April 23, 2010

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.

You Don't Know Jack Movie portraying Jack Kevorkian starting Al Pacino.

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 (picture from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival)

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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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 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!

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

Dr. Hans Keirstead confronts CBR's Gregg Cunningham, with Keirstead's portrait in the background.

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

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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NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY


Vatican Will Finance Adult Stem Cell Research

Vatican Will Finance Adult Stem Cell Research

The Vatican will finance new research into the potential use of adult stem cells in the treatment of intestinal and possibly other diseases, officials announced Friday.
 
The project is at a very preliminary phase and it will be years before any clinical treatment might be available, the officials said.
 
Cardinal Renato Martino said the Vatican fully supports the project because it does not involve embryonic stem cells.
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Obama Wants Another Baby Killer On The Supreme Court


Obama Wants Another Baby Killer On The Supreme Court

Obama forcefully stated his desire to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who supports abortion rights, saying Wednesday that it is "very important" to have a justice who interprets the Constitution as protecting individual rights, including women's. Obama was careful to say that he would impose no litmus test on potential nominees. But he made it clear during a meeting with Senate leaders that he would take into account a candidate's views on the constitutionality of abortion. Asked whether he would consider someone who opposes abortion rights, Obama replied: "I am somebody who believes that women should have the ability to make often very difficult decisions about their own bodies and issues of reproduction."
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La. House Backs Ban On Insurance for Abortions

Louisiana House of Representatives

The Louisiana House has backed a prohibition on health insurance coverage for elective abortions in the state. The Jindal administration had described the measure by Republican Rep. Frank Hoffmann as a bill to prohibit elective abortions in the state purchasing pools set up by the federal health overhaul legislation. But the bill goes further, also banning elective abortion coverage by private insurers. The House voted 76-13 for the proposal, sending it to the Senate.
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North Dakota Approves Petition for Abortion Decapitation, Skull Crushing Ban


North Dakota Approves Petition for Abortion Decapitation, Skull Crushing Ban

A North Dakota grassroots pro-life organization is announcing the official beginning of an effort to circulate petitions for an initiated measure that would prohibit physicians from decapitating and crushing the skulls of living unborn children. 

‘The Baby Decapitation and Skull Crushing Ban’ was approved for circulation by the North Dakota Secretary of State and Attorney General on Thursday. Daniel Woodard, head of the state-wide Stop Decapitation Network, aims to collect 12,844 signatures in order to place the measure on the 2010 or 2012 ballot. The ban would become law if a majority of North Dakotans vote for it.
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April 22, 2010

Celebrate Nature's Greatest Gift!

Celebrate Nature's Greatest Gift!

CatholicVote.org took to the streets of Chicago to ask people what they thought of the Earth Day bus ads promoting life.

Catholicvote.org Pro-Life Earth Day bus ads, 2010

The pro-life earth day ads are rolling in Chicago. Watch the reaction.

Click here to see the video.

Source:
CatholicVote.org
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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President Vows to Pick Pro-Abortion Supreme Court Justice

President Vows to Pick Pro-Abortion Supreme Court Justice
 
President Vows to Pick Pro-Abortion Supreme Court Justice

Meeting with Senate leaders today, President Obama claimed he would have no abortion litmus test for his Supreme Court nominees, but he added a significant disclaimer.

"I will say that I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights and that includes women's rights," he said, "and this is going to be something that is very important to me."

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst with Focus on the Family Action, said it's more double-speak from the president.

"Anyone hearing or reading his non-litmus/litmus test quote must wonder whether he thinks we really can't see the duplicity involved," he said.  "He is going to deliver a pro-abortion nominee. Period."

Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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States Opt Out of Paying for Abortion in Health Care

States Opt Out of Paying for Abortion in Health Care

Pro-life group offers model legislation.

States Opt Out of Paying for Abortion in Health Care
 
Concern over federal funding of abortion in the health care reform law has prompted several states to move toward "opting out."

Tennessee is the first state to get a bill to its governor that prohibits taxpayers from funding abortion.  Lawmakers in Georgia, Oklahoma, Virginia and Louisiana are all considering similar measures.

Mary Harned, staff counsel with Americans United for Life, said AUL has model legislation ready for states to use, and many are taking advantage. 

"There are currently 15 states that are actively working toward getting this done," she said,  "and at least another 11 that we know of who are planning to do this.

Planned Parenthood has pledged to oppose the "opt out" bills, but many state officials say Congress overstepped its authority by passing the law in the first place.

"A lot of states feel that this is one area of abortion policies that has been very much in their control," said Harned.  "Now, they're having to allow these plans that cover abortions to participate in these new exchanges."

Notably, the federal government does not provide abortion coverage for its employees.

Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, said individual states must protect themselves and their constituents.

"No matter what their views," she said, "70 percent of Americans are saying they don't want federal funds, they don't want taxpayer funds of any sort paying for abortions."

Contact: Kim Trobee

Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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Pro-life group working to 'replace' congressmen who supported health care bill

Pro-life group working to 'replace' congressmen who supported health care bill

The Family Research Council Action PAC announced plans to raise $500,000 in an effort to “replace” self-described pro-life congressmen and women who voted in support of health care reform

The Family Research Council Action PAC announced plans to raise $500,000 in an effort to “replace” self-described pro-life congressmen and women who voted in support of health care reform.

On Tuesday, the pro-life political action group announced their “20 in '10”  initiative which will target districts across the U.S. with the aim of replacing the pro-life politicians in these areas who voted for the health care bill. 

“There are good reasons why organizations like ours decided to go the extra mile and create a political action committee as another arrow in its quiver,” said Connie Mackey, president of FRC Action PAC on Tuesday. “The thousands of families that we represent are more energized than ever to replace these so-called 'pro-life' Democrats who voted for a health care bill that for the first time in three decades uses taxpayer funds for abortion on demand.”

According to Congress.org, 11 of the 20 politicians whom the FRC Action PAC is seeking to replace are self-professed Catholics.

These 11 congressman and women include: Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa.), Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), Rep. Kathy Dahlemper (D-Pa.), Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio), Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.), Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), Rep. Carol Shea Porter (D-N.H.)  Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), and Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.).

“As pro-life and pro-family voters, we must work together to change the Congress, state governments and ultimately the White House in 2012,” Mackey asserted. “We cannot afford to put hard earned dollars into campaigns of people who 'grow in office' or cannot see their way under the pressure of party politics.”

The other nine targeted in the FRC Action PAC's 20 are: Rep. Gabriel Giffords (D-Ariz.), Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.), Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) and Rep. Alice Titus (D-Nev.).

Criticism against FRC Action's list of politicians arose on Tuesday after it became apparent that two of the targeted congressmen did not vote for the health care bill.

“There are only two people on the 20 in 10 list who didn't vote for the bill – Walt Minnick (ID-01) and Glenn Nye (VA-2),” said Tim Potter, director of Electoral Relations for FRC Action. “Our language on the site says the 20 in 10 list is an expanded list from our original one. Both Minnick and Nye were on the original list.”

“We are targeting them because they are in conservative districts and were swept into office because of mistakes by their opponents and the Obama electoral wave,” Potter explained. 

“It's time to replace this Congress, repeal the government takeover of health care and restore our Constitutional freedoms,” added Mackey. “FRC Action PAC has spent many months researching those races we see as vulnerable and that will have pro-life, pro-family candidates to fill the void.”
 
Source:
CNA
Publish Date: April 22, 2010
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NARAL's President Admits: Pro-Aborts Aging, Pro-Lifers Young and Zealous

NARAL's President Admits: Pro-Aborts Aging, Pro-Lifers Young and Zealous

NARAL's President Admits: Pro-Aborts Aging, Pro-Lifers Young and Zealous

The pro-life movement in America is growing in leaps and bounds, attracting young, zealous women to defend the unborn in droves - a fact that even the president of NARAL has now admitted.

NARAL's Nancy Keenan told Newsweek last week that she considers herself a member of the "postmenopausal militia" – a phrase that captures the situation of pro-abortion leaders who are aging across the board, including the leadership of Planned Parenthood, and the National Organization for Women. Newsweek's Sarah Kliff notes that "these leaders will retire in a decade or so."

Keenan also remarked on the enormity of this year's March for Life in Washington, D.C., and, according to Newsweek, is troubled that such passion has faded among the youth on her side of the movement.

"I just thought, my gosh, they are so young," Keenan said about stumbling on this year’s March for Life in Washington. "There are so many of them, and they are so young."

While March for Life estimates it drew 400,000 pro-lifers to Washington for this year's March, Planned Parenthood's "Stop Stupak" rally in December only drew about 1,300 attendees.

In addition, Newsweek revealed that NARAL's own research on American youth shows more reason for Keenan to worry: a survey conducted by the group found that, while 51 percent of pro-life voters under 30 considered abortion a "very important" voting issue, only 26 percent of abortion supporters in the same demographic felt similarly.

"Keenan is right to be worried," commented Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, to LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) this week.

"As more evidence proves the humanity of unborn babies and pain that abortion causes mothers and babies, more people will be pro-life," Wright said, adding that "pro-abortionists motivate by anger; pro-lifers are motivated by love" - a fact that appeals "especially to a generation that is desperate for the bonds of family."

Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America told LSN that the fears expressed by the pro-abortion giant are playing out visibly on college campuses, where she says pro-life groups are routinely more vigorous and longer-lasting than pro-abortion groups.

"That's exactly what we see every day on college campuses," said Hawkins. "We'll have pro-choice groups that spring up in reaction to the pro-life groups that are started on campus and those groups, they last maybe a year. The only purpose they serve is to be reactionary towards our pro-life students."

Hawkins noted that groups such as Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the Feminist Majority Network struggle to maintain campus chapters. "They all are incredibly well-funded, have a lot more money than Students for Life of America, yet none of them can [keep] active groups," she said.

"More and more, this generation treats abortion as a fundamental human rights violation," said Hawkins.

Katie Walker, Communications Director of the American Life League, has already made several appearances on television news shows as a spokesperson for the pro-life cause – and she only recently turned 24.

“Nancy Keenan and her aging ‘postmenopausal militia’ should be shaking in their combat boots," Walker told LSN. "Poll after poll has confirmed what the pro-life movement has known for a long time – young people are pro-life – young women especially are pro-life.

"Despite the pro-abortion movement’s stranglehold on the entertainment media, our educational institutions, our laws – they’re selling an unsustainable bill of goods.  They’re asking us to deny our womanhood and our femininity in exchange for a selfish me-first philosophy that has led too many of our friends, too many of our mothers to pain and suffering in the aftermath of their abortions, their divorces, their joyless corporate climb."

Young women, said Walker, "aren’t looking at the Nancy Keenans of the world and thinking – 'I want to be just like her some day.'" "They’re looking at the joy that comes with selflessly embracing life and human rights and dignity," she said.

"As Alice Von Hildebrand says – every woman whether single or married is called to be a mother in some way. Most young women I know, myself included, are looking at the joy on the faces of the young mothers in our lives and thinking – 'I want to be just like THAT some day.'"

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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Expulsion may await campus pro-lifers

Expulsion may await campus pro-lifers

In Canada, eight students at the University of Calgary are facing the possibility of expulsion for a pro-life display they set up on campus.


In Canada, eight students at the University of Calgary are facing the possibility of expulsion for a pro-life display they set up on campus. 

Earlier this month the club, Campus Pro-Life, set up a "Genocide Awareness Project" display on the Canadian school campus, an action the group claims they have done without incident eight times since 2006. But club president Leah Hallman says it was different this time around.
 
"Campus security came around and asked us to turn our signs inwards, and...we replied 'no' because that would be censoring us," she explains. "Then they asked us to leave and we again replied 'no,' knowing that we have the right to be on campus."
 
Hallman calls it "viewpoint discrimination" because other groups on campus are given the right to protest -- even groups that have displays as equally graphic as their displays.  But even at that, she thought the dispute was over.
 
"And we thought that this was kind of a closed issue because the university had charged us with trespassing in the past," she points out. "And that was taken to court and the charges were stayed by the Crown -- meaning that it was kicked out, effectively that we won; but apparently we were wrong."
 
Hallman says members of her group will continue to fight for the right to show their pro-life display. "We choose saving lives over our own school careers," she says.
 
Each student charged will have their own separate hearing with the university next week.

Contact: Bill Bumpas

Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: April 22, 2010
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Nebraska Governor Signs Pro-Life Measure

Nebraska Governor Signs Pro-Life Measure
 
Nebraska Governor Signs Pro-Life Measure

Gov. Dave Heineman signed the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act last week making Nebraska the first to ban abortions after 20 weeks.

LB 1103 asserts that pre-born children experience pain during an abortion.

Mary Spaulding Balch, state legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said research has shown that at 20 weeks, pre-borns have all the receptors necessary to feel pain. 

"Doctors who do routine surgery on unborn children now use anesthesia to make sure those unborn children do not feel pain," she said.

She expects the law will be challenged and may even make it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It will be the first time that the U.S. Supreme Court has been presented with the question of whether or not a state has a compelling interest in protecting the pain-capable unborn child."

Julie Schmidt-Albin, director of Nebraska Right to Life, says the law will also prevent a late-term abortionist from making good on an ominous promise.

"Leroy Carhart made no bones about the fact when George Tiller was killed last summer that he wanted to make Omaha, Nebraska, the late-term abortion capital of the Midwest."

The law goes into effect Oct. 15, 2010. 

Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY


State May Pay for Some RU-486 Use

RU-486

State-sponsored insurance coverage for RU-486, often called the abortion pill, but not most other forms of birth control, could be restricted under a bill on its way to the governor's desk, the state attorney general said Tuesday. Attorney General Robert Cooper said birth control could be covered by providers, but only if it works by preventing the implantation of an embryo. The opinion was released a day after lawmakers approved a ban on state-backed insurance coverage for abortion services within plans set up under the federal health-care reform law. The opinion means drugs such as RU-486, also known as mifepristone, could be covered when they are administered before implantation occurs, typically 12 to 16 days after fertilization. Beyond that point, use of the drug would be considered an abortion.
Click here for the entire article.


Words of Life

Euthanasia

Our neighbors to the north are debating the value of life. The latest round of heated talk comes after a Member of Parliament introduced a bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. Similar bills considered in the U.S. have failed in state legislatures, in large part due to the testimony of medical professionals who care for terminally and chronically ill patients.

One voice worth listening to in this debate is Dr. Bill Toffler. The Oregon physician knows firsthand how legalized assisted suicide can be abused, cause fear among patients and negatively impact the delivery of medical care.
Click here for the entire article.


Black Minister Forms PAC to Break Dems Party's 'Death Grip' on Black Community

Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr., retired attorney and Harvard Law graduate, is declaring political war on the Democrat Party and the liberal Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr., retired attorney and Harvard Law graduate, is declaring political war on the Democrat Party and the liberal Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the pro-life leader announced this week.

Bishop Jackson, who has fought for pro-life and pro-family causes for 25 years, formed STAND AMERICA PAC on April 1. The committee aims primarily to recruit and support conservative black candidates to run against liberals in Congressional Black Caucus districts.

"The black community has been deceived into voting for liberal black leadership which does not reflect their values," said Bishop Jackson in a press release Wednesday.
Click here for the entire article.

 

 

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April 21, 2010

Adoption Registry Bill Passes the Senate

Adoption Registry Bill Passes the Senate

-Now goes to Governor Quinn for signing into law.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn

Today, HB 5428 (The Adoption Registry bill) passed the Illinois Senate with a 36-16 vote with two Senators voting "Present" and five Senators placing a "No Vote".  A copy of the roll call can be view by clicking here.

This bill was an important bill that will increase the abortion rates in Illinois dramatically and the Senators who voted for this bill knew it.  The IFRL's Dawn Behnke and Ralph Rivera spent much of their time lobbying on this bill.  This bill in essence exposes the birth mother's identity, thus throwing away the anomininity that a troubled pregnant teen may be looking for when weighing her options between having an abortion or placing her baby up for adoption.  Furthuermore this bill goes to the extent of requiring the Department of Public Health to inform the public of the Illinois Adoption Registry through notices enclosed with driver's license renewal applications.

Governor Quinn is now the only step between this bill becoming a law.

You can contact Governor Quinn and ask him not to sign HB 5428 (ADOPT REGISTRY INFO BILL) with the information below...

Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244

Office of the Governor
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-2121

Click here to contact the governor online.

Source: Illinois Federation for Right to Life
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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'Idol Gives Back' -- To Pro-Abortion Groups

'Idol Gives Back' -- To Pro-Abortion Groups

"American Idol" is aligning itself with pro-abortion groups. Among the groups benefiting this year's "Idol Gives Back" fund-raising campaign are Save the Children and the United Nations Foundation.

Once again, "American Idol" is aligning itself with pro-abortion groups. Among the groups benefiting this year's "Idol Gives Back" fund-raising campaign are Save the Children and the United Nations Foundation. "Idol Gives Back," which airs tonight, will feature several celebrities who will urge Americans to make a donation.

Save the Children has a working relationship with what it calls "prominent international organizations." Several of these groups are actively pro-abortion, including Better World Fund, Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International, and the U.S. Committee for UNICEF.

In 2001, Save the Children worked with Planned Parenthood, the Population Action Council, and the pro-abortion Audubon Society on its five-year "Planet Campaign." Funded by the rabidly pro-abortion/ population control David and Lucile Packard and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations, the purpose of the campaign was to "raise awareness of the connections between international family planning and the health of children, women and the environment." The Planet Campaign used television and print advertising, community outreach, special events, and other activities to spread its message. Save the Children said the campaign's website provided "an international forum for discussion of, and action on, women's reproductive health---including family planning---in various countries and diverse cultures around the world."

Save the Children has stated that "family planning" has been a "critical component" of its work for nearly 20 years. The group quoted a UNICEF document which stated that "family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race." Save the Children noted that the report identified "access to family planning" as a "key factor contributing to maternal and child survival and well-being."

Several divisions of the United Nations have donated funds to Planned Parenthood and the body has wholeheartedly embraced its abortion and population control agenda.

"It is laudable that the people involved with 'American Idol' want to help the poor," said LDI President Douglas R. Scott, Jr. "But it is tragic that they would choose to do so through groups like the Save the Children and the United Nations Foundation. These groups have far too much deadly baggage." Of course, what many people do not know, because "American Idol" has not chosen to mention it, is that Simon Cowell is the chief executive officer of International Save the Children. This is surely why Save the Children was selected as a recipient charity.

"'American Idol' should stop using the contestants to raise money for groups when they are keeping the activities of these charities a secret," Scott said. "'American Idol' should practice full disclosure and give those contestants who may wish to decline participation in 'Idol Gives Back' the opportunity to do so without repercussions."

"If you believe the plight of preborn children is as important as the plight of the poor, do not participate in 'Idol Gives Back,'" Scott urged. "We are caring people who want to do our part to help those less fortunate, but we will do so through organizations that do not view the killing of human beings as a 'solution' to poverty and other adult-created problems."

It is worth noting that "American Idol" recently supported a fund-raising campaign by Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles.

Source: Life Decisions International
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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Another Undercover Video Shows Kentucky Abortuary Failing to Report Child Sex Abuse

Another Undercover Video Shows Kentucky Abortuary Failing to Report Child Sex Abuse

Lila Rose and actor Jackie Stollar, who posed undercover as minors, with Rose telling the staff that she was 14-years-old and impregnated by her 31-year-old “boyfriend."  

As part of the latest installation in a long stream of evidence against abortion centers nationwide, the student-led pro-life group Live Action released footage Wednesday of Kentucky’s only abortion provider, EMW Women’s Surgical Center, ignoring the sexual abuse of a child and giving misleading abortion counseling.  (Click here for the video)

The footage was taken by Live Action President Lila Rose and actor Jackie Stollar, who posed undercover as minors, with Rose telling the staff that she was 14-years-old and impregnated by her 31-year-old “boyfriend."

In the video, the EMW counselor named “Wendy” determines that Rose is “14 to 15-weeks pregnant,” and Rose expresses that she wants to keep the situation secret from her parents. Though Rose gave no indication that she would face abusive parents, the clinic directs Rose to call Louisville attorney Mickey Adams so that she can obtain a judicial bypass around Kentucky’s parental consent law and avoid parental knowledge of the abortion or sexually abusive relationship.

In the state of Kentucky, sex between a 14-year-old and a 31-year-old is rape in the third degree and would reasonably be considered sexual abuse of a child, which must be reported to law enforcement immediately. The clinic failed to ask the questions necessary to file a child sexual abuse report, and did not communicate to Rose about the illegal or dangerous nature of her sexual relationship.

Instead, "Wendy" assures the girl by telling her that "we have minors in here all the time" and that the lawyer "doesn't think it's gonna be a big deal getting you a judicial bypass."

Rose, a UCLA student, says this sort of disregard for the law is typical at abortion centers.

“In abortion clinics across the country, our undercover videos document the widespread cover up of sexual abuse. Abortion clinics like EMW in Louisville center attempt to fast track underage abortions on vulnerable girls, shut out parents, and blatantly ignore their legal obligation to report the sex predator to police,” says Rose.

Live Action has previously released videos of statutory rape cover-up at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics in Bloomington, IN, Indianapolis, IN, Memphis, TN, Birmingham, AL, Los Angeles, CA, Tucson, AZ, Phoenix, AZ, and Milwaukee, WI. Prompted by a Live Action video, the Alabama Health Department placed the Birmingham clinic on probation after conducting its own investigation, which found 9 legal violations.

Rose urges officials in Kentucky to follow suit. “State authorities need to investigate this Louisville abortion clinic and hold them accountable to the law,” Rose insists. “Until they do, young girls will be put at risk of continued sexual abuse.”

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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Vaccines made with fetal cells causing autism?

Vaccines made with fetal cells causing autism?

An EPA study published February 16 in Evironmental Science & Technology found that a marked increase in the incidennce of autism began in 1988

Well, hm. I've never heard this angle before, but it makes total, creepy sense.

An EPA study published February 16 in Environmental Science & Technology (click here for a pdf of the study) found that a marked increase in the incidence of autism began in 1988. See its table above; click to enlarge.

The study found, "Although the debate about the nature of increasing autism continues, the potential for this increase to be real and involve exogenous environmental stressors exists."

According to the April newsletter of the Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute, this is the year the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices added a 2nd dose of the MMR vaccine to its recommendations.

SCPI found 3 "change points" in autism trends - 1981, 1988, and 1995. And here is what correlated to those years:

SCPI found 3 "change points" in autism trends - 1981, 1988, and 1995. And here is what correlated to those years

I've always read it was mercury in vaccines that was implicated in autism, although many studies state this isn't true. According to the SCPI newsletter:

    Interestingly,the vaccines that can be associated with the autism trend change points never contained mercurcy, and some animal produced vaccines used universally in the US before 1979 contained levels of mercury as high, if not higher, than current levels.

In light of the EPA's findings, American Life League today joined SCPI in calling for a Fair Labeling and Informed Consent Act.

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the same sort of ideological culprits we see covering up the abortion-breast cancer link are also involved here. This would be a huge, huge blow to embryonic stem cell experimentation, for instance. That, and/or big pharma sees huge class action lawsuits on the horizon if this is proven.

Right to Life of MIchigan has posted 2 easy to read charts listing vaccines made with aborted fetal stem cell lines and their moral and potentially safer alternatives.

That virus-laden DNA of aborted babies could be wreaking havoc on the DNA of healthy children is completely plausible.

Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: April 21, 2010
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Neb. fetal pain law could be game-changer

Neb. fetal pain law could be game-changer

Ultrasound of a baby

In the same way America's views on abortion were transformed by the debate over partial-birth abortion, a first-of-its-kind Nebraska law spotlighting unborn child pain could further change hearts and minds and eventually lead to a gutting of Roe v. Wade and its companion cases, pro-life leaders say.

The law bans nearly all abortions at or after 20 weeks because of fetal pain and is scheduled to go into effect Oct. 15. But it almost certainly will face a court challenge that its supporters hope ends up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The law is, these pro-lifers say, the next logical step in the abortion legal battles following a decade-long struggle over partial-birth abortion bans that resulted in a landmark Supreme Court victory in 2007. The law could be the most significant piece of pro-life legislation by a state legislature in years.

"The partial-birth abortion debate allowed us for the first time in 30 years to actually get the baby into the debate. This bill in Nebraska continues that debate," Mary Spaulding Balch, state legislation director for National Right to Life, told Baptist Press. "It continues the debate around the unborn child. I think that that is crucial to us ultimately winning protection for the unborn child."

The law does not seek to have all abortions banned but does strike at the heart of Supreme Court abortion precedent, particularly Roe's 1973 companion case Doe v. Bolton, which ruled that a woman could have an abortion if her physical, emotional or mental health was threatened. That definition of "health" created a giant loophole that allowed a woman to obtain an abortion during any month of her pregnancy for any reason, despite the fact that Roe itself said states could ban post-viability abortions except when it was necessary to "preserve the life or health of the mother."

The Nebraska law also strikes at Roe's holding that only post-viability abortions can be prohibited.

The law, passed by the state's unicameral legislature 44-5 and signed April 13 by Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, asserts there is "substantial medical evidence that an unborn child has the physical structures necessary to experience pain" by 20 weeks after fertilization. It says Nebraska has a "compelling state interest" in protecting unborn children when evidence indicates "they are capable of feeling pain."

If upheld and then copied by other states, the law could prohibit far more abortions than does the partial-birth abortion ban, which prohibited only a particular procedure. The Nebraska law allows for exceptions when the mother's life is threatened or when there is a "serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function."

"It is one of the first attempts to circumscribe the otherwise illimitable scope of the Doe v. Bolton health exception," Steven H. Aden, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, told BP. "It asserts the interest of the state not to allow the Bolton health exception to become the exception that swallows the rule."

It is sadly ironic, Aden said, that current federal law provides more protection for animals in slaughterhouses than it does for the unborn. Under the federal Humane Slaughter Act, certain livestock must be unconscious before they are killed.

"Even when you're about to slaughter them, the law requires that you do so in a way so that they don't feel pain," Aden said. "And if we're treating animals that way, why do we treat babies differently?"

One of the leading researchers in the subject of unborn child pain is Kanwaljeet Anand, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis) who helped break medical ground more than 25 years ago when he discovered that newborns -- just like adults -- could feel intense pain during operations and needed anesthesia. It was a common belief at the time that newborns' nervous systems did not feel pain as did adults and that any anesthesia would possibly be harmful. His research changed medical practice so much that today anesthesia is also used during operations on unborn children in utero. Anand's research in recent years led him to believe that unborn children feel pain by 20 weeks. He even argues that the unborn's sensitivity to pain may be more intense than that of adults.

National Right to Life's Balch says science should impact the abortion debate.

"This would be a case of first impression for the court because it has never been presented to the court before," she said. "Back in 1973 when Roe v. Wade was foisted upon us, the scientific information that we had about the developing unborn child was not as developed. There has been an explosion in science in what we know about that unborn child. We even now have a window to the womb with 4-dimensional ultrasound. We also have surgery on children in utero.

"What the state of Nebraska is saying to the Supreme Court is, 'We have new evidence that was not before the court before and we think we have a compelling interest in the life of that child.'"

The 1973 medical data cited in Roe is obsolete, stating that "viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks." Thanks to modern technology, babies born at 22 and 23 weeks have survived. In 2007 a baby born at 21 weeks and six days survived.

Pro-lifers hope the law -- even if it is struck down -- will change minds about abortion, just like the debate over partial-birth abortion did. In February 1995, nine months before a partial-birth abortion ban first passed the U.S. House of Representatives, 33 percent of adults in a Gallup poll said abortion should be legal "under any circumstances." By August 1997 -- just prior to President Clinton vetoing a partial-birth bill for the second time -- that number had dropped to 22 percent, and it stands today at 21 percent.

Similarly, self-described pro-choicers topped pro-lifers 56-33 percent in a 1995 Gallup poll -- a stat that reversed itself last year, when 51 percent described themselves as pro-life, 42 percent pro-choice.

"The American people were shocked [at partial-birth abortion]," Balch said. "You looked at all the polling before and after the debate and the American people have really moved because of that information."

Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, wrote that a "national discussion on the topic of 'fetal pain' can only help the pro-life movement."

If the case makes it to the Supreme Court, the pivotal vote figures to be Justice Anthony Kennedy, who in the past voted to uphold Roe v. Wade but who also wrote the majority opinion in the 2007 case upholding the federal partial-birth abortion ban.

"I think based on the current makeup of the court, even with [Justice John Paul] Stevens retiring, that we would have five justices who would give serious consideration to what Nebraska is saying," Balch said.

Contact: Michael Foust
Source: BP
Publish Date: April 20, 2010
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Young women honored with pro-life award share their stories

Young women honored with pro-life award share their stories

Laura Peters, Marjorie Dannenfelser, Jill Sanders, Mary Ellen Bork, and Genevieve Wood. (l tor) Photo courtesy of SBA List.

At its annual gala, the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List recently honored several young women for their advancement of the pro-life cause. CNA interviewed two of the young women, Jill Sanders and Laura Peters, who candidly discussed how they were drawn to work in the pro-life movement. The two also detailed the negative effects of abortion and urged young women not to be “deceived” by organizations such as Planned Parenthood.

On March 24, the Susan B. Anthony List held their third annual Campaign for Life gala in Washington D.C., honoring five young women with the Susan B. Anthony Young Leader Award.

Jill Sanders, 28, is the producer of EWTN's youth program, “Life on the Rock”. Her job description includes coordinating guests on the show to discuss matters of faith, and often the pro-life cause. She has also produced segments on the annual March for Life for the “Life on the Rock” program.

Sanders said that although she was raised in a pro-life home, “I didn’t really own my pro-life views until I was a freshman in college at a state university.”

“My 18-year-old roommate got pregnant during our first semester away at school,” she explained. “Despite years of proclaiming that I was pro-life, this was the first time I was faced with a real situation where a dear friend had to make a choice.”

“She decided to have an abortion, and I supported her,” Sanders recalled. “I put myself in her shoes and knew that I wouldn’t be able to raise a baby, when I was barely old enough to vote! How would she finish school, get a job, or ever find a man that would love her and her child?”

After she went home for Christmas break, Sanders remembers feeling “overwhelmingly guilty” for advising her friend to have abortion.

“I imagined the void in my life, had my brother’s biological parents chosen abortion,” she said. “I spent a month doing research about the effects of abortion on the woman, the abortion procedure itself, fetal development, and what the Catholic Church taught about life issues.”

After emailing her friend “almost daily” on the information she discovered, Sanders prayed fervently that she would change her mind.

“She did,” Sanders recalled. “And now her son is 10 years old and the greatest joy of her life. All of the obstacles that a scared pregnant 18-year-old thought she’d never overcome, she has, with flying colors.”

“She finished school. She got a great job. She got married to a wonderful man. And lives a full and happy life.”

On what influenced her decision to begin work in advancing the pro-life cause, Sanders explained that seeing “my friend’s difficult decision to choose life for her son catapulted me to become more actively pro-life and more actively Catholic. I started attending daily Mass and praying every day for an end to abortion. I prayed that scared pregnant women would have the same strength and courage that my friend had.”

Laura Peters, also a recipient of the SBA List Young Leader award, told CNA that up until a year ago, she had been “plagued with a sense of restlessness” before her involvement with the pro-life movement.

Although the 23-year-old says she “yearned to give my life to something greater,” Peters recalled spending “several years switching from one plan to another as I attempted to discern my vocation.”

At 21, Peters became engaged to the man of her “dreams.”

“Not wanting to let him slip away, I became determined to suppress the nagging voice in the back of my mind that kept telling me there was 'something else I was supposed to do first' before assuming the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood,” Peters recounted. “I even stopped praying for guidance out of fear that the answer was one I didn’t want to hear.”

Peters said she felt a distinct call become involved with the pro-life movement when she attended a Students for Life of America conference in January 2009. Following her time at the conference, it “gradually became apparent over the next six weeks that none of my future plans were going to be compatible with following my conscience.”

“Despite my best efforts to avoid having to make any sacrifices, in the end it all came down to a fork in the road, two very distinct paths, and a choice that was nothing short of excruciating,” Peters added.

“Considering that I had absolutely no game plan whatsoever at that point, it was beyond question the most terrifying leap of faith I’ve ever made. As it turned out in the end, however, my journey over the past year has strengthened my faith tremendously – God has showered me with blessings beyond my wildest expectations.”

Peters serves as president of the statewide pro-life organization Alabama Students for Life. In April 2009, she coordinated the first Alabama Students for Life Statewide Conference, which drew student participants from across the state and included several different pro-life organizations.

“I just accepted a job offer from Priests for Life in NYC, where I will be working with their lay outreach ministry known as The Missionaries of the Gospel of Life,” Peters said. “My dream is to specialize in inter-organizational cooperation and promote an increased level of collaboration within the movement.”

Speaking on the negative effects of abortion, Sanders and Peters shared their perspectives with CNA.

“It is a woman’s natural urge to be protective of her children,” Sanders asserted. “If a woman is pregnant and the child is wanted, then it is a baby in her womb. If a woman is pregnant and the baby is unwanted, then it’s just a blob of tissue. I think most women instinctively know how wrong this flawed line of thought is. I think most women know that abortion ends the life of their child.”

In addition to many physical problems that abortion can cause, it can also “result in severe emotional consequences,” Sanders said.

“Post abortive women have an increase in drug and alcohol use and an increase in suicidal thoughts,” Sanders noted. “But Planned Parenthood says 'this is not true.' Who are we to believe? These women who are sharing their personal experiences? Or an organization that is making many-millions of dollars every year from scared pregnant women?”

Peters echoed Sanders, saying that “I would urge young women not to be deceived by the rhetoric used by Planned Parenthood, but instead to seek the truth for themselves. They should remember that empty promises, lies & half-truths are the Enemy's favorite tools of deception.”

“Abortion is oftentimes such a hidden evil in society that my goal is simply to do anything I can to spread the truth.”

Source: CNA
Publish Date: April 20, 2010
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Illinois Federation for Right to Life
2600 State Street, Suite E
Alton, IL 62002

Phone: 618-466-4122
Fax: 618-466-4134
Web: www.ifrl.org
E-mail: mail@ifrl.org