a time spent in prayer for our nation and for the many young women considering abortion. We will be visiting many churches and schools/school groups to spread the word about Life-Line. We will also have updates through this facebook group. If you have any questions, or would like to get involved with preparing for the event, please email us at amreynolds3@mail.bradley.edu. Everyone is welcome to participate in this event, but I am especially calling on the Peoria area YOUTH to step up and join the fight against abortion. The more time you let slip away without working against it, the more lives lost. Click here to download a flyer Click here for more information If you know of, or are part of a pro-life organization having an event or attending an event including county fairs, please let us know about it and we will post in this newsletter and our website reaching over 250,000 people a month. E-mail us at: mail@ifrl.org or postal mail us at IFRL Pro-Life Events, 1104 Milton Road, Alton, IL 62002
New Pro-Life Video Provides Updated 'Window to the Womb' and Historical Perspective
Almost twenty years after the debut of the videos Window to the Womb and Eyewitness to the Earliest Days of Life, which brought ultrasound images to the masses for the benefit of unborn children, sonographer Shari Richard is following up with Eyewitness 2 and Window to the Womb 2 "The Next Generation," this time employing the latest revolutionary digital ultrasound technology of 3D & 4D imaging.
In addition to the updated imagery, Window to the Womb 2 includes a documentary about Ian Donald, the pioneer of clinical ultrasound who opposed The Abortion Act of 1967. Richard, who continues Donald's legacy, takes you through the 50 year battle of abortion fought with the scientific technology of ultrasound. Also included is the testimony of Richard and other post-abortive men and women who break the silence by sharing their personal stories about the grief, pain and healing from abortion.
The powerful imagery from the latest ultrasound technology, combined with the history of the movement and the moving testimony of those who have suffered from abortion personally makes Window to the Womb 2 a comprehensive tool for schools, medical groups, Pregnancy Care Centers, and pro-life advocates. As an introductory offer the complete 3 Disc package can be ordered together for $30 off the retail price. Bulk discounts are also available. Information on ordering these and other videos and CDs can be found at www.unborn.com
Over 500,000 of Richard's first pro-life videos, Window to the Womb and Eyewitness to the Earliest Days of Life were distributed and translated worldwide. Her testimony before the U.S. House and Senate in March of 1990 during the first hearing on the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) brought national media attention. President Obama has made it a priority to implement FOCA during his presidency.
Shari Richard is an Obstetrical Ultrasound Expert and Educator whose medical experience spans 35 years. She is the founder of Sound Wave Images, an international organization established in 1990 to network with medical professionals, Pregnancy Care Centers and schools to provide educational resources and ultrasound training. In 1992 she established the first Medical Pregnancy Center in Michigan and continues to provide consulting and training for Pregnancy Centers nationwide. Shari has appeared on national radio and television programs, and has presented lectures for schools, pregnancy centers, and fund raisers for pro-life organizations.
Contact: Shari Richard Source: Soundwave Images
Publish Date: May 19, 2009
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Crying Baby Interrupted Obama as He Justified His Abortion Position at Notre Dame
The distinct sound of a baby crying broke out in the capacious basketball arena where the Notre Dame commencement exercise was being held on Sunday when President Obama--who was giving the commencement address--began talking about abortion.
Obama not only gave the commencement address at Notre Dame's May 17 graduation ceremony but also received an honorary doctorate in law from the university. Click here for the video
Fr. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, had followed through on his decision to have Obama speak and to honor him with an honorary degree at the ceremony even though that decision was criticized by more than 70 American Catholic bishops and was called a "source of the greatest scandal" by Archbishop Raymond Burke, head of the highest court of the Roman Catholic Church.
The baby's cry was clearly heard in television broadcasts of Obama's speech during that part of the address where the president spoke about abortion, and ended up saying that on this issue "the views of the two camps are irreconcilable." (Listen, for example, at time click 1:27 through 1:38 in the attached video.)
Obama is staunchly in favor of legalized abortion. He has said he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act (which would eliminate virtually all existing legal restrictions on abortion), has ordered that federal tax dollars can be used to fund organizations that perform and promote abortions in foreign nations, and has ordered that federal tax dollars can be used to fund embryonic stem cell research that requires the destruction of human embryos.
During Sunday's speech at Notre Dame, Obama referred to a doctor who voted for him during in the 2004 Democratic Senate primary in Illinois and who "described himself as Christian who was strongly pro-life." The doctor objected to language on Obama's Senate campaign Web site that said Obama would battle "right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose."
Obama explained that the doctor "had assumed I was a reasonable person…but if I truly believed that every pro-life individual was simply an ideologue who wanted to inflict suffering on women, then I was not very reasonable."
The doctor sent Obama a letter where, according to the president, he stated, "I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words."
As Obama repeated the term "fair-minded words," the cry of a baby—that had been heard intermittently before that as Obama spoke about issue--broke out clearly and could be heard on national television broadcasts.
The arena where the president spoke was speaking is the Joyce Center, which has a capacity of 11,418, and is where Notre Dame's basketball team plays its home games. It appeared to be filled to capacity for the graduation ceremony.
As there continued to be outbursts of the baby's cry audible on television broadcasts, Obama indicated that he had removed from his Web site the entry that the doctor did not like, but that he did not change his pro-abortion position.
"After I read the doctor's letter, I wrote back to him and I thanked him. And I didn't change my underlying position, but I did tell my staff to change the words on my website," said Obama. "And I said a prayer that night that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me. Because when we do that--when we open up our hearts and our minds to those who may not think precisely like we do or believe precisely what we believe--that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground.
"That's when we begin to say, 'Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually, it has both moral and spiritual dimensions."
Obama ended up telling Notre Dame's graduates that the pro-life and pro-abortion positions are "irreconcilable."
"Now, understand--understand, Class of 2009, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away," said Obama. "Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it--indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory--the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable."
Contact: Edwin Mora Source: CNSNews.com Publish Date: May 18, 2009 Link to this article.
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No 'common ground' when it comes to abortion
A Christian actor is weighing in on President Barack Obama's comments regarding abortion during his recent commencement speech at Notre Dame.
Stephen Baldwin his speech, President Obama encouraged both sides in the abortion debate to find common ground on the issue. "I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away," he stated. "Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it, indeed while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory, the fact is that at some level the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction -- but surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words."
The president's appearance at the country's foremost Catholic university was shrouded in controversy, with many pro-life supporters protesting both his appearance and the university's decision to award the president an honorary degree.
During an interview on Fox & Friends, actor Stephen Baldwin said while he admired the president's call for open hearts and open minds, he believes there is no common ground when it comes to babies being killed at the hands of abortionists.
"When you're dealing with serious pro-lifers, there's no gray matter here," he contends. "There's no conversation...the therapist is not in here."
Baldwin believes there will be a long-term backlash against Notre Dame in the wake of President Obama's appearance.
Contact: Allie Martin Source: OneNewsNow Publish Date:
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Abstinence ed 'outperforms' comprehensive sex ed
According to a research analyst, comprehensive sex education does not outperform abstinence education.
Irene Ericksen of the Institute for Research and Evaluation says that media reports continually claim that abstinence education is a failure and that comprehensive sex ed is the only way to reduce teen pregnancies and promote safe-sex practices. She adds that they continually site a federal study that is riddled with myths and did not find abstinence education effective.
"These same people aren't aware that there are 16 studies of comprehensive sex education programs in the schools," Ericksen points out. "Actually 64 percent of the studies that have been done of comprehensive sex ed in the schools have found that they have not been effective at increasing teen condom use."
Ericksen notes that promoting condom use has not only proved to be ineffective, it also has adverse health effects.
"Even when teens use condoms consistently and correctly, they don't provide complete protection from STDs," she adds. "And there also is evidence that there is emotional harm that is occurring with teens when they're having sex at this young age -- that it's not developmentally healthy for them."
According to Ericksen, sexual activity is not appropriate for teenagers and they should be told in very strong terms to avoid such activity.
Contact: Pete Chagnon Source: OneNewsNow Publish Date: May 19, 2009
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School Board's Decision in Willamina, Oregon Will Put Students at Risk for Three Cancers
In 2005, World Health Organization (WHO) scientists assigned estrogen plus progestin (combined) hormonal contraceptives (the pill) and combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) the highest level of carcinogenicity - Group 1. [1]
"But that's not stopping the Willamina High school board (Willamina, Oregon)," said Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer. "According to a news report last week, the school board authorized a nurse practitioner to prescribe the pill for teens during the most cancer-susceptible time of their lives (before first full term pregnancy)." [2]
WHO scientists said combined hormonal contraceptives (HCs) increase women's risks for cancers of the breast, cervix and liver, and they decrease the risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers.
"More than twice as many American women die every year from the first three cancers than the last two, but some health officials foolishly tell women to take a carcinogen - the pill - to prevent cancer!" said Malec.
WHO scientists said, "Most combined contraceptives are taken orally, but they can also be delivered by injection, transdermal patch or vaginal ring." [1] These drugs are also found in the IUD.
In 2006, reviews in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings and the New England Journal of Medicine implicated combined HCs as a risk factor for breast cancer. [3,4]
Combined HRT and combined HCs contain the same type of drugs, but HCs have a larger dose. Women often use HCs before a first full term pregnancy when most of the breast is composed of cancer-susceptible Type 1 and 2 lobules where 97% of all breast cancers start. [5]
Theoretically, the progestin-only mini pill may cause breast cancer too. In the female body, estrogen peaks in mid-cycle stimulating ovulation and again in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Those who take the progestin-only mini pill are exposing themselves to combined hormones, estrogen and progestin.
Mr. France WHS Principal
"I urge school officials to read Irma and Jose Russo's research concerning estrogen and breast maturity and the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute's analyses of their work," said Malec. [6,7,8]
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.
Click here for References
Contact: Karen Malec Source: Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer Publish Date: May 19, 2009
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Reis resolution moves to defund Planned Parenthood
For several years, Illinoisans have been told about Planned Parenthood clinics counseling young girls on how to avoid reporting sexual abuse by older men and helping their victimizers skate state statutory rape laws. Several years ago, Planned Parenthood counselors throughout Illinois were recorded giving shady advice, and nothing changed.
With this year's $11 billion state budget shortfall, State Rep. David Reis (R-Olney) has introduced HR 417, which urges that Planned Parenthood be cut from this year's deficit budget. Rep. Reis will need the support of Illinoisans concerned about minor girls and vulnerable women to call their state reps, urging a "YES" vote on HR 417 when he tries to get it called for a vote and move towards saving Illinois $25 million in one quick swipe.
As conservatives, we gripe and complain about wasteful government spending, unlimited abortions, promiscuity among our young people and exhorbitant tax dollar hikes. We ask where leadership is among our elected officials. We demand courage and accountability.
Here's a chance to address several of these complaints with a valuable opportunity presented by Rep. Reis. Illinois Review salutes Rep. Reis' vision and courage in introducing this resolution. While it has no teeth, an outpouring of calls in support of HR 417 could be an tangible expression of the growing "We're not gonna take it anymore" movement and could make a difference.
Call your state rep at 217 782 2000, and tell him or her to sign on as a co-sponsor to HR 417 and help Rep. Reis get this passed in the House. Thank Rep. Reis for his effort. This could be the next step towards liberty regained.
Source: IllinoisReview
Publish Date: May 19, 2009
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