NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY
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Abortion protest limits: Chicago says protesters must stay 8 feet from other people outside medical facilities

New law's supporters cite safety; foes cite free-speech concerns



Anti-abortion activists will have to stay at least 8 feet away from people outside medical facilities in Chicago under a measure the City Council approved Wednesday.

The so-called bubble zones will exist within 50 feet of the entrances to all health care centers. Those who venture closer to another person without consent could face a fine of $500.

Before the City Council voted 28-13 in favor, more than 100 people opposing the ordinance circled City Hall's front doors. Many of them held small American flags as they sang "Amazing Grace" and shouted "Praise God."
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Father Sues School District Over Son's Anti-Abortion T-shirt

He wore a T-shirt that only read "Abortion is not healthcare"



A father alleges in a federal lawsuit that his son's rights to free speech and religious expression were violated in September when Crossroads Middle School officials forced him to turn an anti-abortion T-shirt inside-out. William Boyer filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of his son, identified as E.B., against the West Shore School District. He argues the New Cumberland boy's First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when he wore a T-shirt that read "Abortion is not healthcare" to the Fairview Township middle school on Sept. 8 and was forced to turn it inside out.
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French Abortions Rise despite Increase in Contraception: Study



According to a new study by the French National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED), although the number of unplanned pregnancies in France has fallen, the number of abortions in such cases has increased, reports the Monde Actu 24h/24.

Unplanned pregnancies fell from 46% to 33% from 1975 to 2004, ostensibly due to use of contraceptives, according to the study, but the number of abortions of such pregnancies increased from 40% to 60% over the same period.

Over 40% of French women have an abortion at least once in their life.

The study says that women using contraception have a greater desire to control their fertility and thus are more likely to abort a child who is not consistent with their plans. 
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Brain Activity Surge at Point of Death



Now this is interesting.  Activity in the brain surges at the point of death. From the story:

    A study of seven terminally ill patients found identical surges in brain activity moments before death, providing what may be physiological evidence of “out of body” experiences reported by people who survive near-death ordeals.

    Doctors at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates recorded brain activity of people dying from critical illnesses, such as cancer or heart attacks. Moments before death, the patients experienced a burst in brain wave activity, with the spikes occurring at the same time before death and at comparable intensity and duration. Writing in the October issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, the doctors theorize that the brain surges may be tied to widely reported near-death experiences which typically involve spiritual or religious attributes.
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American Pro-Lifers to Greet Spain's Prime Minister at White House
Zapatero seeks to radicalize Spain's abortion law



Spain's Socialist Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, will meet with President Obama at the White House on Tuesday, October 13. Zapatero will be met by Americans in solidarity with Spain's citizens against his attempt to increase abortions.

Zapatero recently proposed a bill to liberalize Spain's abortion law. The bill would allow 16-year-olds to get abortions without parental consent, increase abortion without restrictions to 14 weeks, and change abortion from a crime to a social "right."
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Pelosi Claims She’s Not Aware of Senate Plan to Pass Health Care Through Unrelated House Bill



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she was not aware of a previously reported plan by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to attach a final Senate health care bill to an already-passed House bill in order to push the measure through Congress. Pelosi, in fact, said reporters knew more about the idea apparently than she does.
 
Under the plan, as previously reported by CNSNews.com, Reid would attach a final Senate health reform plan to H.R. 1586, a bill that currently taxes bonuses paid to bailed-out bank executives. If the effort survived a filibuster, Reid would then send it to the House, which could vote on it directly and then send to President Obama, bypassing the conference-negotiating process and the public scrutiny that comes with it. 
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'Bubble zone' near reality in Windy City

'Bubble zone' near reality in Windy City


Prayer in front of an abortion mill in Chicago

A committee of the Chicago City Council has voted in favor of a bubble zone that highly restricts activities of sidewalk counselors at abortion clinics.

THE VOTE

YES (28): Robert Fioretti, 2nd; Pat Dowell, 3rd; Toni Preckwinkle, 4th; Leslie Hairston, 5th; Sandi Jackson, 7th; Michelle Harris, 8th; George Cardenas, 12th; Toni Foulkes, 15th; Joann Thompson, 16th; Howard Brookins, 21st; Ricardo Munoz, 22nd; Sharon Denise Dixon, 24th; Daniel Solis, 25th; Roberto Maldonado, 26th; Walter Burnett, 27th; Isaac Carothers, 29th; Scott Waguespack, 32nd; Richard Mell, 33rd; Rey Colon, 35th; Emma Mitts, 37th; Thomas Allen, 38th; Brendan Reilly, 42nd; Vi Daley, 43rd; Thomas Tunney, 44th; Helen Shiller, 46th; Eugene Schulter, 47th; Joe Moore, 49th; and Bernard Stone, 50th.

NO (13): James Balcer, 11th; Frank Olivo, 13th; Edward Burke, 14th; Lona Lane, 18th; Virginia Rugai, 19th; Willie Cochran, 20th; Michael Zalewski, 23rd; Ariel Reboyras, 30th; Ray Suarez, 31st; John Rice, 36th; Margaret Laurino, 39th; Brian Doherty, 41st; Patrick Levar, 45th.

DID NOT VOTE (9): Manuel Flores, 1st; Freddrenna Lyle, 6th; Anthony Beale, 9th; John Pope, 10th; Latasha Thomas, 17th; Ed Smith, 28th; Carrie Austin, 34th; Patrick O'Connor, 40th; Mary Ann Smith (48th).

It appears the proposals will sail through the Council's meeting next week and then head to Mayor Richard Daley for his signature. Ann Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League tells OneNewsNow about the ordinance.
 
"It would establish a 50-foot bubble zone, and inside that...bubble zone would be an eight-foot zone inside of which we could not approach any client coming to the abortion clinic without that woman's or man's consent," she explains, noting that it is impossible to hand pro-life literature to people from eight feet away.
 
"We were joking that maybe we should fold all of our literature into paper airplane shapes and just wing it at people," she chuckles. "How else are you going to get it to them?"
 
pro-lifer being handcuffedPlanned Parenthood officials complained that they need the law because of threatening behavior from pro-lifers -- an accusation Scheidler takes issue with.
 
"We know that that is not true," she asserts. "We know the Chicago police are more than competent to handle anything that comes up at an abortion clinic." Scheidler points out there has never been a hint of violence during their counseling efforts.
 
If Mayor Daley signs the ordinance into law, Pro-Life Action League plans to file suit.

Before this bad law goes into effect, Mayor Richard Daley has to approve it. We've got to convince the mayor to VETO the Bubble Zone.

We're already having such a big impact with our calls that they've set up an automated system for the public to speak out on the Bubble Zone. Here's the steps to follow:

    1. CALL the mayor's office at 312-744-3300.
    2. PRESS 1 to submit your opinion on the Bubble Zone.
    3. Then PRESS 2 to vote NO on the Bubble Zone.

If already made a call before today's City Council vote, PLEASE CALL AGAIN to convince the Mayor to veto it.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: October 8, 2009
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New Chicago Ordinance Targets 40 Days for Life, Tramples Pro-life Americans' Free Speech Rights

New Chicago Ordinance Targets 40 Days for Life, Tramples Pro-life Americans' Free Speech Rights



"You know a law is an improper intrusion on First Amendment rights when even the American Civil Liberties Union sides with pro-life interests in opposing certain aspects of a legislative action," said David Bereit, national director of 40 Days for Life. "Such is the case with the new bubble zone ordinance, approved Wednesday by Chicago's city council, which unconstitutionally restricts the peaceful activities of pro-life individuals on the sidewalk in front of abortion facilities in an attempt to cripple the ongoing 40 Days for Life prayer vigils."

The new city ordinance could not only block sidewalk counseling and the display of pro-life signs within 50 feet of all entrances to an abortion facility, but it could also prevent any pro-life person from being within eight feet of an abortion customer without getting that person's permission. Anyone found in violation could be fined up to $500.

"This is a serious attack on free speech, and backers specifically cited 40 Days for Life in city council hearings as the reason for this measure," said Bereit. "We are asking anyone who loves free speech to call the office of Mayor Richard Daley and ask the mayor to please veto the bubble zone ordinance before it takes effect." The phone number for the Chicago mayor's office is 312-744-3300.

At the downtown Chicago Planned Parenthood location, for instance, this ordinance could completely block any 40 Days for Life vigil from the public right of way adjacent to the facility, due to sidewalks which make it virtually impossible for prayer vigil participants to be more than eight feet away from abortion customers without stepping into the busy street. Additionally, if someone were praying out loud, it could be interpreted as "education" or "counseling" and thus trigger the provisions of the ordinance.

Bereit said the biggest chilling effect is that "most pro-life Chicagoans will simply not know what they can or can't do without risk of a fine, and will thus be forced to stay far away from the abortion center or not come at all -- the abortion industry's desired effect. The bottom line is that if pro-life Americans don't push back, more situations like this will happen all across the country and our rights will be trampled on more and more by the abortion industry."

Contact: Amber Dolle
Source: 40 Days for Life
Publish Date: October 8, 2009
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Is Capitol Hill ignoring 71% of Americans?

Is Capitol Hill ignoring 71% of Americans?



Operation Rescue is giving Americans a chance to take a personalized stand against tax dollars for abortion in national healthcare reform.

The pro-life group's effort is designed to give people a chance to photograph themselves holding a handwritten sign saying "I Am 71." Troy Newman, who heads Operation Rescue, explains the significance of the number 71.
 
"That is 71 percent of the American people disagree with paying for abortions with taxpayer dollars," says Newman. "So we're part of a tidal wave of American sentiment that believes that the Obama healthcare plans should never, ever include taxpayer-funded abortions."
 
Newman says in the first few days, more than 100 photos were submitted. "And I've got several hundred more e-mails in my box that I've got to post," he adds.
 
"So as long as [President] Obama wants to pay for abortion with taxpayer dollars, we're going to have a hew and outcry on the Internet telling him we are the 71 percent of the people who say absolutely not."
 
The campaign will continue until abortion funding is removed from healthcare reform.
 
Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee has rejected pro-life amendments to its version of healthcare reform. Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee explains what that means.
 
Douglas Johnson (NRLC)"What this basically guarantees is that when the full Senate takes up healthcare legislation, the bill that they start with is going to have in it pro-abortion provisions -- including government subsidies for abortion insurance and other provisions that would expand abortion in this country," he laments. (Click here to listen to the audio report) (MP3)
 
The bill also stands firm in terms of "conscience" penalties -- in other words, healthcare workers who refuse, on the basis of religious beliefs, to perform certain procedures such as abortion could be penalized. Johnson notes the different messages coming from Capitol Hill on the matter.
 
"Despite the soft rhetoric that some Americans have heard coming from President Obama, the actual substantive actions that are being taken by the Democrats on Capitol Hill -- with the backing of the White House -- are very much in the pro-abortion direction," he states.
 
Johnson says the key to defeating the current bills is for the public to contact their elected representatives in the Senate and House en masse.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: October 8, 2009
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White House Continues Push for Health-Care Reform

White House Continues Push for Health-Care Reform
 


'Sadly, there are people out there who are more interested in their agenda than they are with the health care of their neighbors.'

The White House is claiming bipartisan support of health-care reform.  A list of Republicans, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bush administration official Tommy Thompson and others reportedly are turning the tide in favor of the plan.

Don Stewart, communications director for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said the Kentucky Republican doubts the legitimacy of the list.

"Everybody that the White House has cited," he said, "has also said that they don't support the bills that are currently before Congress."

Dr. Gene Rudd, associate executive director of the Christian Medical Association, called it another political ploy.

"Sadly, there are people out there who are more interested in their agenda, than they are with the health care of their neighbors," he said.  "So, they're putting things like abortion funding, abortion mandates and abortion subsidies into these bills."

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president and chairman of the board of the Susan B. Anthony List, said there is a way for the president to get both Republicans and Democrats onboard.

"If the president really does want a bipartisan effort and really does want to pull together a winning coalition for this legislation," she said, "he has got to say, and then mean — that he will have an explicit exclusion of abortion in the health-care plan."

Rep. Bart Stupak, R-Mich., said he has commitments from 40 Democrats in the House who say that unless they get a chance to vote abortion out of the bill, they will vote against it.

Contact: Steve Jordahl
Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: October 7, 2009
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Beware the Drive to Reduce Some Human Beings Into Mere Natural Resources

Beware the Drive to Reduce Some Human Beings Into Mere Natural Resources



Oh-oh: Here they come. For years, organ transplant ethicists and some in the bioethics community have agitated to increase the supply of donated organs.  There is nothing wrong with that in the abstract, of course. Increasing the supply would alleviate much human suffering and is devoutly to be wished.

But therein lurks a great danger.  Increasing supply is a worthy goal only so long as the organs are obtained ethically. But there is a growing chorus among the Medical and Bioethical Intelligentsia to obtain more organs by harvesting living patients. Yes, some of our most influential voices now seek a license to kill for organs.

They don't put it that bluntly, of course. Rather—reflecting the spirit of our times—advocates argue that our definition of death should be changed to allow a great pretense that living patients are actually dead, thus permitting organ procurement.  For example, the internationally prestigious science journal Nature recently editorialized for the liberalization of the rules governing the declaration of brain death in order to obtain more organs.

Currently, brain death requires the irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain and each of its constituent parts. Nature's editorial claimed—without proof—that doctors obey "the spirit but not the letter, of this law. And many are feeling uncomfortable about it."

As well they should.  But the proper answer to unethical practice isn't to accommodate wrong behavior by redefining it as right.  Rather, it is to work to bring actual methods back into proper alignment with legal and ethical practice.

Instead, Nature descends into rank relativism, arguing that "the legal details of declaring death in someone who will never again be the person he or she was should be weighed against the value of giving a full and healthy life to someone who will die without transplant." In other words, some of us are more valuable than others of us, and those deemed inferior can be used as if they were mere natural resources.

In that seductive prescription is the end of human equality and universal rights. Lest you think I exaggerate, a 2004 article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics seriously proposed that patients diagnosed to be in a persistent vegetative state—like Terri Schiavo—have their kidneys harvested for use in transplantation, and then replaced by pig organs to test whether animal to human transplantation (xenotransplantation) could be performed safely.  "If it can be agreed upon that PVS bodies can be regarded as dead," Ghent University (Belgium) philosopher An Ravelingien wrote, "then experimenting on them is legitimate under the same conditions as experimenting on cadavers."

We are not—yet—at the point that society will permit open harvesting and experimentation on cognitively devastated people.  But that doesn't mean we won't get there.

The slippery slope undermining human exceptionalism—the intrinsic value of human life simply and merely because it is human—is already slip-sliding away. Popular majorities support using nascent human life as corn crops in embryonic stem cell research, if the embryos were "leftovers" and going to be thrown out anyway. But scientists have already moved beyond that early limitation. Many are now actively researching human cloning toward the end of manufacturing embryos for use and destruction in research.

And it won't stop there if current trends continue. We already see early advocacy for "fetal farming," that is, gestating fetuses for use in organ transplantation and medical experimentation. Thus bioethicist Jacob Appel urged in the Huffington Post [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-m-appel/are-we-ready-for-a-market_b_175900.html] that women who intend to abort should be paid to carry their babies into the later stages of pregnancy so that the aborted fetuses can be harvested.  He even suggests that fetuses be created solely for this purpose:

Someday, if we are fortunate, scientific research may make possible farms of artificial "wombs" breeding fetuses for their organs -- or even the "miracle" of men raising fetuses in their abdomens. That day remains far off. However, the prospect of fetal-adult organ transplantation is a much more realistic near-term possibility. A market in such organs might benefit both society and the women who choose to take advantage of it.

It would be a terrible mistake to say, "It can't happen here." For as the late theologian Fr. Richard John Neuhaus once wrote, "Thousands of medical ethicists and bioethicists, as they are called, professionally guide the unthinkable on its passage through the debatable on its way to becoming the justifiable, until it is finally established as the unexceptionable."

That process is steaming full speed ahead in the related fields of organ transplantation and biotechnology.  The only way to stop this dehumanizing agenda is to take notice and push back before it is too late.  Some things should ever and always be unthinkable.

Contact: Wesley J. Smith
Source: CNSNews.com / Discovery Institute
Publish Date: October 7, 2009
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White House Press Secretary's Remarks Show White House Still Engaged in Smuggling Operation for Government Funding of Abortion

White House Press Secretary's Remarks Show White House Still Engaged in Smuggling Operation for Government Funding of Abortion



A spokesman for the nation's major pro-life organization said that remarks by the White House press secretary on October 7, "once again demonstrated that the White House is a partner in an ongoing smuggling operation, which if successful will result in funding of abortion on demand by the federal government."

The following exchange occurred during the October 7, 2009, daily press briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

QUESTION [by CNS News reporter Fred Lucas]: It's a question on health care, actually; two questions. First, in a letter to senators last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said that, quoting, "So far the health reform bills considered in the committee, including the new Senate Finance Committee bill, have not met the President's challenge of barring the use of federal dollars for abortion."  Is that statement wrong?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, I don't want to get me in trouble at church, but I would mention there's a law that precludes the use of federal funds for abortion that isn't going to be changed in these health care bills.

Q: There have been, though, several amendments that would explicitly bar abortions, that would therefore reject it, some of those amendments by Democrats --

MR. GIBBS: Again, there's a fairly well documented federal law that prevents it.

In his answers, Gibbs in essence repeated a discredited claim made by President Obama himself on August 20, when the President said:  "There are no plans under health reform to revoke the existing prohibition on using federal taxpayer dollars for abortions.  Nobody is talking about changing that existing provision, the Hyde Amendment.  Let's be clear about that.  It's just not true."

More recently, Obama said in a September 9 speech to both houses of Congress that "under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions."  On September 13, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News asked Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, "So you're saying it will go beyond what we have seen so far in the House and explicitly rule out any public funding for abortion?," and received from Sebelius this answer:  "Well that's exactly what the President said and I think that's what he intends that the bill he signs will do."

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the national federation of right-to-life affiliates, said:  "Gibbs' statement is one more proof, if any more were needed, that the White House is actively engaged in a political smuggling operation -- an attempt to achieve funding of elective abortion by the federal government, cloaked in smokescreens of contrived language and outright deception. There is no current federal law that would prevent the new programs created by the pending health care bills from paying for abortion on demand -- and the White House knows this full well.  Only language written directly into the bills would prevent government funding of abortions -- but such language has been blocked by the Democratic chairmen of five congressional committees, with White House cooperation, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is refusing to allow the House to even vote on adding a true Hyde Amendment to the health care bill."

"The motivation for the ongoing White House deception is found in three recent national polls that show strong public opposition to government-funded abortion," Johnson added.

The October 7 reporter's question, and the quoted statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, clearly pertained to the health care bills currently under consideration in Congress.  The pending bills each contain one or both of the following components:  (1) a nationwide government-run insurance program, "the public plan," and (2) programs that would subsidize health insurance for tens of millions of Americans.

None of the funds that would be spent by the public plan, and none of the funds that would be spent by the premium subsidy programs, would be appropriated through the annual appropriations bills.  This has been confirmed in memoranda issued by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.  This means that none of these funds will be covered by the Hyde Amendment, because the Hyde Amendment applies only to funds appropriated through the annual Health and Human Services appropriations bill.

Under the House bill (H.R. 3200), as amended by the Capps-Waxman Amendment, the public plan would be explicitly authorized to cover elective abortions.  The public plan would be a program within the Department of Health and Human Services.  As a federal agency, the public plan could not possibly pay for abortions with anything other than federal funds, as documented in this memorandum.

In 2007, Barack Obama stood on stage alongside the president of the nation's largest abortion provider, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), and promised that his health reform legislation and his public plan would cover abortion.  (This assertion was recently reviewed by PolitiFact.com and rated "true," here.  You can watch a short video clip of Obama making the promises here.)

"When senior congressional Democrats suggest that the public plan would pay for abortions with 'private funds,' they are engaged in a deception, a political hoax," Johnson said.  "The public plan would be a program operated by a federal agency, which by law can spend only federal funds. The public plan would be engaged in direct funding of elective abortion.  The Hyde Amendment would not apply to this program, and the Capps Amendment explicitly authorizes the federal agency to pay for the elective abortions, using funds drawn on a U.S. Treasury account."

Aside from the public plan, under which the government would directly fund elective abortion, both the House bill (H.R. 3200) and the two Senate bills (S. 1679 and the Senate Finance Committee bill crafted by Senator Max Baucus) would use federal funds to pay part of the cost of the premiums of private health plans that cover elective abortions.  This would be a sharp departure from current federal policy.  Current federal laws prevent both direct funding of abortion, and subsidies for health plans that cover abortions (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest).  The Hyde Amendment, for example, prohibits the use of state Medicaid matching funds for elective abortion (even in states that choose to set up their own separate abortion-funding programs).  But the Hyde Amendment and other current laws would not apply to the new premium subsidy programs, because they would not be funded through the appropriations bills to which the current restrictions are attached.

NRLC has issued a detailed memorandum that explains how the proposed public plan and the proposed premium subsidy programs would be funded, and why the Hyde Amendment would not apply to the proposed new programs.  Another NRLC memorandum explains why all of the funds that would be spent by the public plan, and all of the funds that would be used to subsidize health plans under the premium subsidy programs, are in reality and in law "federal funds."  To document key points, both memoranda link to documents issued by the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office.

Source: NRLC
Publish Date: October 8, 2009
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Relativism in Europe has Created Demographic Crisis: European Bishops

Relativism in Europe has Created Demographic Crisis: European Bishops



Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet empire, the people of Europe have been using their hard-won freedom to indulge in relativism and materialism, said the European bishops in a recent statement. According to the bishops, this materialism has led Europeans to avoid having children which has created a looming demographic crisis

The Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe, (CCEE) holding their plenary assembly last week, wrote, "The development of the European Union has gone hand in hand with a growth in consumption, at least for some people."

"The mere constant acquisition of goods will never fill people's hearts ... The rules of the market and competition will never give birth to the ideal. "

In the drive to "exercise individual choice and to seek personal fulfilment," the bishops said, societies risk falling into violence.

"A society in which each individual, each group, each nation defends only their own vested interests cannot but be the jungle. Without justice, without sharing, without solidarity, social life sinks into violence. We should not be surprised then if mafia and terrorist organizations thrive against this background."

They warned against the risk of "relativism" and particularly "ethical relativism" in which "each person sets their own norms and claims their own rights."

Without specifying the rampant use in Europe of artificial contraceptives or the continent's sky-high abortion rates, the bishops warned that this relativism has led to a society in crisis in which "low birth rates and the future of its demography do not lead to optimism."

"To promote the common good and respect for the environment, men and women are prepared to make sacrifices to be shared by others. The defence of life, from conception to natural death, is not a lost cause."

At the same time, the bishops deplored the lack of public interest in the "European project" of unifying the independent nations of Europe under one European Union government based in Brussels.

"Twenty years later, we now see that the incredible European project, with a strong ethical basis, has greatly weakened. The very poor turnout in the latest European Parliamentary elections was a tell-tale sign. The hopes placed on building Europe have not so far been fulfilled," the statement said.

This "European project" has been roundly denounced by many in Europe as a means of created a gigantic pan-European superstate that will supersede national laws, particularly threatening the laws in some countries protecting the unborn and the natural family.

Democracy supporters and pro-life advocates continue to warn that the magnum opus of the "European project," the Lisbon Treaty, will allow the European Court of Justice to overturn the pro-life and pro-family laws of countries like Malta, Ireland and Poland, based on the European Charter of Fundamental Human Rights.

The CCEE statement, signed by the president of the Irish bishops' conference, Seán Cardinal Brady, concludes that the solution to the problems in Europe is the full participation in the European project. The bishops wrote, "Building Europe is truly an enterprise worth the effort. Everyone can find their own place, everyone is welcome. More than ever the road opens before us. It is not a time to slow down or to sit on the sidelines."

Contact: Hilary White
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: October 8, 2009
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NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY
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Populous China With Infertility Problems, Made Worse By Abortion And One-Child Policy



At least 40 million couples in mainland China have difficulties in having children or are actually infertile. This puts the infertility rate at 12.5 per cent for all couples in childbearing age. As a result of China's "one-child policy", the most populous country in the world could soon experience labour shortages and a rapidly aging population. The 2009 Investigative Report on the Current State of Infertility in China, which was released at the China International Summit Forum on Infertility in August, found a significant decline in the average sperm count of men on the mainland, from about 100 million sperm per millilitre of semen 40 years ago to about 20 million to 40 million in recent years.
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Spanish pro-lifers organizing march against new abortion bill



The Spanish Parliament is set to debate a new law on abortion that would allow mothers to end the life of their unborn children through the first trimester. In response, pro-life organizations across the country are collecting signatures and organizing a march on October 17.

Currently, Spanish law permits abortion in cases of rape, fetal abnormalities, and in cases that would compromise the health of the mother. This new law would allow abortion on demand for the first trimester. Pro-life groups expect that if the Socialist Spanish government's "new law on abortion" is passed that it will dramatically increase the number of abortions.
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McGill Pro-Life Presentation Shut Down by Protesters - Two Arrested



A controversial pro-life presentation hosted by McGill University's pro-life club Choose Life was chanted down by protesters last night.  Police were called to the scene and, after repeated requests for civility, two were arrested.

The talk, entitled 'Echoes of the Holocaust' was given by Jose Ruba of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform.  The talk draws a parallel between past atrocities, such as the Holocaust, and abortion.

Prior to the event, the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) passed a motion by a vote of 25-2-2 to censure the event and 'demand' that the university administration intervene to cancel it.  The society, further, resolved that if Choose Life chose to continue with the event, the group would be ineligible for funding for the remainder of its existence.  Click here to view video footage.
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Planned Parenthood Conducts Clinical Trials on Underage Girls

Planned Parenthood Conducts Clinical Trials on Underage Girls



American Life League released a recent survey that reveals that at least 10 Planned Parenthood clinical trials have been conducted on underage girls as young as 13.

Twenty-eight Planned Parenthood affiliates have been involved in 33 clinical trials – some government funded – 10 of which involved young girls. Two of the 33 total trials ended in the 1990s, the remaining 31 were conducted in the last seven years, and many are still ongoing.

Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League, conducted the review.

Two of the trials in which girls as young as 14 participated dealt with getting the girls to take birth control consistently by sending them text message reminders.

"In most states, minor girls involved in sexual activity is considered sex abuse and is illegal," Sedlak said.

Other Planned Parenthood clinical trials involve African-American girls as young as 13 and trials to increase the use of "emergency contraception" (the morning after pill regimen) among girls as young as 14.

The nation's largest abortion business is also involved in trials on medical abortion techniques, birth control techniques, pain reduction during abortion, sterilization, and IUD insertion, and a trial assessing the safety and efficacy of a new "emergency contraceptive" known as Ella.

Before closing in June 2009, Planned Parenthood of El Paso was involved in clinical trials on Hispanic men and women with HIV.  Planned Parenthood of New York City is also involved in trials regarding delivery of HIV health services.

Planned Parenthood affiliates conducting clinical trials on minors include Planned Parenthood of Georgia, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Planned Parenthood of Maryland, Planned Parenthood of Shasta-Diablo, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, Virginia League of Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood of New York City, and Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas.    Other Planned Parenthood affiliates involved in the trials are listed in the review.

"As Planned Parenthood continues to spread its tentacles throughout our country's health care establishment, it is imperative that it be met with resistance at every turn," Sedlak said.  "We encourage everyone who lives in the area serviced by the Planned Parenthood affiliates mentioned in this report to launch educational campaigns against this organization."

Click here for the full review.

Contact: Katie Walker
Source: American Life League
Publish Date: October 6, 2009
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Seizures and Brain Damage Follow HPV Vaccine Injection for Girl

Seizures and Brain Damage Follow HPV Vaccine Injection for Girl



An 18 year-old U.K. girl has suffered severe brain damage from seizures that began after receiving the vaccination Cervarix.

Stacey Jones, 18, of Bilston in the West Midlands of England, began to have seizures days after receiving the first injection.  The fits eventually caused such severe brain injury that she had to be admitted to a rehabilitation unit to relearn simple tasks.

Stacey's mother, Julie Jones, believes that the vaccine Cervarix is unsafe and caused the swelling in the brain that has been diagnosed as the cause of Stacy's neurological problems.

Cervarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), vaccinates patients against human papillomavirus (HPV) strains 16 and 18, which is sexually transmitted.  It is meant to protect against the later onset of cervical cancer, which is caused by these two strains in approximately 70% of cases.

Cervarix also contains the adjuvant AS04, which is designed to stimulate the body's immune system to create more antibodies.

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) began vaccinating girls aged 12 and 13 with Cervarix last year; more than 1.4 million vaccinations have been given thus far.  The government of the UK claims that widespread vaccination with Cervarix will save 400 lives a year.  The drug is recommended by the Department of Health, but it is not compulsory.

There have been more than 4,600 reported adverse reactions to the vaccine in the UK.  In addition to seizures, other reported adverse effects include paralysis, nausea, blackouts, shivering, headaches, muscle weakness, dizziness, fainting, blurred vision, and soreness.  It has not yet been approved by the FDA for use in the US.

Cervarix has previously been accused of causing the paralysis from the waist down of a 13 year-old girl, Ashleigh Cave, who collapsed 30 minutes after being given the injection at school.  The girl's mother, Cheryl Cave, is planning legal action against the vaccine's producer, GlaxoSmithKline.

A 14-year-old also recently died shortly after receiving this vaccination, although many claim that she likely died because of a pre-existing condition. GSK recalled the batch with which she was injected as a precautionary measure.

Dr. Diane Harper, who helped develop the drug, has claimed in an interview with the Sunday Express that the drug is being "over marketed" and that there could be serious side effects.  The risks of taking the vaccination, according to her, could be worse than the risk of developing the cancer the vaccine helps prevent.  She also claimed that the drug would do nothing to lower rates of cervical cancer.

Last year GlaxoSmithkline (GSK) won a contract with the UK to distribute the vaccine.  GSK had been competing with Sanofi-Pasteeur MSD, which was marketing the rival vaccine Gardasil, developed by Merck. The government saved approximately £18.6m by deciding to use Cervarix rather than Gardasil.   Although Gardasil is used more widely than Cervarix, it has been linked to numerous serious reactions in the US, including death, spontaneous abortion, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Religious organizations and parents have also criticized the distribution of Cervarix on the grounds that it will increase promiscuity and that the best cure for HPV is simply to practice premarital abstinence.

Contact: James Tillman
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: October 6, 2009
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Un-natural Selection: Birth Control Pills May Alter Choice of Partners

Un-natural Selection: Birth Control Pills May Alter Choice of Partners

 

Is it possible that the use of oral contraceptives is interfering with a woman's ability to choose, compete for and retain her preferred mate? A new paper published by Cell Press in the October issue of the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution reviews emerging evidence suggesting that contraceptive methods which alter a woman's natural hormonal cycles may have an underappreciated impact on choice of partners for both women and men and, possibly, reproductive success.

Human females are only fertile for a brief period during their menstrual cycle, just prior to ovulation. Many scientific studies have established that partner preferences of both women and men vary significantly according to predictable hormonal fluctuations associated with the natural menstrual cycle. According to these studies ovulation is associated with a profound shift in some female physical characteristics, behaviors and perceptions related to mate attraction.

Studies suggest that ovulating women exhibit a preference for more masculine male features, are particularly attracted to men showing dominance and male-male competitiveness and prefer partners that are genetically dissimilar to themselves. This is significant because there is evidence suggesting that genetic similarity between couples might be linked with infertility. Further, some studies have suggested that men detect women's fertility status, preferring ovulating women in situations where they can compare the attractiveness of different women.

The oral contraceptive pill alters the hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle and essentially mimics the more steady hormonal conditions associated with pregnancy. "Although mate choice studies in humans have routinely recorded pill use during the last decade to control for its confounding effects, little effort has been invested in understanding the consequences of such effects of the pill," says study author Dr. Alexandra Alvergne from the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield.

Dr. Alverne and colleague Dr. Virpi Lumma reviewed and discussed new research supporting the conclusion that use of the pill by women disrupted their variation in mate preferences across their menstrual cycle. The authors also speculate that the use of oral contraceptives may influence a woman's ability to attract a mate by reducing attractiveness to men, thereby disrupting her ability to compete with normally cycling women for access to mate.

Of particular interest is the fact that women taking the pill do not exhibit the ovulation-specific attraction to genetically dissimilar partners. "The ultimate outstanding evolutionary question concerns whether the use of oral contraceptives when making mating decisions can have long-term consequences on the ability of couples to reproduce," suggests Dr. Lummaa.

Taken together, an increasing number of studies seem to suggest that the pill is likely to have an impact on human mating decisions and subsequent reproduction. "If this is the case, pill use will have implications for both current and future generations, and we hope that our review will stimulate further research on this question," concludes Dr. Lummaa.

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: October 7, 2009
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Hospital Counselor Leaves Abortion Unit during 40 Days for Life

Hospital Counselor Leaves Abortion Unit during 40 Days for Life

  

Most 40 Days for Life prayer vigils are conducted outside abortion facilities that are either in stand-alone buildings or in medical office parks.

There are, of course, some exceptions.

One of those exceptions is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where abortions are performed in a hospital. So it's hard to know who among the many hundreds of women entering the hospital are there for an abortion, and good news about lives changed through prayer is hard to come by.

Still, local coordinator Julie Culshaw has always been convinced that prayer works. Vigil participants were asked to pray for specific people in the hospital, including a woman who worked part-time as a counselor in the abortion unit. Julie just learned that this woman has given up that position and has asked for a transfer to another ward.

"She said she 'felt such darkness' when she had to work in the Pregnancy Termination Unit, as it is called," Julie said. "Praise God; this is an answer to prayer!"

At another 40 Days for Life vigil location -- this one will have to remain anonymous, for reasons you will see -- a local business had been helping the campaign. The business owners serve as agents for a prominent national company.

"Abortion advocates have continually harassed the local agents and pressured the national corporation to mandate that they disassociate from our 40 Days for Life campaign," said the local 40 Days for Life coordinator. "I cannot in good conscience ask them to place their livelihood as risk."

It's really too bad. 40 Days for Life had been good for this company's business. Still, the local campaign coordinator is optimistic. "My heart rejoices that we were honored with this level of persecution and the opportunity to persevere and witness to God's truth and pray for His glory to be revealed in the strength and sustenance He provides for us to continue onward."

Sometimes, the truth is revealed in other ways.

It isn't often that anyone from Planned Parenthood agrees to publicly debate abortion; but in Lubbock, Texas, a Planned Parenthood representative agreed to take part in a discussion organized by a group of pro-life medical students at Texas Tech.

But once a notice of the event was published in the newspaper, the Planned Parenthood spokesperson backed out, reportedly saying he would be unable to participate in anything related to 40 Days for Life.

"The question is," asked Dan in Lubbock, "if abortion is such a good thing, in their view, why isn't it robustly defensible 24/7?"

The answer is simple: They cannot argue the facts. There is no defense for abortion ...

... And that's something even children understand.

It was a dark, rainy day in Richmond, Virginia. Becca was headed to the abortion facility to pray at the 40 Days for Life vigil with her 3-year-old daughter, Anna. "As we drove to the clinic," she said, "I explained to her why we were going, what we would be doing there, and who we would be praying for."

While they were standing in the rain, Becca took Anna's picture. It's the only time Becca can ever recall that Anna didn't smile for a picture.

Anna is only 3 years old, but she understands. Please continue to pray that all may see, with a child's eyes, the darkness that must be overcome.

Contact: Dave Bereit
Source: 40DaysforLife.com
Publish Date: October 7, 2009
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Doctors who Allowed Suicidal Woman to Die Acted Lawfully: Coroner's Inquest

Doctors who Allowed Suicidal Woman to Die Acted Lawfully: Coroner's Inquest



Doctors who allowed a young British woman to die in hospital after she swallowed poison and declared her intention to commit suicide acted lawfully, according to the findings of an inquest this week. Under the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the coroner's inquest ruled that doctors had no choice but to allow the woman to die after she had written a letter saying she did not want to be saved.

The Mental Capacity Act, passed by Tony Blair's Labour government, created "advance directives," or "living wills," which were ostensibly meant to allow terminally ill patients to decline treatment which could prolong their lives. According to that Act, doctors who violate such a document can be charged with criminal assault for treating patients against their wishes.

In October 2008, Kerrie Wooltorton, 26, swallowed anti-freeze and, after arriving at a Norwich hospital emergency ward, presented a suicide note asking doctors not to save her life. The doctors followed her request, claiming that her wishes were legally binding under the provisions of the Act.

Pro-life advocates in Britain have long warned that the Mental Capacity Act is an open door to legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide. SPUC Pro-Life, a leading anti-euthanasia group, has said that the case is clearly one of doctors assisting in a suicide, which remains a criminal offense. SPUC has argued that the case should be prosecuted as such "to highlight the perverse state of the law."

Anthony Ozimic, spokesman for SPUC Pro-Life, said, "It appears from press reports that doctors either did not have regard for the concerns of Miss Wooltorton's relatives, or that they ignored their wishes.

"The coroner's verdict in this case is disgraceful. It sends out the message that if you are depressed and attempt suicide, doctors need not treat you. Depressed people are being officially treated as worthless. It is clear that Miss Wooltorton's relatives regarded her as having committed suicide while suffering from depression."

Wooltorton, who was reportedly depressed about not being able to have children and had attempted suicide nine previous times, arrived at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital fully conscious and stated that she was "100 per cent aware of the consequences" of her actions. Wooltorton had called an ambulance, but claimed it was because she did not want to die "alone and in pain." After consulting legal advice, the attending physician decided to allow her to die.

Wooltorton's family has urged Parliament to revisit the Mental Capacity Act that Health Secretary Andy Burnham has said was never meant to be used in this way. Her father said, "I am ashamed to be English with the way the law stands. It is plain daft. Hospitals should not be allowed to let people die like this."

The Daily Telegraph quoted Dr. Vivienne Nathanson, Head of Ethics and Science at the British Medical Association, who confirmed the decision, saying that doctors must follow the patient's wishes when they are competent to make decisions for themselves.

She said, "The main issue for doctors in these cases is to determine a patient's mental capacity in deciding whether or not they want treatment to save their life."

She praised the Mental Capacity Act for having "clarified matters," saying it "establishes the legal framework for such decisions."

"However hard doctors find this issue, their ultimate aim is to act in the best interests of their patients, normally this means following competent patients' wishes."

The Wooltorton decision comes shortly after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) issued guidelines that said that while the law prohibiting assisting suicide is not being overturned, people who help their relatives commit suicide will not be prosecuted as long as they do so without a view to personal gain.

George Pitcher, Religion Editor of Telegraph Media and an Anglican minister said that while the DPP guidelines are not directly related to the Woolterton case, they are part of a "new climate of creeping 'suicide rights' and stealth-euthanasia" in Britain.

He added that the state of the law that allowed Woolterton to die, is "where euthanasia's enthusiasts - from Dignity in Dying to the manipulative Lord Falconer and the malleable DPP - have brought us."

Contact: Hilary White
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: October 6, 2009
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Woman births child wrongly implanted

Woman births child wrongly implanted



An Ohio woman has given birth to a baby boy whom she carried to term after learning a fertility clinic had mistakenly implanted her with another couple's embryo.

Carolyn Savage, 40, of Sylvania, Ohio, delivered a 5-pound, 3-ounce boy at a Toledo hospital after choosing not to abort him though she learned he was not her son 10 days after embryo implantation.

The boy's genetic parents are Paul and Shannon Morell of Troy, Mich., who learned a day after Savage and her husband Sean about the embryo mix-up by an undisclosed clinic. They were concerned their unborn child would be aborted after they learned of the mistake, but the Savages said they never considered aborting the baby or seeking custody, according to the Associated Press.

"We will be eternally grateful for his guardian angel, Carolyn Savage, and the support of the entire Savage family," the Morells said in a statement after the Sept. 24 birth, AP reported.

"There's no way we could possibly repay them," Shannon Morell said, according to ABC News.

In their own statement, the Savages offered "heartfelt congratulations to the Morell family on the birth of their son."

A week before the birth, Carolyn Savage said, as reported by ABC, "We're trying to look at it as a gift for another family that eight months ago we didn't know."

The mothers have gone to doctors' appointments together and intend to stay in touch, according to ABC.

The Morells have 2-year-old twin girls conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The Savages have sons 15 and 12 years of age as well as a 1-year-old daughter. Their little girl was conceived through IVF. Because of previous complications, Carolyn Savage was told this pregnancy with what was to be her fourth child would need to be her last.

The Savages have an agreement with a surrogate mother to carry and give birth to a remaining embryo conceived by IVF, ABC reported.

A pro-life bioethicist said the story demonstrates the need for oversight of fertility clinics.

"This is an entirely unregulated industry, a business," wrote David Prentice, senior fellow for life sciences at the Family Research Council. "Maybe it's about time we took a harder look at the whole idea of cavalierly creating life in the lab."

Contact: Tom Strode
Source: BP
Publish Date: October 6, 2009
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NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY
(Referral to Web sites not produced by The Illinois Federation for Right to LIfe is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.)

Citizens call for elevated charges against abortionist

Business owner to face trial on 2 counts this week



A minister in Pompano Beach, Fla., has scheduled a news conference to call on prosecutors in Miami-Dade County to elevate the charges against Belkis Gonzalez, the owner of the Hialeah abortion business where a child named Shanice died in 2006.

Rev. O'Neal Dozier of the Worldwide Christian Center Church told WND he will ask prosecutor Katherine Rundel to raise the stakes in the prosecution, changing the counts from "tampering with physical evidence" and "failure to hold a medical license" to "murder, which is indeed the proper charge."

Gonzalez is scheduled to go to trial Friday for minor felony counts related to the death of Shanice Osbourne. Dozier's news conference is scheduled today.
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Planned Parenthood Rally Backs Sex-Ed Funding



A small group of demonstrators gathered in front of the Historic Chester County Courthouse (WEST CHESTER, PA) on Thursday afternoon to show support for comprehensive sex education. The demonstrators, who were affiliated with Planned Parenthood, said more funding needs to be made available for school sex education programs. And they said abstinence-only programs need to go. "Students need medically accurate, age-appropriate information, including information about condoms and birth control," said Joy Migala, a Planned Parenthood employee.
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Girl Scouts to Recognize Pro-Abort Community Leaders at 15th Annual Santa Barbara Women of Distinction Reception



Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast has announced three Santa Barbara area women as recipients of the 15th Annual Women of Distinction Award for having compassionately demonstrated extraordinary community altruism and leadership in their chosen fields. Carol Palladini, Founding Chair, Women's Fund of Santa Barbara. Ms. Palladini currently serves on the Oversight Committee of the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara--an organization which has given over $2 million since 2004 to programs that help educate, house, heal, and support women and families. Ms. Palladini has also been a Board member of the local Planned Parenthood affiliate and was its 2005 Volunteer of the Year. She served with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) as an advocate for foster children and Board President.
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YWCA Accused of Coercing Topeka Inmate to Have Abortion



A Topeka Capital-Journal report uncovered a web of illegal activity within the Topeka Correctional Facility that ended with inmate Tracy Keith receiving an abortion. Keith said that after a prison instructor raped her, she struggled with the decision of whether to have an abortion or choose adoption. However, after receiving counseling from the YWCA's Battered Women's Task Force, she chose to have an abortion. The pro-life community was critical of the counseling arrangements and with the result.
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N.J Governor Wants U.S. Taxpayer Funding for Planned Parenthood



New Jersey applied this week for the federal government's permission to offer free family planning services to about 70,000 residents who do not have medical insurance but do not qualify for subsidized care. At a Planned Parenthood office on Tuesday, Gov. Jon Corzine touted the step as a key to fill in a "health-coverage" gap. "This is another major incremental step to making sure everyone has access to health care,'' he said. He made the announcement with four weeks to go in his re-election bid. Both the Democratic incumbent and his Republican opponent, Chris Christie, are aggressively courting the votes of women. Corzine supports abortion rights; Christie does not. In left-leaning New Jersey, that's a contrast that Corzine likes to bring up.
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Did Planned Parenthood soak taxpayers?



Planned ParenthoodThe American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) is appealing a decision related to alleged fraud by Planned Parenthood affiliates in California.

ACLJ attorneys are representing a whistleblower in the case, a former financial officer of Planned Parenthood. No action was taken so a private lawsuit was filed. ACLJ's Jay Sekulow explains the rationale behind his client's suit.
 
"A private claim is authorized under federal law precisely because politically powerful groups like Planned Parenthood are often not prosecuted, not brought to any kind of civil justice for their overbilling practices," he states.
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ACTION ALERT: The Chicago "Bubble Zone" Ordinance

  ACTION ALERT 

The Chicago "Bubble Zone" Ordinance

Chicago abortionists -- led by Planned Parenthood -- are pushing the Chicago City Council to adopt a new "bubble zone" ordinance, which would prohibit pro-lifers from coming within eight feet of any person approaching an abortion clinic.

The bubble zone would make sidewalk counseling nearly impossible within the city limits! Such a chilling attack on free speech could even halt the 40 Days for Life campaign going on right now!

The proposed ordinance was passed by the Human Relations committee last week, and could be voted on by the City Council as early as this Wednesday.

Please ACT NOW to stop the Chicago Bubble Zone and protect free speech.

Call Mayor Daley's Office TODAY at 312-744-3300
Tell them you oppose this unconstitutional restriction on your freedom of speech.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal on Case Censoring "Choose Life" License Plates

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal on Case Censoring "Choose Life" License Plates



The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal in Choose Life Illinois v. White, upholding a Seventh Circuit ruling that the Illinois system for approving specialty plates was not discriminatory.

The case was filed in 2004 after citizens had collected more than the requisite number of signatures, but were denied a "Choose Life" license plate.  In 2007, a Northern Illinois District Court judge ordered Secretary of State Jesse White to distribute the plates.  The Illinois Attorney General's office brought the matter to an appeals court, where the ruling was overturned.

"Ever-increasing numbers of pro-life Americans want to proudly display the 'Choose Life' message on their vehicles - as evidenced by the fact that 22 states now offer such plates," commented Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO of Americans United for Life.

"Illinois is unfairly censoring the freedom of speech of its citizens by not allowing them to obtain a plate with a life-affirming message."

Mailee Smith, AUL Staff Counsel, noted, "Pro-life citizens in Illinois followed the rules in applying for a 'Choose Life' license plate, but were prohibited from obtaining the plate because the Illinois Secretary of State did not like its pro-life message.  As the last defense for constitutional rights, the U.S. Supreme Court should have stepped in to correct the State's clearly unconstitutional action."

As in other states, the proceeds from the proposed "Choose Life" license plates would have gone to organizations such as pregnancy care centers that provide adoption counseling and referrals.

Americans United for Life filed a brief in the Seventh Circuit on behalf of a large coalition of Illinois pregnancy care centers.  However, AUL says the court refused to accept the brief.  The Alliance Defense Fund and the Thomas More Society also intervened in the case.

The battle for the popular plates have reached the courts in several states, in most cases leading to victory for their pro-life backers.

On Oct. 7 of last year, the Supreme Court declined to hear a similar "Choose Life" license plate case in Arizona - however, in that case, the refusal left in place a ruling favoring the license plates. A 2006 refusal also left New York's "Choose Life" license plates legal.

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: October 5, 2009
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Health care legislation still ‘deeply flawed’ on pro-life concerns, U.S. bishops’ officials say

Health care legislation still 'deeply flawed' on pro-life concerns, U.S. bishops' officials say


Kathy Saile / Richard Doerflinger

Officials with the U.S. bishops' conference said that proposed health care reform legislation remains "deeply flawed" on pro-life issues, though they praised the bill for making health care more affordable to at-risk families.

The Senate Finance Committee rejected pro-life amendments proposed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), which the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had supported.

One proposal would have forbidden federal subsidies for benefits packages that cover abortions, with rare exceptions. Insurers could have offered supplemental abortion policies if they were funded solely by private premiums of those choosing to purchase them.

Another amendment proposed by Sen. Hatch would have forbidden federal agencies and state and local governments receiving federal funds under this bill to discriminate against health care providers that decline to perform, refer for, or pay for abortions.

"The bill remains deeply flawed on these issues and must be corrected," Richard Doerflinger, Associate Director of the USCCB's Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said in a statement.

He said it was "especially disheartening" that the committee did not support "longstanding conscience language" on abortion that has been accepted as part of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's health care reform bill.

In a recent letter to the Senate, the USCCB said that the various health care reform bills have not met President Barack Obama's pledges to bar federal dollars from paying for abortions and to maintain current conscience laws.

Kathy Saile, USCCB Director of Domestic Social Development, said the bill took steps towards making health care more affordable, but explained that many families are still vulnerable to high health care costs.

"As Congress continues to debate health care reform, it should take further steps to help at-risk poor and low-income families and implement access as soon as possible," Saile commented, suggesting that access to programs like Medicaid should be expanded as soon as possible.

The Senate Finance Committee also defeated amendments which would have placed additional restrictions on health care access for legal immigrants and their families.

"Legal immigrants, who work hard and pay taxes, should be treated equally with U.S. citizens," stated Kevin Appleby, Director of Migration Policy and Public Affairs for the USCCB. Appleby said it was "counterproductive" for the public health system to leave immigrants outside the system and thereby making them dependent upon emergency care and unable to access preventive treatment.

"The U.S. bishops will continue to push for affordability grants to legal immigrants and their families and a removal of the five-year waiting period for legal immigrants to access Medicaid," he added.

Source: CNA
Publish Date: October 6, 2009
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Pro-Abortion EU Assembly Report Delayed Due to Public Opposition

Pro-Abortion EU Assembly Report Delayed Due to Public Opposition

"Keep lobbying" says pro-life leader

  

A debate in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on a pro-abortion document scheduled for Friday has been postponed after lobbying by pro-life people all over Europe. The proposed resolution, "Fifteen Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (Document 11992)," was not called to a vote on October 2 as planned, due to lack of support by the public and Assembly members.

The European Centre for Law Justice (ECLJ) said, "Mrs McCafferty, Rapporteur of a pro-abortion recommendation, has delayed in presenting her text to a vote of the Parliamentary Assembly of PACE. She asked for a delay, after being surprised by the sudden and growing opposition within the public and the members of the Assembly."

The ECLJ said, "The vote was put off because it was believed the resolution would not have had a majority of support."

Promoted by Christine McCafferty, the veteran pro-abortion British MP, the report proposed to bring legal abortion to all states by 2015. The Alliance of Romania's Families, in a letter to Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Acting Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said that the report's wording - "sexual and reproductive rights" - is a code meaning the promotion of "abortion, immoral sexual practices, risky lifestyles, and promiscuity."

"This interpretation has frequently been promoted by representatives of various countries of the European Union, some of which occasionally claimed to speak on behalf of the entire European Union on this subject," the Alliance said.

The proposed document, they said, aimed to undemocratically create "new rights," saying that international human rights law does not recognize the existence of "sexual rights." They noted that even the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) explicitly rejected attempts to recognize a right to abortion under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) had called on supporters throughout Europe to lobby their delegates to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to stop the vote. John Smeaton, SPUC director, said, "No doubt Mrs McCafferty will try again and we must all be ever-vigilant. But as I have said before: Pro-life lobbying works. Never give up!"

Contact: Hilary White
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: October 5, 2009
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Study Shows Recession Making Women Think Again About Pregnancy

Study Shows Recession Making Women Think Again About Pregnancy



Several sources have recently covered a survey conducted by AGI, a former Planned Parenthood affiliate, which found that because of the current economy, many women want to delay pregnancy or limit the number of children they have. The poll showed that 64% of women agreed with the statement, "With the economy the way that it is, I can't afford to have a baby right now."

It's easy to see how this thought could cross the minds of couples in today's culture. "How could we care for a child in this economy when things are so unstable?" "Would we be wise to think about starting a family when the economy is in shambles?" It's funny how the voice of uncertainty can slowly creep in and start taking over.

You see, the truth of the matter is, the economy is not really the culprit here. I have heard this concern voiced to me many times...even when the economy wasn't in this shape. As young couples are just starting out, trying to "make their way in this world," they are constantly bombarded with the world's view of the proper order of things: get your life together completely, and don't have children until you have enough money and resources saved to support an entire village. If you mess up this order, you will be deemed a bad parent forever!

What IF you become pregnant and you don't have your life together by the world's standards? This particular survey was conducted of women who were conscientiously deciding that the economy was the deciding factor of whether or not to have children right now. If that's the case, what happens when they get pregnant anyway? Their minds are already made up that they can't handle it. So where do they go?

Many women who walk into pregnancy centers everyday are facing similar financial burdens. Before their visit, they are often not aware of the resources around them that can help - churches, day care co-ops, adoption support, community-based agencies, and free pregnancy center services offering parenting support and material resources - cribs, clothing, diapers, etc. Unfortunately, the lie that has been sold to them is, "You're all alone. You're weak - you can't do this. There is no help out there for you." And tragically, some women tell us later on that believing those lies caused them to choose abortion.

This is the time for pregnancy centers to step up their efforts in reaching, educating, and connecting with women in this economy. The lies are just that - lies! Women aren't alone, there is help for them out there, and they can be good parents, even in a bad economy.

So my message to the women surveyed is this: Do not be afraid! If you are pregnant, and you still have doubts and fears, find your local pregnancy center. They exist to provide free services to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies. And finally, remember that "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." (Nahum 1:7)

Contact: Kay Sanford
Source: Pro-Life Blogs
Publish Date: October 5, 2009
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Thomas More Society Thanks the American Civil Liberties for Telling Chicago City Council: VOTE 'NO' on Speech Suppression of Pro-Life Activists

Thomas More Society Thanks the American Civil Liberties for Telling Chicago City Council: VOTE 'NO' on Speech Suppression of Pro-Life Activists


Chicago City Hall

Last week the tide turned against free speech when Chicago's leaders targeted pro-life advocates with a municipal ordinance that would restrict their speech rights and prevent them from helping women going to area abortion centers. Within 50 feet of an abortion clinic, the ordinance imposes an 8-foot "cone of silence" that prevents anyone from coming within 8 feet to speak to or pass a leaflet to a person near an abortion clinic, with a $500 fine imposed for violating the ordinance. The Thomas More Society believes this ordinance is aimed at persons who seek to offer help and support with a woman's pregnancy at abortion clinics, because a substantial number of women at Chicago-area abortion clinics who are offered assistance with their pregnancies accept that help and choose to have their children.

Even though the organization supports abortion rights, the ACLU of Illinois has issued a statement that made clear that the Chicago Council "...must honor the Constitution and tolerate the widest amount of free speech in public ways." The Chicago-based Thomas More Society applauds the ACLU for standing up for the free speech rights of all Americans, regardless of their position on abortion.

"This sort of peaceful and lawful conduct on public sidewalks in front of abortion clinics is protected by the First Amendment. We thank the ACLU for joining us in opposing this ill-conceived ordinance," said Peter Breen, Executive Director & Legal Counsel, Thomas More Society, who testified in opposition to the measure before the Chicago City Council's Committee on Human Relations.

Contact: Peter Breen
Source: Thomas More Society
Publish Date: October 6, 2009
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