Failed abortion births 'proud survivor'

     

Those who attended the recent National Right to Life Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, heard the first-hand account of an abortion survivor.
 
At this year's convention, the audience heard from many well-known speakers, including a few Republican presidential candidates. But National Right to Life (NRLC) president Carol Tobias tells OneNewsNow one of the more memorable moments was when the listeners heard from Melissa Ohden, "whose mother had tried to do a saline abortion, and Melissa survived."

In a YouTube video, Ohden shares: "I was believed to be dead. Weighing a little over two pounds, suffering from jaundice and sever respiratory distress, my future appeared to be bleak. But I was alive."

Tobias explains that "she was adopted by another family, and she now has a little girl of her own."  Olivia, her daughter, was born on April 26, 2008, "at the very same hospital where my life was meant to end," the abortion survivor reports.

As Ohden spoke about how abortion impacts generations to come, the NRLC president says one reality hit her hard. "If you have an abortion, that branch of the family tree is gone forever." She admits that she "hadn't thought of the impact, even a hundred years later, of which descendents are not here because that one life didn't make it."

As for Melissa, she believes her life "was saved for a reason," and she is proud to say, "I am a survivor."

"I am proud to say that I am fulfilling the purpose that God set out for me," she adds.

Contact: Bill Bumpas
Source: OneNewsNow

Gov't abstaining from teaching abstinence?

     

While the Obama administration has decided to prohibit teaching abstinence from marriage preparation programs for young people, a congressional bipartisan group wants that to change.
 
The Department of Health and Human Services recently authorized new grants for its Healthy Marriage Initiative and for "education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationship skills and budgeting." But one of the "unallowable activities" is teaching abstinence.
 
"In my knowledge, I have never seen anything like this inserted in a funding announcement, where a specific program that has a clear connection to the benefits of that program is prohibited," says Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA). "So if we're talking about helping young people have the skills to develop healthy marriages later, abstinence education absolutely needs to be a part of that."

She notes a body of research that links teen sex to future divorce.

"It's really sad when the political and ideological leanings of an administration trump science, health and what's in the best interest of young people," Huber laments. "And this is what we're seeing; this is just the latest example."

She deems it troubling to prevent youth from receiving sexual abstinence education, so her group is calling for a change to the current policy so that funding for abstinence education will be included. House members have already written and signed a letter that outlines their request.

"This letter is calling for a policy change that there once again be some federal priority given to the risk avoidance abstinence message," Huber reports. "And 40 members from both sides of the aisle in the House signed this letter and sent it to the Appropriations Committee, asking the chair to make a change this year in the 2012 Appropriations Bill."

This follows last year's decision from President Obama and Congress, when all funds for abstinence education were zeroed out.

"In the entire history of federal funding for sex education, we have never seen this degree of disparity between abstinence education funding and contraceptive sex-ed funding," Huber notes.

The NAEA executive director fully supports Congress in cutting spending, and she assures that she is not advocating for an increase in funding. "What we're asking is that within that programmatic pot for sex education, there needs to be at least 50 percent of what remains in that pot, after all the debate is over, for a specific risk avoidance abstinence education program."

Huber is more interested in the policy priority than the money figure.

Contact: Bill Bumpas
Source: OneNewsNow

The Sanctity of Human Life

     

The sanctity of human life. Is it still a sacred concept or just another adage that doesn't apply in today's society?

Focus on the Family believes that human life is of inestimable worth and significance in all its dimensions, including the preborn, the aged, the widowed, the mentally handicapped, the unattractive, the physically challenged and every other condition in which humanness is expressed from conception to the grave. Without a doubt, human life is sacred. At some point in your life you may have even expressed these words in one form or another trying to explain your pro-life views. Respect for the sanctity of human life is at the center of all we do as Christians.

So what does that look like and how can we incorporate it into our daily lives?

Our Judeo-Christian tradition teaches us the sanctity of human life. The Bibles says in Genesis 1:27: "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Having been made in the image of God means so much more than receiving certain abilities and attributes. It means we actually are the images of God.

What a privilege! No other "creation" of God can say that! Each of us carries the image of the creator. We are not merely flesh and blood. Since we are image-bearers of the Living God, our lives are sacred, based on something beyond our unique characteristics and abilities. This image or likeness of God is not tangible: you can't see, touch or smell it. It's part of the mystery of life.

 Being made in the image of God provides us as humans with direction and guidance regarding how we treat one another. Men, women and children should be respected, regardless of their mental capacity, physical ability, faith (or absence of faith) or social position. These people may or may not exhibit attributes of God, but that doesn't determine their worth. Their value is established on the basis of the nature of God, who is the perfect example of dignity and holiness.

The sacredness of human life is not based on accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Every human life, Christian or not, has inestimable value because each life is created in the image of God. Each human spirit is a mirror image of the likeness of Yahweh. This is not just reserved for Christians, but extends to all members of the human family.

How do we define human dignity?

Human dignity is innate, bestowed upon us by God. It's not based on our ability to care for ourselves or even the competence to complete the task. Dignity is not a concept that can be forfeited, so being dependent on others cannot cause us to lose our dignity.

 Our culture's failure to honor human dignity is evidenced in words like "quality of life". People would rather die than continue living with a disability. Dependency is looked upon as the ultimate weakness. From that attitude comes the press for cultural acceptance of solutions such as euthanasia, instead of giving compassionate care to those who cannot care for themselves.

A common fear among the disabled or terminally ill is that of becoming a burden. No one is immune to this fear. We can restore human dignity through our witness of caring for each other, even in our times of dependence and need. The challenge is before us. We need to reestablish the Sanctity of Human Life ethic in our generation and we must begin with the church. Even as Christians, we fail to comprehend the value of every human life because we cease to look at each other in awe.

Our view of one another should be as breathtaking creatures, embodying a touch of the Creator Himself. Churches must lead the way by teaching the truth about the value of life from a biblical worldview.

So how can you help restore the Sanctity of Human Life ethic?

Begin the restoration in your own heart! Routinely examine your heart for attitudes that violate the spirit of the Sanctity of Human Life ethic. It can take on many forms including disdain for someone we don't know based on his or her appearance, a negative comment made under our breath or impatience with a slow driver. The sins of superiority, contempt and slander are far more frequent and easier to hide than the physical crimes of assault, rape or murder.

We need to teach the next generation a respect for all human life. Parents should teach their children through word and deed. Together we can restore the beauty and reverence our Creator intended by restoring dignity to humankind.

Contact: Carrie Gordon Earll
Source: CitizenLink

Notre Dame seminar explores alternatives to embryonic research

     

Top medical experts at a University of Notre Dame conference this week are insisting on better alternatives to embryonic stem cells, and pushing for more research in the adult stem cell field.

"We think that it is crucial that ethical alternatives to embryonic stem cell research be pursued," Notre Dame law professor O. Carter Snead told CNA June 29.

The current seminar, "Workshop on Adult and Non-embryonic Stem Cell Research," is being held on campus through July 2, and features authorities who hail from schools such as Columbia University as well as pontifical academy members.

"Our elite scholars, across a variety of disciplines – science, engineering, law, and arts and letters – are enthusiastically committed to pursuing" other approaches to embryonic stem cell research, Snead said. 

He noted that this week's conference will zero in on discussing adult and what he called alternative – or non-embryonic – stem cell research by exploring developmental biology as it relates to ethics, theology, philosophy and law.

Snead said that the seminar has the backing of the Office of the President as well as several other university departments. 

"As the premier American Catholic research university, Notre Dame is ideally suited for this work," he said.

The law professor said that Notre Dame is also able to contribute to the debate by affirming the Church's commitment "to the equal dignity of every human being." 

Snead said that "as a matter of basic justice, we do not participate in any research that depends on the use and destruction of embryonic human beings." 

The "good news is that there are many fruitful avenues of inquiry that do not involve such practices." 

The university workshop comes as some U.S. lawmakers are attempting to give legislative support to President Obama's 2009 executive order allowing federal funding for research using discarded embryos from fertility clinics.

Although a federal appeals court upheld the order earlier this year, is still faces a legal obstacles. The Department of Justice recently asked a U.S. district judge to end a pending lawsuit against the order.

The embryonic stem cell legislation is sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Rep. Charlie Dent (D-Pa.). Rep. DeGette is slated to present the bill at the Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver next week.

Source: CNA

Kansas Set to Become First Abortion-Free State, Court Hearing Set Friday

Planned Parenthood was denied an abortion license today. All three abortion clinics seek a restraining order to stay in business.

    

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment today denied an abortion license to Planned Parenthood in Overland Park under a new law set to go into full effect on Friday, July 1. Planned Parenthood filed suit to block the implementation of the new safety regulations within minutes of being denied a license.

Earlier, Aid for Women in Kansas City was notified that they would not be granted a license based on information provided in their application. Father-daughter abortionist team Herbert Hodes and Traci Nauser cancelled their scheduled inspection this week and instead filed suit against the law. Aid For Women joined in that suit yesterday.

When asked about the new abortion safety regulations, Hodes told the Associated Press, "We're doomed."

Yesterday, Operation Rescue discovered that Federal Magistrate K. Gary Sebelius had been assigned to hear the court challenge filed by Hodes. Sebelius is the husband of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who, as Kansas governor, vetoed similar abortion safety rules and actively worked to protect abortionists from accountability under the law. Operation Rescue immediately called for his recusal. In a speedy victory, Sebelius filed to recuse today along with presiding Judge Richard D. Rogers.

The case has been reassigned to Clinton-appointee Judge Carlos Murguia, with whom a hearing has been scheduled for Friday. All three clinics are seeking a temporary restraining order against the law. Operation Rescue plans to attend the hearing.

"Through our many years of experience, Operation Rescue has found that abortion clinics and the abortion staff hate being regulated and inspected. It is no surprise that these shoddy abortion clinics refuse the most basic standards like wash sinks, proper medications on hand, and emergency resuscitation equipment," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

"Abortion providers are far from heart surgeons. They represent the worst the medical community has to offer. If the last three abortion clinics in Kansas cannot comply with the new safety laws then they should do us all a favor and close up shop forever.

"A review of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment records shows that not one single abortion has ever been performed on a woman in Kansas to save her life. It is a fact that abortion is a purely elective procedure for mothers to terminate their pre-born children's lives" Newman said in closing.

Contact: Troy Newman, President, Cheryl Sullenger
Source: Operation Rescue

Adult Stem Cell Researchers File Brief Asking Federal Court to Grant Their Pending Motion for Summary Judgment and Finally Ban Federal Funding of Illegal, Unnecessary, and Unethical Research on Human Embryos

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is now set to resume proceedings following the United States Court of Appeals' April 29 ruling vacating the District Court's August 23, 2010 preliminary injunction ruling. The parties' pending cross- motions for summary judgment are now pending before the District Court.

    

Today, on behalf of the adult stem researchers it represents, the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project and their co-counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, following a second remand from the United States Court of Appeals, filed its "supplemental brief" asking the United States District Court to provide summary judgment on each of their clients' claims based on the National Institute of Health's clear violation of two separate laws: (1) the Dickey-Wicker Amendment that bars federal funding of any "research in which" human embryos are "knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death;" and, (2) the Administrative Procedure Act that prohibits a government agency, from patently ignoring or prejudging public comments submitted in opposition to unlawful agency action, like NIH has been and is doing in this case.

The case began almost two years ago when, in response to President Obama's March 9, 2009 Executive Order, the NIH published and noticed for public comment regulatory guidelines allowing federal funds to be used for the first time for the creation of new stem cell lines (hESC) requiring the destruction of living human embryos. Before these guidelines became law the Law of Life's General Counsel, Sam Casey, with his co-counsel Tom Hungar of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, representing the DO NO HARM Coalition, formally filed over 140 pages of legal and scientific comments objecting to what many people saw as the grossly irresponsible use of public funds to support research which is illegal, unnecessary, and an unethical breach of long-standing Congressionally-acknowledged principles barring such human subject experimentation. When NIH patently ignored and prejudged these comments and approximately 30,000 other comments and commentators opposing federal funding of destructive human embryonic stem cell research, the on-going legal action was required.

LOLP's General Counsel, Sam Casey, who has been arguing the issues in this case for more than decade said: "Each time grant-awarding officials and federally funded scientists support or engage in hESC research, living human embryos are 'knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death,' in violation of the federal law known as the Dickey-Wicker Amendment. The federally sponsored hESC research that the Guidelines support inevitably creates a substantial risk -- indeed, a virtual certainty -- that more human embryos will be destroyed in order to derive more hESCs for research purposes. Indeed, Dr. James Sherley, one of the plaintiffs in the case, today filed a supporting declaration demonstrating that the NIH Guidelines are in fact currently having just such a destructive impact in violation of the federal prohibition against such conduct set forth in the Dickey-Wicker Amendment that was again reauthorized by Congress at the beginning of this year."

"The NIH chose to ignore both our DO NO HARM et. al. Comments, as well as approximately 30,000 other comments -- 60% of those received in the mandatory guideline review process -- which raised serious and highly relevant questions about the ethics and scientific merits of hESC research," said Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher partner, Tom Hungar, Mr. Casey's cocounsel. Hungar added, "the challenged NIH Guidelines clearly violate the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, but NIH's decision to turn a blind eye to tens of thousands of comments demonstrating that hESC research can't be justified even under the government's own criteria means that the NIH's guidelines were promulgated in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and must be struck down for that reason as well."

After the NIH took any real consideration of the merits of hESC research "off the table" during its pre-ordained review process, effectively pushing a very specific and controversial policy despite laws designed to prevent exactly that action, the Law of Life Project and its co-counsel were left with no recourse but direct litigation, and the hope that the judicial system will ultimately rectify the injustice the NIH continues to unlawfully perpetrate at the taxpayers' expense. Since that time, after going to the Court of Appeals the first time in 2009 to establish their clients' "standing" to assert their claims, and a second time in 2010 unsuccessfully defending a preliminary injunction entered by the District Court on the strength of only the first of their three claims for relief, Casey says, "the Law of Life Project is now right back where it wants to be -- respectfully asking the United States District Court on all the grounds filed in its pending motion for summary judgment (and in its opposition to the government's claims) to bring an end to this illegal, unnecessary, and unethical misuse of federal taxpayer dollars."

Contact: Samuel B. Casey
Source: Jubilee Campaign

Sweeping Pro-Life Provisions Go Into Effect Today in Indiana

     

Indiana Right to Life is hailing today as the date on which sweeping pro-life policies passed by the Indiana legislature in HEA 1210 and HEA 1474 will go into full effect, marking the most significant improvements to Indiana's abortion law in nearly four decades.

"These are monumental advances in state policy that place Indiana on the leading edge of national efforts to curb abortion," states Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter.

Highlights of the new Indiana policies that go into effect today include:

Women must be informed that human physical life begins at fertilization.
 
Indiana will opt-out of abortion coverage in any state health exchange required under the new federal health law passed by Congress in 2010.
 
Pain-capable children beginning at 20-weeks gestational age will enjoy enhanced protections.
 
All abortions on girls under the age of 14 must be reported to child protective services within three days of the abortion in order to facilitate prompt investigation into child sexual abuse.
 
Women must be informed that abortion may increase the risk of infertility, infection, or hemorrhaging.
 
Doctors who do abortions in Indiana must have local hospital admitting privileges, provide medical licensing numbers, and provide emergency contact information to women having abortions.
 
Women considering abortion must be informed about Indiana's safe haven law that allows for mothers who decide to carry their children to term but are unable to care for their children to leave them with safe haven providers such as local police without criminal repercussions.

Two additional provisions of HEA 1210 have been enjoined by a federal judge, including the removal of all state-directed funds from businesses that do abortions and a requirement that women be informed about an unborn child's ability to feel pain. Indiana Right to Life is confident that both of these provisions will be upheld by the courts and will eventually go into effect.

Fichter notes that Indiana Right to Life will be monitoring abortion businesses to ensure compliance and will work with government agencies and local prosecutors to report any suspected non-compliance.

Contact: Contact: Cathie Humbarger
Source: Indiana Right to Life

Court: Conception is beginning of human life

     

Although a federal judge has temporarily suspended an Indiana law that defunds the state's Planned Parenthoods, an important aspect for the pro-life movement is included in the ruling.
 
Even though the overall decision is disappointing for pro-lifers, the order upholds a key provision that requires women to be informed that physical life begins when a human egg is fertilized by a human sperm.

"No one should be allowed to decide that a human innocent life is worthless," contends Alliance Defense Fund attorney Steven H. Aden. "Abortionists have done this by telling women that a pre-born baby is just a batch of cells instead of what he or she actually is -- a human being.
 
"This law ends that deception in Indiana," he continues. "All the court did was recognize the indisputable fact that a biological human life begins at conception. It is false to say anything else."

He says the ruling simply recognizes a biological fact, and he points out that the court disagreed with Planned Parenthood's argument that the statement is misleading. Meanwhile, the Indiana attorney general's office is expected to appeal the decision, which allows Medicaid funds to continue flowing into the coffers of abortion-providers.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow

Abortion warning labels

    

Students for Life wants the federal government to adapt its tobacco labeling policy to address abortions.
 
The government intends to require that graphic pictures be displayed on tobacco product labels by next fall, for example showing a dead body or diseased lungs.

"Why doesn't the pro-life movement get this? Why is it that we can't show a woman before she can have an abortion what exactly abortion is going to do," questions Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America (SFLA). "Why is it that the FDA, the U.S. government, is forcing cigarette manufacturers to put these warning labels on cigarettes, but they won't tell women what an abortion really is?"

She says the government even refused to require warning labels on the abortion drug Ella before it was approved last summer, when there are known dangers.

"So, we're trying to expose the hypocrisy in saying, 'If you're going to force cigarette manufacturers to put graphic images on every single pack of cigarettes, you should do the same thing with abortion,'" Hawkins adds.

SFLA has set up a website where people can sign a petition that will be sent to federal officials to encourage them to include graphic images and warning labels at abortion facilities and mandate that they be displayed and given to patients before any abortion procedure begins.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow

IFRL CD Elections 2011

    

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life (IFRL) is a statewide grassroots organization.  As an organization the IFRL encourages members to become active in the cause for life. To become a member one must donate a minimum of $3.00 annually.  A member is entitled to vote for the individual who will represent him or her as their Congressional District (CD) Director on the IFRL Board.

The elections for CD Directors are held every two years. Applications of individuals interested in running for the position of CD Director for their congressional district are now being accepted.  All candidates for CD Directors must be paid members of the IFRL and the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) by August 1, 2011. Any donation to NRLC in the last year will qualify a candidate as a member of NRLC.

A CD Director is obligated to attend the quarterly board meetings of the IFRL. The board meetings are held at different locations throughout the state. The Directors are expected to support IFRL activities with an emphasis on lobbying, elections, education and fundraising activities.

Anyone interested in becoming a candidate for CD Director must submit his/her name to the IFRL office at 2600 State St. Suite E., Alton, IL. Letters must be postmarked no later than August 1, 2011. Applications may be faxed to (618) 466-4134 no later than August 1, 2011. Please include a statement indicating membership with the IFRL and NRLC.

For Life,
Pat Conklin, IFRL President

The Fetus and Federal Regulations

     

The Code of Federal Regulations is an almost sure-fire antidote to insomnia.  If boredom were a commodity, the Code would be its biggest resource.

The arcane and involved language of the Code is one reason why so few people read it.  Yet within its myriad pages are the rules that govern government itself – how laws are applied, how legislation is to be understood, and even how words used in federal regulations are to be interpreted.

Some of those words are more important than others, and those that deal with the very nature of human personhood are, perhaps, the most important of all.

In the October 1, 2009 edition of the Code, we read that "Fetus means the product of conception from implantation until delivery."

There we have it: an unborn child is merely the "product of conception," conception itself evidently needing no interpretation (that it takes place through the sexual union of two image-bearers of God is, apparently, irrelevant).

What are we to make of this "product?"  This collection of cells and blood and tissue stored within the veil of human flesh?  Here's what David said of this "product," this "fetus," this creature:

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty! (Psalm 8:3-5)

From conception onward, this "fetus" has all the same DNA as every reader of this piece.  What are the criteria for its humanness?

Is it less human because of its size?  If so, then anyone shorter than someone else is less human, as well.

Is it less human because of its development?  If so, then anyone with a physical or mental disability is less human than those more physically or mentally advanced.

Is it less human because it is dependent?  If so, then any child is less human than the parents on whose support she depends for food, clothing, shelter, etc.

And so it goes through whatever other comparisons can be summoned: Intelligence, appearance, etc.  What changes at time of "delivery," per the Federal Registry, is not the personhood of the child but his place of residence.  He lives nine months within his mother's womb, and the remainder of his life outside it.

Even the term "fetus," used as a medical euphemism by those unwilling to confront the unborn child's humanness, is telling if rendered honestly.  "Fetus" is Latin for "offspring" or "young while still in the womb." Those who persist in its usage for the purpose of dehumanizing that to which they refer cannot avoid the potency of language itself.

Sometimes euphemisms have their place.  Saying that someone is "all foam, no root beer" is a pleasing way of conveying that the individual referenced is full of talk but has no substance or seriousness.  Yet language, however we might use it to obscure, can never fully hide that which it described.

To this point, the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his landmark work Ethics, wrote,

Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life.

The language of the Code of Federal Regulations is tedious.  Its impact on American public life is profound.  But its artful obfuscation of that which is most compelling of all – what it means to be human – is unsuccessful.

A fetus is a baby is a person is a human being.  No euphemism can hide that truth – and you can take that to the bank.

Contact: Rob Schwarzwalder
Source: FRCBlog

2011 State Efforts to Defund Planned Parenthood

     

Yesterday New Hampshire joined the growing number of states seeking to defund abortion giant Planned Parenthood.  The trend seemed to start last year when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie passed a budget which eliminated about 7.5 million dollars worth of family planning funding.

As reported by Kevin Smith, the Executive Director of Cornerstone, the Granite state's leading family policy organization:

"This has truly been a banner day for the babies here in the Granite State… in a completely unexpected and under the radar move today, the NH Executive Council (which is like our lieutenant Governor, but it's made up of 5 elected officials from across the state), which along with the Governor has to approve all state contracts above $2499 (yes, you read the correct) voted to REJECT the state contract for Planned Parenthood worth $1.8 million over the next two years!! This is simply amazing news!  The vote was 3-2 and it is the first time that a state contract with PP has ever been rejected!"

The story can be found here.

Here is a list (with the legislation in question as well as the state organizations that led the way) of some of the successful efforts this year, as well as three valiant efforts that did not pass.

Successful Efforts (IN, KS, NH, NC, TX, TN, WI):


INDIANA

Family policy organization: Indiana Family Institute

Leading the cause to defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, Indiana passed a monumental piece of legislation, HB1210, earlier this year.  It has subsequently been challenged in court and U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt is expected to make a ruling by July 1st whether to grant injunction while the court case continues.

The actual text in question can be read below:

"An agency of the state may not:
(1) enter into a contract with; or
(2) make a grant to; any entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed that involves the expenditure of state funds or federal funds administered by the state.

(c) Any appropriation by the state:
(1) in a budget bill;
(2) under IC 5-19-1-3.5; or
(3) in any other law of the state;
to pay for a contract with or grant made to any entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed is canceled, and the money appropriated is not available for payment of any contract with or grant made to the entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed.
(d) For any contract with or grant made to an entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed covered under subsection (b), the budget agency shall make a determination that funds are not available, and the contract or grant shall be terminated under section 5 of this chapter."


KANSAS

Family policy organization: Kansas Family Policy Council

In contrast to the legislative method of Indiana, Kansas effectively defunded Planned Parenthood through their state budget.  This was accomplished by prioritizing the means of distributing family planning funds: first to public entities and secondly to private entities which provided comprehensive health care in addition to family planning services (something which Planned Parenthood is not equipped to do).  The new budget strips about $334,000 in federal Title X funding for the organization, according to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

Relevant text can be read below:

Senate substitute for HB2014 Sec. 57:
(a) During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, subject to any applicable requirements of federal statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, any expenditures or grants of money by any state agency for family planning services financed in whole or in part from federal title X moneys shall be made subject to the following two priorities: First priority to public entities (state, county, local health departments and health clinics) and if any moneys remain then; second priority to non-public entities which are hospitals or federally qualified health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care in addition to family planning services.

(page 85) (l)
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, subject to any applicable requirements of federal statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, any expenditures or grants of money by the department of health and environment–division of health for family planning services financed in whole or in part from federal title X moneys shall be made subject to the following
two priorities: First priority to public entities (state, county, local health departments and health clinics) and, if any moneys remain, then, Second priority to non-public entities which are hospitals or federally qualified health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care in addition to family planning services: Provided, That, as used in this sub-
section "hospitals" shall have the same meaning as defined in K.S.A. 65-425, and amendments thereto, and "federally qualified health center" shall have the same meaning as defined in K.S.A. 65-1669, and amendments thereto.
 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Family policy organization: Cornerstone Action

The Executive Council, a body of five elected councilors, is responsible for approving the expenditure of state and federal funds within New Hampshire.  They work with ther Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services and the Attorney General to manage the business of the state.  On Wednesday, June 22nd, the Council voted 3 -2 against funding a contract in the amount of 1.8 million dollars with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

According to Union Leader.com, Councilor Dan St. Hilaire said the Planned Parenthood contract "differed (from other health provider contracts) in that the organization directly provides abortions, it's CEO earns in excess of $250,000 a year, and most of its services and administration are located out of state in Williston, Vt."


NORTH CAROLINA

Family policy organization: North Carolina Family Policy Council

Similar to Kansas, the North Carolina legislature successfully voted to defund Planned Parenthood through their budget, overriding the governor's veto.  According to a Reuters article, Planned Parenthood said it received just over $434,000 a year through state grants and programs, about 4 percent of the group's budget for operating nine health centers in North Carolina.  The funding for Planned Parenthood's participation in public health programs will end on July 1.

Find out more information here.

The actual bill text states:

"PROHIBIT USE OF ALL FUNDS FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ORGANIZATIONS

SECTION 10.19. For fiscal years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the Department of Health and Human Services may not provide State funds or other funds administered by the Department for contracts or grants to Planned Parenthood, Inc., and affiliated organizations."
 

TENNESSEE

Family policy organization: Family Action Council of Tennessee

The path to defund Planned Parenthood in TN was long and not without mishaps.  Initially legislators sought to defund through an amendment to the budget (Section 78) which read that funds allocated for women's health services "shall be used fully" by government-run health agencies and none "shall be paid to third-party providers or private organizations or entities."  However, at the last moment a "mystery amendment" was snuck in to the budget which stated: "Section 78 of this act shall not be construed to supersede applicable provisions of federal and state law."  Due to the complicated nature of the various provisions of law referenced, there was legal doubt over the validity of the defunding amendment.

In effort to try and reduce some of the dismay and confusion among lawmakers, the Lt Governor's office released the following statement:

"The confusion surrounding the language in the budget regarding Planned Parenthood has been unfortunate.  The Office of Legal Services advised House and Senate leadership that it is unconstitutional to amend general law through the appropriations bill (Article II, Section 17), an interpretation which would have put the entire budget document in jeopardy. It was not our intent to allow funding for Planned Parenthood. Our majority in the General Assembly clearly meant to defund them. We are currently working with pro-life activists to resolve this issue with legislation and we will put it to rest immediately upon the legislature's return in January."

Many citizen urged Governor Haslam to use his executive power to "fix the mistake" in the recently passed budget.  Finally, on June 11th the Lieutenant Governor, Ron Ramsey, announced that Governor Haslam had asked the State Health Department to pressure the state's two largest counties, Davidson and Shelby Counties, to provide family planning services through their respective county health departments (as the other 93 counties in TN currently do) instead of contracting with Planned Parenthood and granting them state funds to provide family planning services on behalf of those two counties.

"We are at long last moving towards the final stages of the Planned Parenthood shell game," said Lt. Gov. Ramsey. "It has always been the ambition of Republicans in the legislature to defund this organization. I was proud to lead the charge to turn over family planning services to the county health departments effectively defunding the organization in 93 out of 95 counties. I'd like to praise the Governor for working to completely turn off the spigot of taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood."


TEXAS

Family policy organization: Liberty Institute

Texas, similar to Kansas used a funding prioritization method in their recently passed 2012-2013 budget:

"The Department of State Health Services shall allocate funds appropriated above in Strategy B.1.3, Family Planning Services using a methodology that prioritizes distribution and reallocation to first award public entities that provide family planning services, including state, county, local community health clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and clinics under the Baylor College of Medicine; secondly, non-public entities that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care as a part of their family planning services; and thirdly, non-public entities that provide family planning services but do not provide comprehensive primary and preventative care."

My San Antonio reports: "Now that the dust has settled on the recently passed 2012-13 budget, the state's family planning money now hovers at $38 million — $73 million less than the $111 million allocated in the current biennium."

Click here to read the  article in its entirety.

Another bill currently under consideration, SB 7, would further increase funding prioritization and prohibit public hospitals and facilities who receive public funds from performing abortions.


WISCONSIN

Family policy organization: Wisconsin Family Council

According to a Huffpost Politics article, Governor Scott Walker (R) is expected to sign a budget bill that eliminates state and federal funding from nine of the state's Planned Parenthood health centers. It directs federal Title V family planning dollars to public health agencies and prohibits them from giving the funds to organizations or its affiliates that provide abortions or abortion referrals.

The article states the new budget would eliminate $1 million a year in funding for nine of Wisconsin's 25 Planned Parenthood clinics.

Unsuccessful Efforts (MN,  MT, NH ):


MINNESOTA

Family policy organization: Minnesota Family Institute

A bill (SF1224) was introduced that would have prohibited all state family planning funds from going to any organization that performs abortions or is associated with an organization that performs abortions.  Unfortunately it did not pass the chamber of origin.  The actual text states:

"Family planning grant funds" means funds distributed through the maternal and child health block grant program under sections 145.881 to 145.883, the family planning special projects grant program under section 145.925, the program to eliminate health disparities under section 145.928, or any other state grant program whose funds are or may be used to fund family planning services.

Subd. 2. Uses of family planning grant funds. No family planning grant funds may be:
(1) expended to directly or indirectly subsidize abortion services or administrative expenses;
(2) paid or granted to an organization or an affiliate of an organization that provides abortion services, unless the affiliate is independent as provided in subdivision 4; or
(3) paid or granted to an organization that has adopted or maintains a policy in writing or through oral public statements that abortion is considered part of a continuum of family planning services, reproductive health services, or both.

Subd. 3. Organizations receiving family planning grant funds. An organization that receives family planning grant funds:
(1) may provide nondirective counseling relating to pregnancy but may not directly refer patients who seek abortion services to any organization that provides abortion services, including an independent affiliate of the organization receiving family planning grant funds. For purposes of this clause, an affiliate is independent if it satisfies the criteria in subdivision 4, paragraph (a);
(2) may not display or distribute marketing materials about abortion services to patients;
(3) may not engage in public advocacy promoting the legality or accessibility of abortion; and
(4) must be separately incorporated from any affiliated organization that provides abortion services.

Subd. 4. Independent affiliates that provide abortion services.  (a) To ensure that the state does not lend its imprimatur to abortion services and to ensure that an organization that provides abortion services does not receive a direct or indirect economic or marketing benefit from family planning grant funds, an organization that receives family planning grant funds may not be affiliated with an organization that provides abortion services unless the organizations are independent from each other. To be independent, the organizations may not share any of the following:
 (1) the same or a similar name;
(2) medical facilities or nonmedical facilities, including, but not limited to, business offices, treatment rooms, consultation rooms, examination rooms, and waiting rooms;
(3) expenses;
 (4) employee wages or salaries; or
(5) equipment or supplies, including, but not limited to, computers, telephone systems, telecommunications equipment, and office supplies.

(b) An organization that receives family planning grant funds and that is affiliated with an organization that provides abortion services must maintain financial records that demonstrate strict compliance with this subdivision and that demonstrate that its independent affiliate that provides abortion services receives no direct or indirect economic or marketing benefit from the family planning grant funds.


MONTANA

Family policy organization: Minnesota Family Foundation

The Montana Legislature passed a two year budget rejecting federal family-planning funds in the amount of about $4.7 million.

According to an article in the Missoulian, House and Senate Republicans had also voted to remove $1 million in state funding for family planning clinics and rejected a Schweitzer administration proposal to spend another $1.2 million in state and federal funds for higher access to birth control.

The article states that Planned Parenthood, the most prominent abortion provider in Montana, receives about half of the $5.7 million in state and federal family-planning money, for use at its health clinics in Billings, Missoula, Helena and Great Falls.

Rejection of the federal money was a bold statement by lawmakers that they did not want to subsidize the abortion giant Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions with taxpayer money.  Unfortunately when the budget was presented to democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer, he used his amendment power to restore funding to Planned Parenthood and pressured the legislature to approve his amendments.


NEW HAMPSHIRE

NOTE: NH was ultimately successful in defunding PP through the Executive Council.  The following refers to their legislative attempt.

Family policy organization: Cornerstone Action

House Bill 228 specifically named Planned Parenthood and forbid the state from entering into any grants or contracts with that organization or other abortion providers.  It also forbid the use of public funds for abortions or to pay any health insurance costs for policies that cover abortions.

This section does not prohibit the state from complying with the requirements of federal law relative to Title XIX and Title XXI of the Social Security Act.

The methodology of the bill states: "The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill prevents the Department from contracting with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The Department stated the current contract with Planned Parenthood is in the amount $794,370 of which $428,960 is federal Title X funds and $365,410 is state general funds. Under the contract, Planned Parenthood provides family planning services, reproductive healthcare, HIV testing, STD testing and treatment, and health education. The Department states federal law prohibits these funds from being used to fund abortions. The Department assumes that, without this contract, the federal funds would be returned to the federal government and the general funds would be returned to the general fund."

Contact: Brianna Walden
Source: FRCBlog

NRLC hoping to revive America

     

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) will report on the pro-life victories of state legislatures at its annual convention, taking place this week in Jacksonville, Florida.
 
The theme is "Bringing America Back to life," and NRLC president Carol Tobias expects this year's attendees to be encouraged by the actions of state legislatures.

"Four states have passed a bill that would ban abortion at the point that the unborn child can feel pain; Nebraska did it last year," she reports. "So with the four this year, we now have five states. Several states are going after Planned Parenthood in order to take tax-dollar funding from the organization," Tobias adds. "Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion-provider."

She says a number of other major topics will also be addressed.

"Some experts are going to talk about how abortion can impact breast cancer [and] what the link is between the two," the NRLC president explains. "We're going to be talking about the Obama healthcare law and how it rations healthcare for everyone in the country."

Plus, some presidential candidates will be attending the convention to take part in a candidate forum. "For sure, we've got Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), Herman Cain and Ron Paul (R-Texas)," Tobias reports. And the pro-life group hopes a number of other candidates will be able to attend its Jacksonville event as well.
 
Both Santorum and Paul recently signed a presidential pro-life leadership pledge promoted by another pro-life organization, the Susan B. Anthony List. Cain, however, refused to sign the pledge.

Contact: Bill Bumpas
Source: OneNewsNow

Illinois abortionists 'given complete pass'

     

Statistics show Illinois abortion providers aren't complying with state laws that require them to report abortions and the complications of those procedures.
 
State law requires that details on abortion procedures and any related problems be reported, but Bill Beckman of Illinois Right to Life tells OneNewsNow there is proof of little compliance.

"According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were about 7,000 more abortions in Illinois in 2008 than the state thought there were," Beckman notes. "The other bad news is the fact that there's very little oversight and proper record-keeping related to what's going on with abortionists -- and especially with regard to abortions that go bad."

State records cannot even account for the deaths of women and girls who had abortions. But failing to report those procedures and their complications, he says, is a violation of state law that is subject to revocation of operating licenses. He notes, however, that no disciplinary action has been taken.

"There's been a complete lack of interest with the abortion advocates in charge of the government in the state of Illinois, just as what was going on in Pennsylvania," the Illinois Right to Life spokesman laments. "It's like there's no interest in enforcing the law against abortionists; they're given a complete pass."

His mention of Pennsylvania refers to that state having not inspected the clinic of abortionist Kermit Gosnell for nearly two decades. Gosnell is currently in jail for the death of one mother, along with charges of murdering seven viable babies who were born alive during abortions.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow

Wisconsin on its way to defunding abortions

     

Wisconsin lawmakers have sent a bill to Governor Scott Walker (R) that will limit the funds given to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
 
Matt Sande of Pro-Life Wisconsin reports that the budget bill includes a provision to keep $1 million from Planned Parenthood, the state's biggest abortion-provider, and it passed in both houses.

"What it does is [take] those family planning funds and requires them to go to public entities, county public health departments. And then, in turn, it prohibits those public entities, those county public health departments, from allocating any of the funds to organizations or their affiliates [that] perform or refer for abortion," he explains.

Though that does not defund Planned Parenthood, Sande says it is a good start. Also, another provision prohibits the University of Wisconsin hospital system from paying medical residents to train in performing abortions.

"They have...four two-week rotations for the medical residents in the OB-GYN department to go to the Planned Parenthood facility, the abortion mill in Madison, to train to do abortions," the Wisconsin pro-lifer details. "Obviously, that's reprehensible. And to add insult to injury, they're using state funds to do it."

The bill also bars the hospital from performing late-term abortions. In addition, the current program of providing free taxpayer-funded birth control to 15- to 17-year-olds without parents' knowledge or consent will end.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow

Planned Parenthood displays real priorities

     

Indiana Planned Parenthood, which lost $3 million in state funding, is halting services to Medicaid patients.
 
Planned Parenthood took that action pending a federal court decision. At issue is a newly signed law that halts state funds for any abortion-provider. Sue Swayze of Indiana Right to Life tells OneNewsNow Planned Parenthood made a poor choice.
 
"As our governor is fond of saying, they could have simply stopped providing abortions in order to comply with the new law," the pro-lifer explains, "but instead [they] have chosen to stop serving women's health patients and keep the abortion side of the house." Swayze calls that "a telling statement of where their priorities lie."
 
Does that mean Medicaid patients will have to do without breast exams, pap tests, birth control, and other healthcare services Planned Parenthood provided?
 
"Absolutely not," responds the activist. "In fact, Indiana has over 800-plus Medicaid providers throughout the state as well as upwards of 100 freestanding family planning clinics -- Title X, and other kinds of family planning clinics. There are lots of other providers."
 
Swayze also says one would hope Planned Parenthood would care enough about its clients to refer them to other facilities where they can get the medical assistance, rather than just dumping them. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is threatening to halt all Medicaid funding to Indiana.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow

U.S. House Votes to Prevent Telemedicine Grants from Covering Abortion Pill

     

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an agriculture spending bill Thursday, and included an amendment to prevent the telemedicine funds in the measure from covering telemed abortions.

Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa were the first in the country to sell so-called telemed abortions, in which an abortionist in another location consults with a woman over a webcam and then uses a remote control to open a drawer containing RU-486 for her to take. The woman and the abortionist never meet in person.

"I applaud the House of Representatives for passing my important pro-life amendment," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. "American taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize abortions, and federal telemedicine grants should not be used to enable abortion providers like Planned Parenthood to dispense the RU-486 abortion drug.

"My amendment ensures that no telemedicine grant money in the Agriculture Appropriations bill will be spent for any purpose that enables abortionists to perform 'telemed abortions.' Cutting off this source of funding for this procedure will save the lives of women and unborn babies."

At least six women have died in the U.S. in connection with RU-486, and at least 950 cases of serious side effects have been reported.

Source: CitizenLink

'Bringing America Back to Life' Annual National Right to Life Convention Returns to Florida

     

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of 50 state affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, brings its annual convention back to the Sunshine State June 23-25, at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida.  The convention last came to Florida in 1998.

Every summer pro-life individuals from across the country and around the world gather at the National Right to Life convention to exchange ideas, share information and join together in the common goal of ensuring protection for all innocent human life.  Attendees include leaders of National Right to Life's chapters and state affiliates, veteran pro-life activists and new members who have only recently taken up the cause of life.

"The National Right to Life Convention truly is the premiere pro-life educational event of the year," said National Right to Life President Carol Tobias.  "Every attendee -- from the most seasoned activist to the newest members of our movement -- will leave empowered with information about abortion, assisted suicide, embryo-killing research, and the Obama health care law and will be motivated to share that information in their own communities."

This year's convention is hosted by National Right to Life's Florida affiliate, Florida Right to Life, and offers more than 70 workshops and general sessions featuring experts who will address the broad spectrum of pro-life issues.

Guest speakers at this year's convention include National Right to Life President Carol Tobias, Executive Editor of The Weekly Standard and Fox News Contributor Fred Barnes, former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson,  recording artist Jaime Thietten, abortion survivor Melissa Ohden, author Angela Franks, Ph.D., ethicist Steven Zielinski, M.D., J.D., and photojournalist Michael Clancy.  The convention will also feature a Republican presidential candidate forum on Friday morning.

Additionally, American Victims of Abortion, an outreach program of National Right to Life, will mark its 25th anniversary with a series of workshops exploring the impact of abortion on both women and men in the country and the very real prevalence of post-abortion syndrome among women who have had abortions.

National Teens for Life (NTL) will also hold its 26th annual convention concurrently with workshops and sessions geared specifically toward educating and mobilizing the next generation of pro-life activists.

Reporters MUST have credentials in order to attend the convention.  To register for credentials, complete and return the form available here or call Jessica Rodgers in the NRLC Communications Department at (202) 626-8825.  An informal breakfast briefing will be held for reporters at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 23rd.  Please note on the form, or when you call, if you will be attending the breakfast briefing.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of 50 state right-to-life affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, NRLC works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

National Right to Life Convention 2011
June 23-25 -- Jacksonville, Florida -- Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront
"Bringing America Back to Life!"

--  Major Sessions  --

Thursday, June 23, 2011

10:00 - 11:30 am
Opening General Session & Welcome
"Bringing America Back to Life!"
Fred Barnes, Executive Editor The Weekly Standard and FoxNews Contributor
Carol Tobias, NRLC President
Hon. Lynda Bell, NRLC Vice-Chairman of the Board
Special Tribute to Dr. Mildred Jefferson, former NRLC President

12:45 - 2:15 pm
General Session
"Planned Parenthood: The Hyper-Political, Under-Regulated, Out-of-Control Mega-Marketer of Abortion"
Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood Director
Randall K. O'Bannon, Ph.D., NRLC Director of Education and Research
Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D., NRLC Director of State Legislation
Reverend Dennis C. Day, NRLC Treasurer

Friday, June 24, 2011

7:30  - 9:00 am 
Annual Prayer Breakfast
"The Apathy is Killing Me!"
Melissa Ohden, abortion survivor
Bishop Felipe Estevez, Diocese of St. Augustine
Music by recording artist Jaime Thietten
Ernest L. Ohlhoff, NRLC Director of Outreach

9:30  - 11:30 am           
NRLC Republican Presidential Candidate Forum
Carol Tobias, NRLC President
David O'Steen, Ph.D., NRLC Executive Director
Darla St. Martin, NRLC Co- Executive Director
Confirmed: Herman Cain, Hon. Rick Santorum, Hon. Ron Paul

Saturday, June 25, 2011

9:30 - 11:00 am
General Session   
"Fighting Denial of Life-Saving Treatment"
Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network
Suzanne Schindler Vitadamo, Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network
Burke Balch, J.D., Director, NRLC Powell Center for Medical Ethics
David N. O'Steen, Ph.D., NRLC Executive Director

8:00 - 11:00 pm
Closing Banquet
"In the Blink of an Eye -- How One Photo Changed the Abortion Debate"
Michael Clancy, Photojournalist
Hon. Geline B. Williams, NRLC Chairman of the Board
Music by recording artist Jaime Thietten

Contact: Derrick Jones or Jessica Rodgers
Source: National Right to Life Committee

Embryonic stem cells only create false hope

     

Research demonstrates that embryonic stem cells are not an effective resource for treatment and create false hope for a cure, according to a professor from the University of Milan, in Italy.

"This situation helps to nourish the uncritical mentality that demonizes any attempt at regulation as anti-scientific and against progress. Moreover, 'stem' has become a sort of magic word that gives added value to everything from cosmetics to the most absurd therapeutic ideas," said professor Augusto Pessina of the University of Milan.

The professor's remarks were published in a June 14 article in the Vatican daily, L'Osservatore Romano.

In May of this year, the German government ordered the closure of the XClinic, which provided treatment for cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and spinal cord conditions, after an 18-month-old baby died in October of 2010 from an injection of embryonic stem cells into the brain.

A few months earlier, a 10-year-old child was left severely disabled after undergoing a similar procedure.

Pessina pointed to these cases in his article titled, "Hope is not nourished by lies."

"There is a lot of false information and lies in stem cell biomedicine, whether about biological knowledge or clinical applications," he said.

He noted that one can find hundreds of sites on the internet that make "unrealistic promises" to cure "almost any pathology" with "at best therapies that have not been approved or that in other cases are useless or even dangerous to one's health."

The Committee for Advanced Therapies in Europe has already warned that this phenomenon "contributes to the discrediting of proper scientific research carried out in accord with ethical norms," such as research with umbilical cord stem cells, which have been shown to be effective in various therapies.

Pessina said "correct and honest information" is urgently needed to prevent more unethical cases.
He went on to denounce the media for uncritically applauding procedures that have not been verified, thus causing biomedical information to be poorly received and "generating in patients and family members unfounded hopes and bitter disappointments."

"Lies must not be used to raise the hopes of the sick," he warned. 

On the other hand, he pointed to the case of France, where several days ago research with embryonic stem cells was prohibited despite protests that called the decision obscurantist and contrary to freedom of research.

"In biological research today—where the principle that whatever can be technically done is licit seems to rule—the French law represents a courageous move that seeks to defend the dignity of the human person," Pessina stated.

Source: CNA/EWTN News