Illinois Federation for Right to Life

April 27, 2010

Breakthrough: ND 88 Judge Allows Defense Access to University Documents

Breakthrough: ND 88 Judge Allows Defense Access to University Documents

In a major ruling that may prove decisive for the defense of pro-lifers arrested on Notre Dame's campus last year, an Indiana Judge has lifted a stay order barring the lead defense attorney in the cases from pursuing discovery of crucial evidence from Notre Dame officials.

St. Joseph County, Superior Court Chief Judge Michael P. Scopelitis has authorized Thomas More Society-allied attorney Tom Dixon to pursue testimony under oath from officials who were key decision makers in the arrest of the Notre Dame 88 (ND88). It will also allow him to subpoena documents that may shed light on the college's apparent inconsistency regarding the arrest and prosecution of other groups and individuals participating in similar on-campus events.

The ND88 were arrested on campus last May while peacefully protesting the Catholic university's decision to honor the vehemently pro- abortion President Barack Obama.

Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society, called the recent development "very significant" in a press release Monday.

Brejcha pointed to the findings of a recent investigation by the Notre Dame alumni group, Sycamore Trust, that found that homosexual rights and anti-ROTC protesters received "at worst, mere slaps on the wrist for leading unauthorized protests on campus."

LSN reported last week that William Dempsey, the president of Sycamore Trust, had contacted members of the pro-gay group Soulforce, and Catholic Worker anti-ROTC demonstrators, who were arrested for trespassing on campus in March 2007. "All state that, after they were taken into custody and processed on the campus, they were released and heard nothing more," he said.

However, it still remains unclear whether the decision not to pursue those cases further was made by the university or the local prosecutors or police. But thanks to the recent decision by Judge Scopelitis, the Thomas More Society may be one step closer to finding out the answer.

"We believe that through discovery we may well uncover evidence that the Notre Dame police engaged in 'viewpoint discrimination:' that the university singled out the ND88 for especially harsh treatment," said Tom Brejcha Monday.

Judge Scopelitis also ruled that once discovery is completed, he may convene an evidentiary hearing to review the ND 88's legal defenses before any individual trials.

The Thomas More Society has urged Notre Dame University president, the Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C., to request that the charges be dropped against the ND88 in the same way that trespass charges were previously dropped against the homosexual rights activists and anti-military protesters. Up to now, Fr. Jenkins has not acted on that request.

In a telephone interview with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) Monday, Dixon explained that the documents would allow the defense to pin down the real reason for the University's apparently disparate treatment of pro-life protesters versus other protesters.

"The constitution does not allow a state actor ... to suppress speech based on viewpoint," said Dixon.

Dixon pointed out that while the ND 88 processed onto campus in prayer and for three consecutive days, "they were met with large groups of pro-Obama demonstrators on campus" - whom Notre Dame officials confirmed had not sought and did not possess a permit to protest.

"My clients were being arrested while pro-Obama people were standing there watching, and the police were standing there allowing them to do that."

Dixon confirmed that there was still some question as to the local police's involvement in the earlier homosexualist and anti-military protests; however, he said, "either way, it seems like there's some contradictory evidence" between Notre Dame's claim to have treated all protesters according to the same protocol, and the vastly different outcomes among the different types of protesters.

"[The earlier protesters] were arrested by Notre Dame and then just simply taken to the edge of campus and released: 'Go and sin no more, don't come back,'" said Dixon. "That is a far-cry different treatment from our clients, who were arrested and hauled off to jail, and you have the president of the University saying, 'I can't call for the dismissal of these cases.'

"It's far different treatment, and you have to ask the question: why?"

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 26, 2010
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ND 88 attorney may subpoena Notre Dame officials, judge rules

ND 88 attorney may subpoena Notre Dame officials, judge rules

The legal defense team for the 88 pro-life protesters arrested at the University of Notre Dame may now seek testimony from university officials after a judge's ruling lifted a stay.

The protesters, called the ND88, were arrested for trespassing during their demonstrations against the May 2009 commencement speech of President Barack Obama, who was granted an honorary degree by the university.

St. Joseph County, Indiana Superior Court Chief Judge Michael P. Scopelitis lifted a stay order on defense lawyers. They may now seek testimony under oath from key decision makers in the arrest of the protesters. The lawyers may also subpoena documents revealing apparent inconsistencies in the treatment of the pro-life protesters compared with other protesting groups.

Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society, said the lifting of the stay was "very significant."

"A Notre Dame alumni group, Sycamore Trust, recently reported that homosexual rights and anti-ROTC protesters received, at worst, mere slaps on the wrist for leading unauthorized protests on campus. We believe that through discovery we may well uncover evidence that the Notre Dame police engaged in 'viewpoint discrimination:' that the university singled out the ND88 for especially harsh treatment."

Judge Scopelitis also ruled that once the discovery process is completed, he may convene an evidentiary hearing to review the defendants' "global" legal defenses before any individual trials.

Tom Dixon, an attorney defending the ND88, said this means the judge wants to be sure the defenses are presented in the "appropriate procedural vehicle."

The Thomas More Society says it has urged Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., to request that the charges be dropped against the ND88, in the same way trespass charges were dropped against homosexual rights activists and anti-military protesters on the Notre Dame campus.

Source: CNA
Publish Date: April 27, 2010
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Front page USA Today: Sudden, sharp spike in pro-life legislation; now a "free-for-all"

Front page USA Today: Sudden, sharp spike in pro-life legislation; now a "free-for-all"

Family Research Council reported yesterday:

Photo of Obama signing the healthcare bill via the Associated Press

Most of us would like to forget that March afternoon when President Obama signed his health care agenda into law. It's difficult to see those "reforms" as anything but a stinging defeat for our nation - but from it, new victories are springing up! In fact, the local response has been so overwhelming that USA Today dedicated a front-page story to the pro-life legislation that's spreading like wildfire through the states.

Indeed, here are excerpts from that April 26 USA Today story...

Dozens of states are passing or debating new restrictions on abortion, a trend fueled in part by passage of the nation's new health care law....

"This year, particularly in the past couple of weeks, it's really turned into a free-for-all on trying to restrict abortions," said Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute....

So far, 2010 has been "very successful," said Mary Spaulding Balch of the National Right to Life Committee.

Photo of NE Gov. Dave Heineman preparing to sign his state's fetal pain bill also via the Associated Press

The most significant legislation, both sides say, is a NE law signed by the governor this month that would ban most abortions at the 20th week of pregnancy based on a new rationale that the fetus feels pain....

At least 22 states have bills to increase counseling or waiting periods; 18 states have bills to expand the use of ultrasound, Nash said....

TN lawmakers last week passed a bill that would ban abortion coverage in any plan sold through its exchange. It applies even if premiums were paid with private funds because public funds would help run the exchange, said the bill's sponsor....

Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: April 27, 2010
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Nurses Punished For Refusing to Assist in Abortions

Nurses Punished For Refusing to Assist in Abortions

They say that "no one is pro-abortion," in the words of Barack Obama to Alan Keyes during their U.S. Senate contest in 2004.

No? No one is pro-abortion? I think that's patent nonsense, and today's example comes to us from Long Island, where 8 nurses are being disciplined for refusing to participate in non-emergency abortions.

Not only are some people pro-abortion, they are so pro-abortion that they insist that pro-lifers take part!

The Long Island Catholic has the story (H/T: Moral Outcry):

EAST MEADOW — Eight nurses who refused to participate in an abortion at Nassau University Medical Center here March 31 are resisting disciplinary action levied on them by hospital officials.

"This is a horrendous situation," said one of the labor/delivery nurses disciplined who asked that her name not be used. She and the others, she said, had signed paperwork at the time they began working there stipulating that they would not be required to assist in abortions but have often faced pressure to do so.

Some of the nurses involved have lost vacation time and others have their cases still pending, union officials report.

"The decision against these nurses by the hospital goes against protocol, goes against procedure, and goes against the law," said Jerry Laricchiuta, president of the Civil Service Employees' Association (CSEA) Nassau Local 830. The union is filing a grievance and is "considering litigation."

"This was not an emergency situation and at no time was the patient endangered," said Ryan Mulholland, communications director for the CSEA local.

The hospital's administrator, Arthur A. Gianelli, president and CEO of NuHealth System, declined to comment, citing "confidentiality requirements."

Joining the union in speaking up for the nurses are the Long Island Coalition for Life and Feminists Choosing Life of New York State.

On March 30, the patient, who was about 15 weeks pregnant, came to the hospital for surgery to prevent a miscarriage, Mulholland said. She had come to the hospital before because of complications. After preparation for surgery began, further complications ensued. The next day, she decided to have an abortion rather than undergo the surgery.

"Several of us had put in letters years ago stipulating that we do not participate in abortions," the labor/delivery nurse noted. "There are many reasons for that, other than our religious beliefs, and we represent many different religious backgrounds. Most of the doctors don't perform abortions either."

So the attending physician asked them for assistance in contacting a nurse who would be willing to assist with an abortion, she said. Because the patient was stable and in no danger and was being monitored for vital signs, the physician decided to wait until later in the afternoon for that nurse to arrive.

...The procedure began when the nurse willing to assist in abortion came on duty. The baby died before the procedure was completed, Mulholland said, with no ill effect to the woman.

On April 2, all the nurses who resisted assisting in the abortion were verbally reprimanded, Mulholland said.

In addition, three lost vacation time and the other five also face further disciplinary action.

They were cited for alleged insubordination, failing to provide patient care and endangering patient safety, refusal to sign the form, refusing to accept transfer of a patient from another unit, and conducting union business in a patient care area. No specific reference to abortion was made.

...Florence Scarinci, Long Island representative for Feminists for Choosing Life of New York State, said "it is sad that 'pro-choice' always seems to mean the choice to have an abortion, rather than the choice not to participate in abortion." [Emphasis added.]

Source: Lake County Right to Life Blog
Publish Date: April 27, 2010
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Leaders' goal: make health care pro-life

Leaders' goal: make health care pro-life

Richard Land and more than 50 other pro-life leaders have told the members of the House of Representatives they will work to restore pro-life policies undermined by the new health-care law and the subsequent executive order from President Obama.

Meanwhile, a pro-life congressman has introduced legislation to amend the health-care measure to bar money for abortions in any program funded through the new law.

In a letter to the House, Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and his fellow pro-lifers pointed to what they described as the "anti-life policies" in the legislation, but they gave most of their attention to the shortcomings they saw in the executive order.

The order fails to apply the principles of the Hyde Amendment to the health-care law, they said. The Hyde Amendment prohibits Medicaid and other funds through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from paying for most abortions.

In pointing to the inadequacies of Obama's executive order, the pro-life advocates said:

-- It directs the HHS secretary to issue regulations that will establish "accounting schemes so that taxpayer subsidies may pay for insurance coverage that includes abortion" and "implement the abortion surcharge that will require many Americans to pay at least $1 per month into an abortion slush fund to directly pay for elective abortions;"

-- It fails to reverse measures in the law that enable the federal government to administer insurance plans for its employees that fund abortion;

-- It does not invalidate language that would mandate abortion coverage in all plans if HHS defines the procedure "as a preventive service;"

-- It does not include conscience protections for pro-life, health-care workers.

"Pro-life organizations are working together to ensure that the anti-life policies included in the Act and reiterated by the Executive Order are removed and that the Hyde amendment principles are restored," the April 19 letter said. "We will not cease in our pursuit to respectfully and deliberately advance the right to life and protect the vulnerable unborn."

Rep. Joseph Pitts, R.-Pa., introduced the Protect Life Act, H.R. 5111, April 22. When introduced, the bill had 50 co-sponsors, including seven Democrats.

The measure would prohibit federal funds for abortion or abortion coverage under the health-care law, protect private insurance companies from being required to cover abortion and establish conscience protections for health-care workers.

"The new health care law is riddled with loopholes that allow taxpayer subsidies for coverage that includes abortion," Pitts said in a written statement.

He is grateful to have bipartisan support for his measure, Pitts said.

"I never want protecting life to be a partisan issue," he said.

The Democrats co-sponsoring Pitts' bill are Reps. Travis Childers of Mississippi, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Tim Holden of Pennsylvania, Dan Lipinski of Illinois, Jim Marshall of Georgia, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Gene Taylor of Mississippi.

Childers and Davis are members of Southern Baptist churches.

In addition to Land, others signing onto the letter to the House included David Bereit, national director of 40 Days for Life; Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List; Melinda Delahoyde, president of Care Net; Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-life Union; Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family; Mathew Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel; David Stevens, chief executive office of the Christian Medical Association; J.C. Willke, president of International Right to Life Federation, and Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life.

Contact: Tom Strode
Source: BP
Publish Date: April 26, 2010
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Abortion does not bring healing after rape, maintains Mexican woman who chose life

Abortion does not bring healing after rape, maintains Mexican woman who chose life

In an interview with Mexican columnist Sergio Sarmiento, Lianna Rebolledo, who was raped at the age of 13 but chose to carry her child to term, explained that "abortion is not the solution" to an unplanned pregnancy, even "in cases such as rape."

Rebolledo said in the interview that during her upcoming visit to the city of Cancun to promote the Forum for the Defense of Life, she hopes to meet the 11-year-old Mexican girl who was raped and is currently 19 weeks pregnant. The girl has been the object of intense pressure from feminist groups to undergo an abortion, but has resisted saying that she understands "a life is growing in her womb."

Carlos Polo of the Population Research Institute said the girl's case is the modus operandi of abortion supporters in Latin America who seek to legalize the procedure at any cost. Rebolledo's testimony shows that these kinds of situations are not resolved by abortion and that young girls need to be protected and guaranteed a chance to grow and mature in a safe environment.

Click here for the video.

Source: CNA
Publish Date: April 27, 2010
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NEWS SHORTS FOR TUESDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR TUESDAY

Oklahoma House Overrides Veto On Abortion Regulations

The Oklahoma House has overriden Gov. Brad Henry's vetoes of two anti-abortion measures. House members voted 81-14 Monday to override Henry's veto of a bill to require women to undergo an ultrasound and listen to a description of the fetus before getting abortions. The House voted 84-12 to override a second veto of legislation to prevent lawsuits in cases where a parent might argue a child with birth defects would've been better off aborted. At least 76 votes, or three-quarters of the 101-member House, were needed to override.
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Michigan Senate Passes Bill To Restrict Embryonic Research

Stem cell research proponents slammed the Senate's passage of bills -- supported by pro-life groups -- that they say would unconstitutionally restrict embryonic research in the state. The bills, passed Wednesday, prohibit the sale or purchase of human eggs and would require research facilities, including universities, to file annual reports listing how many human embryos they have stored and other data. The legislation includes civil fines of up to $5,000, and would make some violations felonies punishable by up to a year in prison.
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US aid programs faulted for obsession with condoms

An African journalist, writing from Kinshasa, says that the intense focus of US foreign aid on expanding family-planning programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "certifiably insane." The urgent need for the country's impoverished people is an adequate supply of ordinary medicine. Antibiotics, not condoms, save lives.
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Euthanasia bill turned away, but work goes on

Canada's Parliament has defeated a euthanasia bill -- but that paves the way for much needed work, says one of the opposition leaders.

Parliament voted against the proposed euthanasia/assisted suicide measure 228-59. But Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition tells OneNewsNow that the lopsided vote does not mean the last word on the matter has been heard.
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Abortion money could have funded Mexico City's schools, laments archdiocese

The Archdiocese of Mexico City stated last week that the $24 million the Mexico City government has used to finance abortion since it was legalized in 2007 could have been used to build 300 schools in the country.

According to an editorial by the archdiocese's news service, the funds provided by the Mexico City government have contributed to the murder of more than 39,000 "human persons in their fetal stage, destroyed with the consent of their mothers, doctors and the government" of Mexico's capital city.
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Arizona Considers Opt-In Language for Sex Education

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NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY

Mississippi House Passes Abortion Regulation

Following a short, explosive fight Saturday morning, the Mississippi House sent to the governor a bill restating that Mississippi will not allow the use of any public funds on abortion. Some lawmakers argued the legislation was necessary in light of the new federal health care law that requires states to set up health insurance exchange programs by 2014. Others suggested the proposal was de-signed to bolster politicians' campaigns. The House is set to reconvene Wednesday because a lawmaker held the bill for reconsideration. It passed 75-32.
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Related News...

Abortion Feud Hauls Mississippi House Back To Capitol On Saturday

Mississippi lawmakers are arguing over whether to pass a bill banning public funding of abortion once all parts of a federal health care law are in place in 2014. The bill says abortion coverage could not be offered by any Mississippi health insurance exchange created under the federal health law. House Public Health Chairman Steve Holland, a Democrat from Plantersville, says Mississippi already has a law banning public funding for abortion.
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Oklahoma Governor Vetoes 2 Baby Killing Regulations

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry vetoed two abortion bills Friday that he said are an unconstitutional attempt by the Legislature to insert government into the private lives and decisions of citizens. One measure would have required women to undergo an intrusive ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before getting abortions. Henry said that legislation is flawed because it does not allow rape and incest victims to be exempted. Lawmakers who supported the vetoed measures promised an override vote in the House and Senate as early as next week. A national abortion rights group has said the ultrasound bill would have been among the strictest anti-abortion measures in the country if it had been signed into law.
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Related News...

Oklahoma Lawmakers Work To Override Veto Of Baby Killing Regulations

State lawmakers say they will try to override Gov. Brad Henry's veto of two abortion bills. The governor vetoed the two measures on Friday. One bill that would require women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound exam and listen to a doctor describe the fetus. The other measure would prevent so-called "wrongful-life" lawsuits in cases where a parent might argue that a child with birth defects or other problems would have been better off aborted. In vetoing the bills, the governor said he wanted to prevent an expensive and lengthy legal battle. A similar law was challenged and ruled unconstitutional early this year for violating the state single subject rule.
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Research Into Stem Cells Of Adults Stirs Hopes

Many researchers are coming to believe they can achieve as much using adult stem cells as using controversial human embryonic stem cells. A year after President Barack Obama eased restrictions on research into embryonic stem cells and pledged billions in new stimulus money for it, researchers are almost giddy with enthusiasm about progress in the field. They're confident stem cells will treat -- maybe someday cure -- heart disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury and other disorders. But the excitement is not generated by stem cells harvested from human embryos. Instead, researchers are coming to believe they can get results almost as good from adult stem cells taken from the patient's own bone marrow or belly fat, and even full-fledged adult cells from muscle tissue or skin.
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National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week Kicks Off April 27

The National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week (NPLTW) begins this Tuesday, along with a photo scavenger hunt contest in which contestants can enter to win a free iPod Touch.

NPTW and the "Yo! Where's the Shirt?" Photo Scavenger Hunt are sponsored by the American Life League (ALL).

"Thousands of young people across the country will take to the streets and the schools a civil rights message for the 21st century: All human beings deserve human rights," announced ALL in a press release Monday. ALL has stated that more contestants have registered for this year's contest than in last year's, in which 3,000 photos were submitted.

In addition, NPTW has launched a new iPhone App to help photo contest contestants take photos and complete tasks.

Click here to visit the photo contest's Facebook page.
Click here for the National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day Web site, where shirts and stickers can be purchased.
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Illinois Federation for Right to Life

2600 State Street, Ste E

Alton, IL 62002

Phone: 618.466.4122

Web: www.ifrl.org

E-mail: mail@ifrl.org

April 23, 2010

Notre Dame Anti-Military, Pro-Gay Protesters Let Go; Pro-Lifers Still Face Fines, Imprisonment

Notre Dame Anti-Military, Pro-Gay Protesters Let Go; Pro-Lifers Still Face Fines, Imprisonment

“The stark facts, then, are that the University has treated pro-gay and anti-military demonstrators far more generously than pro-life demonstraters," alleges the Sycamore Trust

While numerous pro-life protesters who were arrested for trespassing at the University of Notre Dame last year continue to face up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine, anti-military and pro-gay demonstrators who were previously arrested on campus had their charges dropped, according to a shocking new investigation by the Sycamore Trust. Furthermore, the president of the University, Fr. John Jenkins, has reportedly refused to discuss the disparate treatment.

William Dempsey, Notre Dame alumnus and president of the Sycamore Trust, notes in the organization's latest bulletin that Jenkins has responded to inquiries about the pro-lifers (who were arrested last May while peacefully protesting Obama’s commencement speech and honorary degree) by saying that, "The University cannot have one set of rules for causes we oppose, and another more lenient set of rules for causes we support. We have one consistent set of rules for demonstrations on campus – no matter the cause."

While Notre Dame does not have power to drop the charges, the University's recommendation to dismiss would likely carry great weight with the St. Joseph County prosecutor.

Dempsey says that "we doubted that any organization would saddle itself with such an inflexible policy." Hence, his organization set about investigating how past trespassers have been treated.

It turns out that members of the pro-gay group Soulforce, and Catholic Worker anti-ROTC demonstrators, who were arrested for trespassing on campus in March 2007, were let off scot free. Dempsey says that he interviewed participants in each case, who "all state that, after they were taken into custody and processed on the campus, they were released and heard nothing more." It is unclear whether the decision not to pursue the cases further was made by the university or the district prosecutors, although the Trust suggests that it originated with the university.

Having related the information to Notre Dame, says Dempsey, a spokesman replied that "this exchange is no longer serving any purpose from our perspective, and, as a result, we have decided to discontinue communications with you on this topic."

After writing Fr. Jenkins, the Trust reported that "his brief response was not encouraging."

"He seconded the spokesman’s termination of the discussion and he characterized as 'not warranted' unidentified 'inferences' and 'assumptions' in Bill Dempsey’s wide-ranging exchanges with the University spokesman, but he did not dispute the facts respecting the Soulforce and Catholic Workers arrests."

"The stark facts, then," the Trust alleges, "are that the University has treated pro-gay and anti-military demonstrators far more generously than pro-life demonstrators and that it declines to explain why.

"The mystery of the University’s attitude toward the pro-life demonstrators deepens."

The bulletin further points out how the prosecution of the pro-life "Notre Dame 88" can and already has wreaked havoc on the defendants' lives, even prior to sentencing: the Trust reports that one defendant and her husband have already been declined as foster parents thanks to the trespassing charges.

"The University’s position is bewildering, for there are many compelling reasons for the University to recommend to the prosecutor that he drop these cases," notes the group. "The University’s stance obviously impairs Father Jenkins’s post-Obama efforts to shore up Notre Dame’s pro-life credentials. The demonstrators are intensely dedicated and include many notably sympathetic individuals."

"The question, then, is why the University persists in endorsing these prosecutions."

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert and John Jalsevac
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 22, 2010
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Illinois Federation for Right to Life

2600 State Street, Ste E

Alton, IL 62002

Phone: 618.466.4122

Web: www.ifrl.org

E-mail: mail@ifrl.org

Thumbs up for Kevorkian movie from pro-lifer portrayed in it

Thumbs up for Kevorkian movie from pro-lifer portrayed in it

Both LifeSiteNews.com and LifeNews.com anticipate a sympathetic portrayal of Kevorkian in You Don't Know Jack, which may well be. LifeNews.com points out even Kevorkian likes the film. We can certainly review it here after it airs Saturday night.

Pro-lifer Lynn Mill's view after screening the movie on April 21 was that it portrayed him otherwise, telling me, "HBO did a beautiful job with this. I don't think they glamorized. Him. I think they made him look like a nut. I did not think he came off looking good. I think he came off as a pathetic little freak."

So we'll see. Lynn added that while Kevorkian anticipated great public support and an eventual Supreme Court altercation, he got neither, which the film depicts.

Well, glory be. I was beyond skeptical that the upcoming HBO movie, You Don't Know Jack, airing this Saturday night at 9p EST, would portray him fairly....

The movie, of course, is about the infamous Dr. Death, Jack Kevorkian, who gained notoriety in the late 80s and throughout the 90s for promoting and committing physician assisted suicide. Convicted of 2nd degree homicide in 1999, Kevorkian spent 8 years in prison.

But I anticipated Kevorkian's story in the hands of Hollywood, particularly in a movie co-starring Susan Sarandon, to glamorize him. So I was not really interested in watching You Don't Know Jack, even if Al Pacino played the lead role.

Until today. A little while ago I received an email from MI pro-lifer Lynn Mills, who many here know gives us many of the inside scoops on MI late-term abortionist Alberto Hodari.

It turns out Lynn played quite a part in bringing Kevorkian down (who killed his patients in MI) by good old fashioned pro-life dumpster diving.

Lynn is positively portrayed in the movie by actress Ana Reeder.

I called Lynn for the backstory. In 1993 as part of a group protesting Kevorkian, Lynn spotted Kevorkian's drug supplier taking out some trash. "It was a natural instinct for this pro-life activist to go dumpster diving," said Lynn.

Lynn found Kevorkian's report on the death of Hugh Gale. She also found Gale's EKG strip that went from beating to flatline.

Kevorkian wrote in his report that Gale asked twice to have the mask removed containing the death drugs he was inhaling. Kevorkian complied the 1st time but not the 2nd. He charted he left the mask in place. In other words, Kevorkian killed Gale against his will.

Lynn said the movie portrays the death of Hugh Gale as "absolutely horrible" - realistically, in other words.

Kevorkian whited out that segment of his report and retyped it to sound better.

The end of the movie shows the actor portraying Oakland Co. Prosecutor Dick Thompson holding the report up to the light and spotting the whiteout.

What Lynn found was eventually discarded as evidence, but she played a part in bringing Kevorkian down nonetheless. And she is portrayed in the movie as normal, imagine that.

So there is one pro-lifer insider's review of You Don't Know Jack, and now I'm much more inclined to watch it. Here's a longer trailer...

We're proud of you, Lynn!

Click here for the trailer for the movie: "You Don't Know Jack"

Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: April 22, 2010, Updated April 23, 2010
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Illinois Federation for Right to Life

2600 State Street, Ste E

Alton, IL 62002

Phone: 618.466.4122

Web: www.ifrl.org

E-mail: mail@ifrl.org

Virginia Axes 'Health' Exception in State Funding for Abortions

Virginia Axes ‘Health’ Exception in State Funding for Abortions

The Virginia General Assembly has approved budget changes requested by pro-life Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday, which would prohibit state funding for elective abortions except in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality or when the life of the mother is in jeopardy.

The Republican-dominated House of Delegates approved the changes to the budget by an overwhelming majority of 64 votes in favor, 30 against, with 1 abstention. The Democrat-led Senate just approved McDonnell’s amendment narrowly by a 20-19 vote, with three conservative Democrats joining 17 GOP Senators in supporting the changes.

Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William), Sen. Phillip P. Puckett (D-Russell), and Sen. William Roscoe Reynolds (D-Franklin) broke with their caucus to pass the governor’s amendment.

The amendment stops the state from having to reimburse Medicaid abortions justified for “health” reasons, and could potentially save hundreds of unborn babies from abortion per year. According to the Virginia Conference of Catholic Bishops, approximately 150 babies every year for the past four years have been aborted for “health” reasons.

Pro-life advocates were on edge for the Senate vote, because Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, was stuck in Europe because of flights cancelled from last week’s volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland.

In fact, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia quipped on its blog that a “pro-choice volcano” was keeping Bolling delayed in Italy for the Wednesday budget vote.

Nonetheless, it was NARAL that erupted on Wednesday when the General Assembly approved McDonnell’s amendment. The Virginia chapter declared on their Facebook page: “The Virginia Legislature has let all Virginians down by approving the Governor's budget amendment to deny Medicaid funding to women needing abortions because the pregnancy threatens the woman's health, or in cases of severe fetal anomaly.”

However, NARAL’s latter claim is not true: McDonnell’s budget amendment only prohibits the health exception, as another Virginia statute requires the state to pay for low-income abortions when the unborn child has developed “severe or gross fetal abnormality.”

The Virginia Society for Human Life expressed gratitude to McDonnell for bringing “Virginia more closely in line with federal law, the Hyde Amendment, that requires Virginia tax dollars to pay for Medicaid abortions in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother.”

Olivia Gans, president of VSHL, told LifeSiteNews.com that the governor’s amendment will save the lives of hundreds of babies that would be aborted every year under the “health exception.”

But she noted that the amendment “does not completely bring Virginia into federal law,” pointing to the fetal abnormality exception.

“Unfortunately the governor was unable to prevent paying for abortion in the case of ‘gross fetal abnormality’ which is required under a pre-existing Virginia statute,” said Gans. “That requires going back to the General Assembly and changing that pre-existing statute.”

Gans indicated that the best shot for replacing the statute will be the 2011 Senate elections, when pro-life advocates could regain a pro-life majority.

She added that various sources, including the governor’s office, believe that the Virginia exception of “gross fetal abnormality” refers to only a few types of fetal abnormality that are “so gross or compounded that they fairly ensure that the baby cannot live outside the womb.”

“Our understanding is that this is an extraordinarily rare circumstance, but it is one which the governor’s office, the governor himself, along with all of us in the pro-life movement would like to see lifted as well.”

The evidence, Gans said, indicates that there were less than 30 abortions performed in the last 3-4 years that fit the criteria of “gross or fetal abnormality,” and that less disabled unborn children, such as those with Down’s syndrome, have not been construed to fall under that exception.

However, she added that in the interim the governor’s office is working on using their authority to narrow the interpretation of the statute’s definition of gross fetal abnormality in the Virginia Code in order to guarantee “conclusively” that abortionists do not attempt to contort that term to abort viable disabled babies in the womb.

Contact: Peter J. Smith
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 22, 2010
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Save the Environment-Say No to the Pill!

Save the Environment—Say No to the Pill!

Today as Americans celebrate Earth Day, perhaps some families will plant a tree or buy some energy-saving light bulbs. Perhaps some co-workers will try carpooling or a school will start a recycling project. As stewards responsible for caring for all God has created for us, the above efforts are good.

But I’d like to spotlight one issue that receives far less attention: A dangerous drug that is so common that most women don’t even know what they are putting into their bodies is adversely affecting the environment. I’m talking about the birth control pill.

I do not understand why so many women who say that they care about the environment, take steps to eat organic foods and buy earth-friendly cleaning products for their homes are putting a completely inorganic, unnatural and dangerous drug into their bodies every day.

If you care about your health and the environment, why would you jeopardize both by taking an oral contraceptive or any other synthetic estrogen replacement drug?

In 2006, the United States Geological Survey performed a study on fish in the Potomac River and found that 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass had intersex characteristics, meaning these male fish were growing female reproductive parts.

The cause? Synthetic hormones from birth control pills, secreted through a woman’s urine, are contaminating our rivers and lakes. Since synthetic estrogen is part of the reason why male fish are becoming more feminine, then what kind of things will happen if our brothers, fathers and husbands come into contact with it?

According to Conrad Volz, co-director of exposure assessment at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Environmental Ecology, “We need to pay attention to chemicals that are estrogenic in nature, because they find their way back into the water we all use.”

In fact, according to the study that Volz and his team in Pennsylvania did back in 2007, the fish caught in the water they were testing may also carry enough chemicals that mimic the female estrogen hormone to cause breast cancer cells to grow.

This is dangerous stuff! If your family’s drinking water comes from a water treatment plant, it would be important to find out how the plant treats the estrogen that is found in the water, and how much estrogen remains in your drinking water.

Women say that they take the pill for a variety of reasons. Are you or someone you know on birth control pills …

For irregular periods?

Well, guess what! The pill does not fix the reason you have irregular periods; it simply masks the problem while increasing your chances of getting a blood clot or pulmonary embolism. There are doctors trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY who can actually solve medical issues and help you!

Please inform the women you love, because so many do not realize there are other answers out there that actually work. Remember, too, there are many reasons why women have irregular periods, and if you find a doctor who is willing to help you rather than just give you a prescription for the pill, then you are on the right path. To find an expert in your area, go to http://onemoresoul.com/nfp-providers.

For sexual freedom?

Oh, come on, any independent woman today only has to do a quick Internet search to find the long list of side effects from the pill. Once you see those, you can easily determine there is no freedom in that at all. Don’t forget about the mysterious part of our creation called pheromones.

These hormones are what help attract a male and female to each other, and this chemical attraction takes place through our sense of smell, the olfactory nerves. However, the pill can affect this natural phenomenon. A woman could fall for a man she would not normally fall for if she were not on the pill.

A young woman in her twenties recently told me that while she was on the pill in high school, she ended up giving herself to a guy that she was getting to know. After she got off the pill, she no longer wanted to be with him. All that she could offer by way of explanation for her change of heart is that she couldn’t stand the way he smelled!

I sure wouldn’t call that sexual freedom—a teenage girl gives into the pressures of a boy and becomes blinded by the pill? It’s what American Life League calls the “pill goggles” effect. See our video report.

Then why?

Because women don’t know any better. It’s what our society has accepted as a norm. But that’s where you and I come in, to break down these falsehoods and educate others about the realities behind this deceiving, decidedly un-environmentally friendly drug.

Not only can the birth control pill kill you; it’s not always going to prevent a little baby from being created—and when that happens, the thinning of the lining of your uterus brought about by the pill can cause abortions.

Birth control is certainly not a friend to the environment. The pill, patch and other birth control products cause a lot of harm to our environment. American Life League is calling all of the real environmentalists and earth friendly Americans to join us and protest the pill.

On Saturday, June 5, join women and men across the country as we get the word out that the pill kills! Wearing the Pill Kills T-shirt or holding the Pill Kills sign will help us draw a lot of attention, giving us the perfect opportunity to be witnesses in Christ.

Sometimes we need to be like St. John the Baptist to get people’s attention, because most people are so wrapped up in their own personal lives that they forget the serious dangers (spiritual, physical and emotional) behind this contraceptive mentality that our society so strongly embraces.

Get out and help spread the word. And let’s clean up our water—not just by purchasing expensive equipment to clean it, but by using more natural ways to control our fertility. Look into the Creighton Model, the Billings ovulation method or another form of natural family planning and spacing.

If you’re not married, then respect yourself and those around you by remaining abstinent and please, save the rest of us from being in danger. We are already seeing the devastating effects of synthetic estrogen on our fish. Who knows what we may discover years down the road from the “fresh” water we drink.

Contact: Marie Hahnenberg
Source: CNSNews.com
Publish Date: April 23, 2010
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Furious Embryo Researcher Clashes with Pro-Lifers Displaying His Portrait

Furious Embryo Researcher Clashes with Pro-Lifers Displaying His Portrait

The leader of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform clashed with a prominent embryonic stem cell researcher after the group displayed the researcher's portrait alongside Nazi scientists who experimented on Jews, and images of aborted children, on his home campus.

Jill Stanek reported Thursday that Dr. Hans Keirstead, co-director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, fumed at CBR's Gregg Cunningham over the display erected at his own University of California, Irvine. CBR visits college campuses across America with its Genocide Awareness Project, a large display featuring images of aborted children which compares the abortion massacre to the Nazi Holocaust and other genocides.

Keirstead, a world-renowned researcher and professor of anatomy and neurobiology at UC Irvine, is heading up a human trial involving injecting embryonic stem cells into patients with spinal cord injuries.

For all his anger over the Nazi comparison, reports Cunningham, "Keirstead's main arguments were exactly the ones used by the Nazi doctors who were doing lethal experiments on Jews": "Their victims were subhuman, they were destined to die anyway, it was all legal, other countries were doing it and it would benefit all mankind to find cures for dread diseases."

"He was standing in front of a sign with the covers of the books quoting those exact arguments and the irony was totally lost on him. He just stood there parroting propaganda like a programmed robot," said Cunningham.

When Keirstead referred to embryonic children as "fertilized eggs," Cunningham said he replied that "he was doing what racists do when they dehumanize blacks with the 'N' word or anti-Semites when they use the 'K' word to slur their Jewish victims. The fertilized egg reference wasn't even the biologically correct term for embryos at the stage at which he is killing them."

Cunningham says he also had a retort for Keirstead's anger that aborted children at later periods of gestation were shown next to his picture: "He said he worked only with 'blastocysts' and not fetuses. I told him I was a lawyer and invited him to sue me. We said that ages of his victims were irrelevant to his culpability for killing them."

The use of stem cells from aborted children has met with failure in past experiments, typically resulting in tumors and other complications. Meanwhile, adult stem cells have been credited with the treatment or cure of numerous ailments ranging from spinal cord injury, to Alzheimer's, to type I diabetes.

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 22, 2010
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Study Confirms Autism Boom - Correlates with Aborted Fetal DNA in Vaccines

Study Confirms Autism Boom - Correlates with Aborted Fetal DNA in Vaccines

A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed 1988 as a “change point” in the rise of Autism Disorder rates in the U.S. - a date that pro-life leaders say correlates with the introduction of fetal cells for use in vaccines.

While the EPA study does not speculate into the cause of the jump in autism rates, and makes no mention of aborted fetal cells, the researchers point out that it “is important to determine whether a preventable exposure to an environmental factor may be associated with the increase.”

According to the pro-life group Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute (SCPI), which specializes in vaccine research, that “environmental factor” is likely the use of aborted fetal cells in vaccines.

The group pointed out in its most recent newsletter that 1988 is the same year the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices began recommending a second dose of the MMR vaccine, which included cells derived from the tissue of aborted babies.

Analyses of autism rate data published by SCPI identify 3 clear change points in U.S. autism disorder trends: 1981, 1988 and 1995, all of which the groups claims roughly correlate with the use of vaccines (Meruvax, MMRII, and Chickenpox) that were cultivated with the use of tissue from aborted children. The group says that it has been unable to identify any other factor that might correlate to the change in autism rates.

“The only environmental event correlating with these statistical autism trend ‘change points’ which would impact almost all children was the introduction of vaccines produced using human fetal cells and containing residual human DNA and cellular debris,” said SCPI.

Pro-life groups say that the research by EPA adds to an increasing body of evidence implicating the use of aborted fetal cell material in the nationwide vaccinations impacting nearly every child born in the United States.

American Life League has joined Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute in calling for a Fair Labeling and Informed Consent Act in light of the findings.

“For years the evidence has pointed toward the link between vaccines using DNA from aborted babies and the rise of Autism Disorder rates,” said Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League.

“Parents need and deserve to know the risks associated with vaccinations made from lines derived from the bodies of aborted children.”

SCPI has affirmed that they are continuing to study the impact of residual human fetal DNA in vaccines on the brain development and autism in children, and will present their studies at the International Society for Autism Research in May 2010.

Contact: John Jalsevac
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 2o, 2010
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