January 21, 2011

Legislation introduced to permanently prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion

     Legislation introduced to permanently prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion

Legislation which would permanently prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion across all federal programs is "one of our highest legislative priorities," the new Speaker of the House has said in his introduction to the legislation.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Joe Pitts (R-Penn.) held a press conference on Jan. 20 to discuss the introduction of H.R. 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act."

Speaker Boehner said the new Republican majority is keeping its commitment to taxpayers by "ensuring their tax dollars are never used to fund abortions."

He said an abortion funding ban is "the will of the people and ought to be the law of the land."

Rep. Smith cited a Quinnipac University poll that found 67 percent of taxpayers oppose publicly funded abortion and a Guttmacher Institute study that shows when abortion is not publicly funded, abortions in the covered population are reduced by about 25 percent.

"Our new bill is designed to permanently end any U.S. government financial support for abortion whether it be direct funding or by tax credits or any other subsidy," he continued.

While present federal funding regulations contain restrictions on abortion, many of these restrictions must be renewed annually.

Rep. Smith noted that the new bill also protects conscience rights of individuals and institutions by giving courts the authority to "prevent and redress actual or threatened violations of conscience."

He cited the example of Cathy DeCarlo, a nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York who was compelled despite her strong religious and moral objections to assist in a dilation and extraction abortion. Though she sued on the grounds that her right to conscience had been violated, her case was dismissed because federal law does not provide penalties for the way she was treated.

The U.S. bishops have urged the passage of legislation to amend the 2010 health care legislation called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to prevent it explicitly from either providing abortion directly, or funding health care plans and community health centers that do so.

Contact: Kevin J. Jones
Source: CNA/EWTN News

House GOP gives prominence to pro-life initiatives


The House GOP exerted momentous efforts to support the sanctity of human life this week.

First came the vote to repealObamacare, which passed 245-189. (Read LifeNews.com for Senatestrategy.)

Then yesterday came the 3rd and 4th bills I recently identified as coming down the pike, and not in a mealy way. The No Tax-Payer Funding for Abortion Act was given one of the top 10 bill numbers, indicating its importance, HR 3. And Speaker Boehner held a press conference to roll it out. Politico reported:

Republicans are turning to abortion as a key issue to rally their base as they attempt to replace the Democrats' health reform law.

The high-profile introduction of a Republican anti-abortion bill – just hours after the health repeal vote and prior to any legislation on jobs or economy – has groups on both sides of the issue gearing up for another aggressive fight.

The No Tax-Payer Funding for Abortion Act, introduced Thursday as H.R. 3, aims to codify the Hyde Amendment, which has long barred federal funding for abortion and must currently be renewed every year. The legislation was introduced in tandem with the Protect Life Act, sponsored by Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Joseph Pitts (R-PA), that would specifically bar any federal funding for abortion under the health reform law.

"This common sense legislation reflects the will of the people and deserves the support of the House," House Speaker John Boehner said at a Thursday morning press conference. "It's one of highest legislative priorities and as such I've directed it receive the designation of H.R. 3."

The new legislation will no doubt keep health reform on the front burner, as House Republicans look for specific provisions of the law they can tackle that will resonate with voters. While independent fact check organizations have concluded that the health reform does not allow for federal funding of abortion, Republicans remain insistent that the language is too loose and thepossibility for funding does indeed remain.

The high-profile treatment of this taxpayer funding bill has abortion-rights supporters bracing for yet another battle on the Hill.

"This is a very serious threat," Planned Parenthood PresidentCecile Richards told Politico in a Thursday morning interview. "These folks have just taken office and this is what they're focusing on…Based on what we're seeing, just few days after the start of Congress, we're absolutely ready for a very serious fight."

To be sure, anti-abortion legislation is often introduced with much fanfare only to fizzle in committee, never making it to the House floor. Even the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Bill was introduced last session only to die in committee.

But those involved on both sides of the abortion issue say things are different in the 112th Congress for two key reasons: the high priority that Republicans have given the issue as well as the influx of anti-abortion members of Congress into both the House and Senate.

In a telling move, Speaker Boehner held his press conference to discuss the abortion legislation hours before an appearance with House committee chairs to outline their approach to dismantling the health reform law. The legislation was well-timed for anti-abortion activists, who will mark the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on January 22 with their annual March for Life, scheduled for this coming Monday.

"Our members feel very strongly about the sanctity of human life," Boehner said. "We listened to the American people. We made a commitment to the American people under the Pledge to America and we're continuing to fulfill our commitment."

Boehner himself has frequently spoken of his admiration of Rep.Henry Hyde, the anti-abortion Congressman after whom the Hyde Amendment is named. He was given Americans United for Life's annual Defender of Life award this past summer.

The commitment to anti-abortion issues seems to be shared by the Republican House leadership. Their Pledge to America, an outline of their agenda released in September, included a promise to codify the Hyde Amendment. This was a striking departure from the Republicans' 1994 Contract with America, which made no such mention of abortion policy.

"The fact that it is designated as HR 3 speaks volumes about priorities," said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the main sponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Bill. "This leadership under speaker Boehner, right on down the line of the Republican leadership, believes in this. this is not about political expediency."

"We intend to move that bill quickly through our committee," Energy and Commerce Chair Fred Upton (R-MI) added at a Thursday press conference, on Republican plans to replace health reform.

Anti-abortion groups are buoyed by the new legislation, and the increasing focus on social issues that the new Republican leadership has so far demonstrated.

"The strongly pro-life House leadership is listening. Taxpayer funding of abortion in the health care bill was a defining issue in the mid-term election," Susan B. Anthony List presidentMarjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement to Politico. "The House saw a net gain of 50 pro-life Members, sent to Washington to correct the injustice. The American people have called for laws that end taxpayer funding of abortion and the House is getting the job done."…

Rep. Dan Lipinksi (D-IL), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, pointed out at a Thursday Press Conference that some of health reform's high risk insurance pools had initially planned to cover abortion as a benefit.

"There was going to be funding for abortion until that was pointed out and only because people were looking very closely at this," he said.

The House of Representatives has 246 anti-abortion members, 155 who support abortion rights and 34 who fall somewhere in the middle, according to an analysis by NARAL Pro-Choice America. In the Senate, they rank 46 Senators as abortion opponents, 40 who support access and 14 who have a mixed records. If Senators who opposed abortion joined force with those who have a mixed record, it could potentially create a filibuster proof, 60-Senator majority.

"The Senate is moderate and has the opportunity to put the breaks on an anti-choice agenda," NARAL president Nancy Keenan toldPolitico in an interview. "We'll be working with them but we don't take anything for granted."

Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: JillStanek.com

January 20, 2011

Today's News Links

Abortion on the rise in the US
The US abortion rate rose 1% between 2005 and 2008, the number of abortions soared from 744,600 in 1973 to 1,608,600 in 1990, then declined to 1,206,200 in 2005. Between 2005 and 2008, the number rose to 1,212,400.

City of Hope Does 10,000th Adult Stem Cell Transplant

Adult stem cells continue to improve health and save lives around the world. One of the pioneering sites, City of Hope in Duarte, California, has now done its 10,000th adult stem cell transplant. It is one of the first transplant sites in the world to reach this milestone.

Actor plans ambitious pro-life clinic
Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui has announced plans to build the largest pro-life clinic in the US, in Los Angeles.

Banning Late-Term Abortion in Iowa Should Be a Priority for All Prolifers
What is better?  To ban some abortions or ban none because just banning some is incrementalism and not prolife enough?  That is a debate that is happening at the Iowa Statehouse and on the air waves.

Former Abortion Worker to Receive First Abortion Whistleblower Reward of $25,000
On the 38th memorial of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion in America, Operation Rescue's Abortion Whistleblower's Program will present a check to former abortion worker Kim Nichols for $25,000 as a reward for information which led to the arrest and conviction of an abortionist who broke the law.

The Pro-Aborts Of Homeland Security
NARAL Pro-Choice America, a pro-abortion advocacy group, has dedicated its annual report on "the status of reproductive rights in America" to Baby Murdering Lesbian Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for "her courage, principled stance, and commitment" to legalized abortion in America.

In-the-Womb Transplants with Adult Stem Cells

Transplanting adult stem cells into babies while still in the womb could potentially treat numerous genetic problems. Now researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have an answer–match the transplant to the mother.

Chinese Dissident Calls for Obama to ‘Imagine’ One of His Daughters ‘Has to Be Put to Death,' Just Like Under China's One-Child Policy


Chai Ling

Chinese human rights advocate Chai Ling (CNSNews.com photo/Penny Starr)

A survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China appealed to President Barack Obama during a press conference on Tuesday to push Chinese President Hu Jintao to end the practice of forcing women to have an abortion as part of China's one-child-per-couple policy.

"President Obama, we're speaking to you as the president of this great nation, we also speak to you as a great father for your two beautiful children," said Chai Ling, who came to the United States in 1990 and founded All Girls Allowed, a Christian organization that helps Chinese victims of forced abortions and sterilization in China and works to end the practices.

"Just imagine, just imagine, among your two beautiful children, all you are allowed to have is one; the other one has to be put to death," Ling said.

"And President Obama, just imagine, among your two beautiful girls, if none of them would be allowed to live because they are only, and only because they are girls."

Ling began her remarks by citing chilling statistics about the forced abortion and sterilization policy in China.

"As we gather here in Washington, over 35,000 forced and coerced abortions are taking place today in China; every 2.5 seconds a precious baby's life is taken; among every six baby girls, one will never be born simply because she is a girl; 500 women will commit suicide, at five times the world average rate; 3,000 baby girls are abandoned on street corners; and more than 200 children and women are trafficked into slavery," Ling said.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) (CNSNews.com photo/Penny Starr)

Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) invited Ling and a large group of human rights activists to take part in the press conference, timed to coincide with the visit of the Chinese president.

Activists included former political prisoners and families of Chinese dissidents who have been jailed and tortured or have disappeared. Forced abortion was described at the conference as violence in China directed at women and girls.

"I particularly want to mention Chinese women," Smith said. "The Chinese government's one-child-per-couple policy, with its attendant horrors of forced abortion campaigns and rampant sex-selective abortion, is, in scope and seriousness, the worst human rights abuse – the worst gender crime – in the world today.

"Few people outside China understand what a massive and cruel system of social control the one-child policy entails," said Smith, who is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and who, along with Wolf, has taken many humanitarian trips to China over the course of his more than 30 years in Congress.

"As the U.S. China Commission summarized, the system is 'marked by pervasive propaganda, mandatory monitoring of women's reproductive cycles, mandatory contraception, mandatory birth permits, coercive fines for failure to comply and . . . forced sterilization and abortion,'" Smith quoted.

Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women's Rights Without Frontiers who has testified before Congress on human rights and forced abortions in China, distributed a video that documents that violence against women.

"When I say forced abortion I mean women are literally dragged out of their homes and off the streets," Littlejohn says in the video. "They can be jailed in family planning jail cells, forced to abort children that they want and this can happen all the way up to the ninth month of pregnancy. Some of these forced abortions are so violent that the women themselves die along with their full-term babies."

Smith recounted the testimony of a Chinese woman who told the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress that she was forced to have an abortion.

"Since it did not come out as expected, they decided to cut my baby into pieces in my womb with scissors and then suck it out with a special machine," the woman said.  "I did not have any time to think as this most horrifying surgery began by force. I could hear the sound of the scissors cutting the body of my baby in the womb.

"Eventually, the journey in hell, the surgery, was finished, and one nurse showed me part of a bloody foot with her tweezers," the woman said.

"Through my tears, the picture of the bloody foot was engraved into my eyes and into my heart, and so clearly I could see the five small bloody toes," the woman said.  "Immediately the body was thrown into a trashcan.

"The one-child policy and forced abortion policy have killed millions of innocent lives in China," the woman said.

Ling also spoke of the U.S. celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. at the press conference.

"Yesterday we celebrated Dr. King's birthday," Ling said. "His passionate dream led to a generation and a world that restores life, value and dignity to all races. Today, we too have a dream," Ling said. "We dream a dream that will restore life, value and dignity to all children, all gender, in China and around the world.

"We dream a dream that tomorrow China's forced one-child policy will become history; we dream a dream that children will grow up with brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts; we dream a dream that all tears will be wiped from the faces of parents whose children were taken," Ling said.

Contact: Penny Starr
Source: 
CNSNews.com

Chinese Dissident Calls for Obama to ‘Imagine’ One of His Daughters ‘Has to Be Put to Death,' Just Like Under China's One-Child Policy

Chai Ling

Chinese human rights advocate Chai Ling (CNSNews.com photo/Penny Starr)

A survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China appealed to President Barack Obama during a press conference on Tuesday to push Chinese President Hu Jintao to end the practice of forcing women to have an abortion as part of China's one-child-per-couple policy.

"President Obama, we're speaking to you as the president of this great nation, we also speak to you as a great father for your two beautiful children," said Chai Ling, who came to the United States in 1990 and founded All Girls Allowed, a Christian organization that helps Chinese victims of forced abortions and sterilization in China and works to end the practices.

"Just imagine, just imagine, among your two beautiful children, all you are allowed to have is one; the other one has to be put to death," Ling said.

"And President Obama, just imagine, among your two beautiful girls, if none of them would be allowed to live because they are only, and only because they are girls."

Ling began her remarks by citing chilling statistics about the forced abortion and sterilization policy in China.

"As we gather here in Washington, over 35,000 forced and coerced abortions are taking place today in China; every 2.5 seconds a precious baby's life is taken; among every six baby girls, one will never be born simply because she is a girl; 500 women will commit suicide, at five times the world average rate; 3,000 baby girls are abandoned on street corners; and more than 200 children and women are trafficked into slavery," Ling said.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) (CNSNews.com photo/Penny Starr)

Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) invited Ling and a large group of human rights activists to take part in the press conference, timed to coincide with the visit of the Chinese president.

Activists included former political prisoners and families of Chinese dissidents who have been jailed and tortured or have disappeared. Forced abortion was described at the conference as violence in China directed at women and girls.

"I particularly want to mention Chinese women," Smith said. "The Chinese government's one-child-per-couple policy, with its attendant horrors of forced abortion campaigns and rampant sex-selective abortion, is, in scope and seriousness, the worst human rights abuse – the worst gender crime – in the world today.

"Few people outside China understand what a massive and cruel system of social control the one-child policy entails," said Smith, who is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and who, along with Wolf, has taken many humanitarian trips to China over the course of his more than 30 years in Congress.

"As the U.S. China Commission summarized, the system is 'marked by pervasive propaganda, mandatory monitoring of women's reproductive cycles, mandatory contraception, mandatory birth permits, coercive fines for failure to comply and . . . forced sterilization and abortion,'" Smith quoted.

Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women's Rights Without Frontiers who has testified before Congress on human rights and forced abortions in China, distributed a video that documents that violence against women.

"When I say forced abortion I mean women are literally dragged out of their homes and off the streets," Littlejohn says in the video. "They can be jailed in family planning jail cells, forced to abort children that they want and this can happen all the way up to the ninth month of pregnancy. Some of these forced abortions are so violent that the women themselves die along with their full-term babies."

Smith recounted the testimony of a Chinese woman who told the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress that she was forced to have an abortion.

"Since it did not come out as expected, they decided to cut my baby into pieces in my womb with scissors and then suck it out with a special machine," the woman said.  "I did not have any time to think as this most horrifying surgery began by force. I could hear the sound of the scissors cutting the body of my baby in the womb.

"Eventually, the journey in hell, the surgery, was finished, and one nurse showed me part of a bloody foot with her tweezers," the woman said.

"Through my tears, the picture of the bloody foot was engraved into my eyes and into my heart, and so clearly I could see the five small bloody toes," the woman said.  "Immediately the body was thrown into a trashcan.

"The one-child policy and forced abortion policy have killed millions of innocent lives in China," the woman said.

Ling also spoke of the U.S. celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. at the press conference.

"Yesterday we celebrated Dr. King's birthday," Ling said. "His passionate dream led to a generation and a world that restores life, value and dignity to all races. Today, we too have a dream," Ling said. "We dream a dream that will restore life, value and dignity to all children, all gender, in China and around the world.

"We dream a dream that tomorrow China's forced one-child policy will become history; we dream a dream that children will grow up with brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts; we dream a dream that all tears will be wiped from the faces of parents whose children were taken," Ling said.

Contact: Penny Starr
Source:
CNSNews.com

Speaker Boehner Hails Introduction of the 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act'

     Speaker Boehner Hails Introduction of the 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act'

Speaker Boehner: "This common-sense legislation reflects the will of the people and deserves the support of the House.  It is one of our highest legislative priorities.  As such, I have directed that it receive the designation of H.R. 3."

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) held a press conference today to discuss the introduction of the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," Pledge to America legislation that would codify the Hyde Amendment by permanently prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion across all federal programs.  During his opening remarks, Speaker Boehner announced that he has directed that this bill receive the designation of H.R. 3 as "one of our highest legislative priorities."

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Following are Speaker Boehner's opening remarks:

    "Our new majority has pledged to listen and focus on the will of the people.  We've begun to carry out this commitment by cutting our own budget and repealing the job-destroying health care law.

    "Today we're here to talk about keeping another commitment to the people -- and that is ensuring their tax dollars are never used to fund abortions.

    "A ban on taxpayer funding of abortion is the will of the people and ought to be the law of the land.  But current law -- particularly as enforced by this Administration -- does not reflect the will of the people.

    "Last year, we listened to the people through our America Speaking Out project, and they spoke out on this issue -- loudly and clearly.  So we included it in our Pledge to America, and today we begin to make good on that commitment.

    "Congressman Chris Smith has introduced bipartisan legislation that codifies the Hyde Amendment and other similar policies by permanently applying a ban on taxpayer funding of abortion across all federal programs.

    "This common-sense legislation reflects the will of the people and deserves the support of the House.  It is one of our highest legislative priorities.  As such, I have directed that it receive the designation of H.R. 3.  I appreciate Congressman Smith's steadfast leadership on this critical issue."


Contact:
Michael Steel, Brendan Buck, Kevin Smith

Christian Rock Band BarlowGirl to Headline First Ever National Pro-Life Youth Rally

     Christian Rock Band BarlowGirl to Headline First Ever National Pro-Life Youth Rally

Rock for Life, Students for Life, 40 Days for Life and Human Life Alliance are proud to host Christian Rock Band BarlowGirl as headliner of the first ever annual National Pro-Life Youth Rally. "We are so excited to play National Pro-Life Youth Rally," said Becca Barlow, guitarist for BarlowGirl, "It is our hope and prayer that our participation and performance will encourage youth to speak out and be compassionate for LIFE and Christlike in their efforts to restore protection for all children in the womb."

The first ever National Pro-Life Youth Rally will be taking place this Monday, Jan. 24th from 2-5pm at Lower Senate Park (1st. NE & D St. NE / 2 blocks north of the US Supreme Court) immediately following the annual Pro-Life March. The rally also features speakers Dr. Alveda King, David Bereit & Shawn Carney (40 Days for Life), Abby Johnson (author of Unplanned), Lila Rose (LiveAction), Kristan Hawkins (Students for Life), Erik Whittington (Rock for Life) and many others. "Young people are not just the future leaders of the pro-life movement," said Erik Whittington, Executive Director of Rock for Life, "but the current leaders of the movement. Young people can do amazing things and we will be educating, activating and uniting the youth to make a difference in their communities. Having BarlowGirl perform at our rally is going to bring such an awesome dimension. You will not want to miss this!"

Rock for Life, Students for Life, 40 Days for Life and Human Life Alliance are founding sponsors of National Pro-Life Youth Rally. For more information go to: www.NationalProLifeYouthRally.com

Contact: Erik Whittington
Source: Rock for Life,

Evidence against abortionist 'overwhelming'


Kermit GosnellAssociated Press video buttonQuestions are being raised about Pennsylvania abortion clinics after the arrest of an abortionist and nine employees. The abortionist and four of those employees now face murder charges.
 
Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell is accused in the death of one adult patient, as well as the deaths of seven viable babies born alive during abortions and stabbed to death with scissors. National Right to Life executive director Dr. David O'Steen calls the reports surrounding the case a reminder that the purpose of each abortion -- no matter how it is performed -- is to "deliberately and brutally take at least one innocent human life."
 
"The victims are helpless little members of the human family," he continues, "and this is equally true whether the killing is completed inside or outside of the womb." He is calling for Gosnell to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if the reports prove true.
 
Diane GramleyDiane Gramley, who heads the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, has little doubt police did "the right thing" in arresting Gosnell. "...Because the evidence is overwhelming when the brother of one of the adult victims said that the -- quote, unquote -- 'clinic' was filthy and bloody," she laments.
 
Gramley says one particularly appalling aspect of the case is that the state had not investigated the clinic since 1993, despite numerous complaints being lodged. "There needs to be review of the regulations," she remarks. "And if they need to be tightened, that's definitely something that should be addressed in light of this case -- and that should be addressed in the new legislature."
 
When investigators finally checked the facilities at Gosnell's Women's Medical Society early last year, they found numerous containers with the preserved remains of aborted babies. None of Gosnell's employees had medical training yet were apparently administering drugs to patients. The indictments also allege a high school student administered intravenous anesthesia with drugs that could have been lethal.

Contact:
Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow

Obamacare repeal could trim taxpayer funding of abortions

     Obamacare repeal could trim taxpayer funding of abortions     
Those who value life are hopeful that the Obamacare repeal that passed the U.S. House Wednesday could spark another effort to stopping taxpayer-funding of abortions.  But since in Illinois there are absolutely no restrictions on abortion, no parental notification law enforcement, and generous state funding of abortions, the effort may have minimal effect if passed, except for any federal funding that goes to health care clinics:
It was an issue that nearly derailed President Obama's national health care law: whether the plan would provide any federal funds for abortion. Now, as Republicans have taken up the effort to repeal the law, the issue has returned to the forefront.

Before the law was passed, pro-life advocates argued that nothing would stop taxpayer dollars from being used to finance abortions through insurance subsidies. Obama and his congressional allies struck a compromise with pro-life Democrats to get the law passed. In return for their support, the president signed an executive order restating his promise to use no federal monies for abortion.
But now, activists see a chance to tighten restrictions.
But didn't the Obama executive order restrict funding of abortions?  Prolife lawmakers and activists are skeptical, and suspect the money is being funneled for the same use under another guise:
"One way or another, taxpayer money will help and assist abortions that will occur as a result of Obamacare," said Rep. John Fleming, a Louisiana Republican who is also a physician.
Fleming says he's concerned about $11 billion slated to fund community health centers. 
More in Fox News.

Source: Illinois Review

Pro-Life Conference Brings Together Illinois Activists, National Speakers

SpeakOut Illinois Program Aims to Equip Attendees to Defend Life and Family
Speak Out Illinois 2011

A coalition of nearly 40 pro-life organizations will host its annual conference on January 29 in Oak Brook, Ill. The SpeakOut Illinois conference, led by the Pro-Life Action League, is in its twentieth year, and welcomes Ken Blackwell of the Family Research Council as its keynote speaker.

SpeakOut Illinois is a unique coalition of 37 pro-life organizations from across the state, including the Pro-Life Action League, crisis pregnancy centers, a pro-life law firm the Thomas More Society, politically active pro-life groups and religiously affiliated organizations such as Lutherans for Life and Catholic Citizens of Illinois. No other state can boast such a broad pro-life coalition.

"Although we operate under different names on a daily basis, all of our participants and sponsors are united under the banner of life," said Ann Scheidler, Vice President of the Pro-Life Action League and chair of the SpeakOut Illinois committee.

Concurrent with SpeakOut Illinois is TeenSpeak, a conference for teens designed to help them put their pro-life convictions into action. The teen program will feature Linda Courie, a former employee of Planned Parenthood who is now a pro-life advocate. TeenSpeak is sponsored by Generations for Life, the youth outreach division of the Pro-Life Action League. This year's breakout session topics include:

  • Sharing the Pro-Life Message, led by Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League
  • In God's Hands: End of Life Issues
  • Equipping Your Church as a Gospel-Driven Champion of Life
  • How to Influence Public Policy for Life

The Henry Hyde Life Leadership Award will be presented to David Bereit of 40 Days for Life. "This annual gathering of individuals and organizations committed to life at every stage is essential to strengthen the pro-life voice in Illinois and make an impact on the movement for life," said Scheidler. For more information, the day's schedule, and to register, visit theSpeakOut Illinois website.

Contact: Tom Ciesielka
Source: SpeakOut Illinois

House passes repeal of health care law

U.S. House of Representatives

The House voted 245-189 for the Repealing the Job-killing Health Care Law Act, H.R. 2., with all 242 Republicans joining three Democrats -- Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Mike Ross of Arkansas -- in voting for the bill and 189 Democrats opposing it.

Foes of the 2010 law -- dubbed "Obamacare" by critics -- have consistently called for its repeal since its enactment.

The opposition has been based on a variety of concerns.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and other pro-life organizations oppose the health-care reform law because it authorizes subsidies for insurance plans that cover abortion. Additional reasons for the strong disapproval by the ERLC and others of the law include its mandate that Americans purchase health insurance, the greater government involvement in medical care, and what they say is the likelihood of an increase in both the federal deficit and taxes.

ERLC President Richard Land applauded the House's vote Wednesday.

"The vote in the House today to repeal Obamacare is a major step in the direction of restoring the American people's trust in their government," Land said. "The Republicans promised that if elected they would do this, and they have done it within a fortnight of becoming the majority.

"This is a significant first step toward total repeal of Obamacare and its replacement with the health-care reform that we truly need and will serve our country and its highest ideals," he said.

The victory appears certain to be short-lived. The Democratic leadership is committed to blocking repeal in the Senate. Obama would veto the bill if it were to reach his desk.

House Republicans, however, have indicated they will target specific provisions in the health-care reform law for change if their repeal effort fails.

In March, the health-care law cleared its last major hurdle when the House voted 219-212 for one of the two bills that made up the reform package. The clinching votes for the massive bill were gained when a group of avowedly pro-life Democrats withdrew their opposition, which previously had been based on abortion-funding concerns, in exchange for an Obama executive order that supposedly would have prevented federal support for the procedure.

Pro-life advocates inside and outside the House, however, rejected the proposed executive order as ineffective. They pointed out the president could rescind his order at any time and contended the federal courts would rule in favor of the language in the law, not that in the executive order.

On Jan. 18, Land wrote Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor in support of the repeal attempt. He said Obama's executive order "is insufficient to block federal funding of abortion under health care."

The ERLC supports "health care reform that would preserve the private nature of our health care system while reducing costs, maintaining the highest possible standard of care, and ensuring that federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortion," Land wrote. "Unfortunately, the [health-care reform] enacted last year fall[s] well short of these ideals."

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives kept a promise Wednesday they made before the November election, voting to repeal the health-care reform law enacted last year.

Contact: Tom Strode
Source: Baptist Press

January 19, 2011

Today's Newslinks

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has reversed a district court ruling and will allow girls to travel to the state to receive an abortion without their parents' knowledge. Under state law, minors can petition a judge to grant an abortion.

Abortion 'the most horrendous taking of human life in history'
In a column preceding the January 22 March for Life, Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City - St. Joseph observed that "almost 60 million surgical abortions have been recorded in the United States" since Roe v. Wae-- "the most horrendous taking of human life in history." "No elected official or appointed judge is worthy of our support, if among their many acts of just advocacy they will not support the most vulnerable of our human race," he added.

Women 'Accessing Abortion Pills Online'
Irish women are accessing abortion pills over the internet without the benefit of medical support or guidance because of Ireland's failure to face up to the reality of unplanned pregnancies, Dr Mary Favier of Doctors for Choice told a meeting of the UCC Philosophical Society in Cork last night.

Banned Toxic Chemicals Found In 100 Percent Of Pregnant Women - Study
A new study from the University of California, San Francisco reveals that 100 percent of expectant mothers (sample size = 268) are contaminated with highly toxic synthetic chemicals. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, concluded, "Certain PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, PFCs, phenols, PBDEs, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and perchlorate were detected in 99 to 100% of pregnant women."

Court Opinion: Pro-Abort Judges Can Give Under Age Girls 'Abortion parental Consent
Minors from other states may ask Kentucky judges to give them permission to have abortions without their parents' knowledge or consent, a state appeals court has ruled.

U.S. Passes 53 MILLION Children Killed By Abortion In 2010
At some point in 2010 -- 37 years removed from the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision -- a doctor in the United States performed the nation's 53 millionth legal abortion, a sobering stat that ethicists say should drive the public to speak up for the unborn.

Breaking: Abortionist arrested on 8 counts of murder, 7 for killing aborted alive newborns

Dr. Kermit Gosnell and several of his alleged colleagues was arrested overnight….  Last April, the FBI and Drug enforcement agents raided Dr. Gosnell's 38th and Lancaster Clinic.  Inside, they found jars packed with pieces of aborted fetuses and recliners used in a recovery area for women who had abortions.

Dr. Gosnell's medical license was been suspended because of the conditions at his clinic. He has also been targeted in multiple lawsuits, at least one charging that a woman died from a botched abortion.

Dr. Gosnell is named in nearly four dozen civil suits going back 20 years. Ten of those are malpractice suits, including one by the family of a young woman who died after a March 2000 abortion at Gosnell's office.

And much more in a MyFoxPhilly tv news report this morning…

Philadelphia Abortion Doctor Arrested: MyFoxPHILLY.com

9:22: From CBS, this morning, also up now on Drudge:

PHILADELPHIA  – Eyewitness News has learned that a West Philadelphia doctor, his wife and eight other suspects are now under arrest following a grand jury Investigation.

Sources say Dr. Kermit Gosnell faces eight counts of murder in the death of a woman following a botched abortion at his office at 38th and Lancaster Avenues, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions.

Four of the suspects, some improperly licensed, also face multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing the newborns.

All of the suspects are now behind bars after warrants were served overnight.

Dr. Gosnell [pictured left], who has practiced in the West Philadelphia neighborhood for decades, is also the target of a federal grand jury investigation into illegally prescribing prescription drugs.

Investigators say during a search of his home, they found $240,000 in cash.

The doctor, in past interviews with CBS 3, has proclaimed his innocence, predicting if charged, he will be acquitted.

The Philadelphia District Attorney has scheduled a press conference for 10:30 a.m. to officially announce details of the arrests and the grand jury presentment.

The Born Alive Infants Protection Act should finally come to the fore in prosecuting murders of newborn survivors of abortion that we know is being committed.


Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: JillStanek.com
Publish Date: January 19, 2011

Asking the Tough Questions on Abortion

     Asking the Tough Questions on Abortion

Are babies better than abortions?

That's the question poised at the beginning of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) opinion piece examining one of the tough questions that should be raised about abortion.

The editorial points to New York City, where a recent report found 41% of pregnancies in the Big Apple ended in abortion.

As the nation prepares to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton US Supreme Court rulings, there are other questions worth pondering, as well. 

Does abortion hurt women?

Can viewing an ultrasound image before abortion change a woman's mind?

Over the last 38 years, an estimated 48 million preborn children have been aborted in the U.S., which doesn't include an untold number of mothers, fathers and other family members negatively affected by an abortion decision. 

A recent poll shows Americans are becoming more pro-life.  Asking the tough questions is an important tool in keeping that momentum moving in a pro-life direction.

Contact:
Carrie Gordon Earll
Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: January 18, 2011

Book by former clinic worker indicts Planned Parenthood

Abby Johnson is a former director of a Texas abortion clinic who is now strongly pro-life. She has written a book called unPLANNED, in which she contends people need to understand the abortion mentality, what goes on inside abortion clinics, and how to reach out to others on the abortion issue.

 unPLANNED (book by Abby Johnson)In October 2009, she quit her job at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas shortly after assisting in an actual abortion procedure for the first time. Johnson then joined forces with the Bryan, Texas-based pro-life group Coalition for Life. Her actions -- and her story of transformation -- made national headlines.
 
Johnson's perspective is unique in that she has witnessed the abortion issue from both sides of the debate. OneNewsNow asked her about the importance of pro-lifers praying on the sidewalks outside abortion clinics.
 
"Basically, it's showing the community -- and showing these women and men going in -- that what they're doing is morally objectionable," she responds, "and you're bringing that to light. And every time they drive in, every time they drive by, you are pricking their conscience." But people are also impressed that sidewalk counselors are there to help them, she adds.
 
While Johnson is hopeful pro-lifers will be encouraged by the book, she also challenges abortion supporters read it. "Try to find something that's incorrect," she advises. "Try to critique it -- because everything that I have put in [the book] about Planned Parenthood, we have cited with evidence."
 
The pro-life activist stresses she is not waging war with abortion clinic workers, but is seeking a way to reach them with Christ. That, she says, is through love and compassion and reaching out to them with mercy.
 
unPLANNED is published jointly by Tyndale House Publishers, Focus on the Family, and Ignatius Press. In its first 24 hours, the book climbed to the top of several bestseller lists, including Amazon (#8) and Barnes & Noble (#3).

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: January 18, 2011

Parents Want to be Primary Sex Educators

     Parents Want to be Primary Sex Educators

Most parents (regardless of individual and household characteristics) want parents of young people to be the primary communicators of sex-related information. This is what more research, published in the January 2011, Journal of Adolescent Health, confirmed among almost all parents interviewed in a Minnesota study. Such findings remain consistent throughout the past two decades – parents want to be the primary educators of their children on the topic of sex.

The article, "Parental Perspectives on Sources of Sex Information for Young People,"

is available in the January 2011, Journal of Adolescent Health (K.A. Lagus, et al.) online.

The results from more than 1,600 parents in Minnesota found that nearly all parents (97.9%) believe they should be the primary communicators and teachers of sex and sexuality to young people. But less than a quarter of all parents (24.2%) believed kids received information from parents. They also believed that friends and classmates were the primary sources of information (77.7%), along with media sources (60.3%). Click the graphic at the end of this blog to see an expanded chart.

"The study underscores discrepancies between where parents think youth should and actually do receive information regarding sex and sexuality," according to the article discussion, which goes on to note, "In a recent study, youth reported actually obtaining most of their sex-related information from friends, teachers, mothers, and media. However, our study indicates that parents think that youth obtain most of their information from friends, classmates, and the media."

The article goes on to emphasize previous research showing that parents actually have the most influence on young people's decisions with respect to sex and delaying the onset of sexual activity. Surprisingly, youth also want parents to be the primary sex educators.

Parents, are you listening?

Regardless of the avoidance techniques often practiced by your teens or children when the topic of sex comes up, you remain the single most important influence in your child's life regarding sexual decisions. Open those doors of communication, and speak up on this issue. If you don't, something or someone else will, and they probably won't be offering the same sound advice you can provide.

Here are several resources to help you begin talking with your children about sex and encouraging them to remain informed and sexually abstinent until they are married: CHART BELOW


Contact: Chad Hills
Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: January 18, 2011

Life Advocates Remember Millions Lost to Abortion

     March for Life

In the 38 years since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe v. Wade, an estimated 48 million preborn babies have lost their lives. This weekend, hundreds of thousands of life advocates will take part in events across the nation to mark the anniversary.

The national March for Life, which first took place in January 1974, is scheduled for Monday on the National Mall.

March for Life founder Nellie Gray said the goal is simple: "To overturn Roe versus Wade, no exception, no compromise."

President Ronald Reagan and both George H.W. and George W. Bush addressed the attendees by phone. President Barack Obama has been invited to do the same.

The weekend events will culminate with the 29th annual Rose Dinner on Monday night. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., will be the keynote speaker.
  • Also taking place in Washington on Monday will be Faith and Action's National Clergy Conference for the Pre-born. The special clergy meeting is held on Capitol Hill in remembrance of the victims and in celebration of life.
  • Elsewhere, Missouri's first March for Life is set for Saturday. Nebraska's Walk for Life is Jan. 29.
  • Walk for Life West Coast takes place Saturday in San Francisco and will feature former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson.
"Five years ago, if you had told me we would have 35,000 pro-lifers walking in San Francisco, I would have said you were crazy," said Eva Muntean, co-founder of the West Coast event. "Now I look out at the thousands of young people who eagerly listen to our message every year, and I see real and concrete hope for the future of our country."
  • Life advocates across the country can tune in online to the Life and Justice conference in Colorado Springs on Saturday. The event will raise a greater awareness of the sanctity of human life and biblical justice as they relate to the preborn child, orphan care, those living with a special need, the elderly, human trafficking and genocide.
Focus on the Family is co-sponsoring the all-day event.

"We're going to go back to the beginning, with the biblical roots and our admonition from the Scripture to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves," said Kelly Rosati, vice president of Community Outreach at Focus on the Family.

Contact:
Jennifer Mesko
Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: January 18, 2011

The pro-abortion lobby's own data shows that more contraception is counter-productive

Earlier this week the Guttmacher Institute released its abortion figures which revealed that, after years of decline, the abortion rate in the United States rose very slightly between 2005 and 2008.

Sharon Camp, President and Ceo of the Guttmacher Institute, said that this increase indicated an urgent need to make contraceptives more widely available:
"our stalled progress should be an urgent message to policymakers that we need to do more to increase access to contraceptive services to prevent unintended pregnancy, while ensuring access to abortion".
This sentiment was echoed in a press release by Planned Parenthood, one of the world's major abortion providers, which said that:
"[t]he first step we can take as a nation is to increase access to affordable contraception".
However, according to the report 54% of the women who had abortions had used contraception in the month that they became pregnant and only 8% of women had never used any form of contraception.

This is an all too familiar script. In the UK we know that abortion rates for under-16s are higher now than when the British government's strategy to cut abortion rates was introduced in 1999. A major focus of that strategy was to inform children about contraception and to make contraception easily available to school children. Professor David Paton of Nottingham University has studied in detail the depth of the strategy's failure.

That contraception does not prevent either unintended pregnancies or abortion is evident from the Guttmacher report. As I blogged earlier this month, there is growing evidence of the close association between contraception and abortion. Abortion follows in the wake of contraception. The provision of contraception not only fails to prevent unplanned pregnancies but results in unborn children being victimised to death as the unwelcome consequences of so-called contraceptive failure.

Contact: John Smeaton   
Source: SPUC
Publish Date: January 19, 2011