Abortion clinics in Illinois and Kansas ready to “accommodate some extra volume“

Abortionist Dr. Erin King (right)

Is anyone—anyone—surprised that abortion clinics outside of Missouri are already trolling for pregnant women?

As NRL News Today readers recall, on September 10, the Missouri legislature overrode Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of two very important pro-life bills and one line item veto of a budget increase for Missouri’s Alternatives to Abortion Program.

The best known measure–HB 1307–increases the time of reflection after counseling before an abortion can be performed from 24 hours to 72 hours.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article today, headlined “Out-of-state abortion providers ready to treat more Missouri women.” The abortion clinics—in Illinois and Kansas—tell reporter Samantha Liss they are not sure if women will come looking but if they do, well, they can count on the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, and the Wichita, Kansas-based South Wind Women’s Center.

Dr. Erin King is the associate medical director at Hope Clinic for Women which is only 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. In Liss’s story we read

“’We are prepared to handle women from Missouri that come over the river from Missouri because of the restrictions,’ King said. ‘We are able to accommodate some extra volume … if it becomes a lot higher than, yes, absolutely we would hire (more) people.’ That would include both clinical staff and counselors, King said.

“King said her group tries to provide as much information about women’s options and the state-imposed wait times on its website.

“’I think a lot of people don’t realize that the restrictions are state-based and not put in place by the facility,’ King said. ‘We do spend a fair amount of time on the website trying to explain (wait times) so they can tell what their options are, and, hopefully, will be able to access care when they want instead of having to wait.’”

Julie Burkhart runs the South Wind Women’s Center abortion clinic

So, just check out their handy-dandy website. Hope Clinic for Women will hire as many abortionists and/or support staff as necessary to accommodate any “extra volume.”

Then, of course, there is Julie Burkhart, the former Political Action Committee director for the late George Tiller, who performed abortions in Kansas up through the ninth month of pregnancy.

Burkhart runs the South Wind Women’s Center (SWWC) abortion clinic and uses an Illinois fly-in abortionist, Cheryl Chastine as well as Allen Palmer, one of Planned Parenthood’s abortionists. In the past few months, she has added two new abortionists, one from Minnesota and one from Missouri.

SWWC is located in the same Wichita, Kansas, building Tiller occupied for decades. Reporters were informed SWWC hopes to expand to Oklahoma City and possibly beyond. It is “almost a three-hour drive from Missouri’s west edge,” Liss reported.

“If Burkhart’s center sees an influx of patients,” Liss wrote, “ she said her organization ‘would definitely consider’ adding staff.” (According to Kansan pro-lifers, Burkhart already had recently hired two more abortionists.)

The temptation to invoke the obvious imagery—of these abortion clinics as sharks circling about their prey—is almost overwhelming.

We know three things. First, that pro-abortionists would not scream to high heaven when such laws are passed if all they did was move women from aborting in one state to aborting in another. Some will, of course, but many won’t, particularly when the state is helping (however modestly) crisis pregnancy centers.

Second, we need to pass more protective laws in more states.

Third, until Roe is reversed and protective legislation passed in all 50 states, the lives of many babies will be lost. But that does not mean we don’t do what can do now.

Every baby saved is a precious life preserved and one less chance for the abortion industry to fill its coffers.

NRL News, Dave Andrusko

Clinton Foundation Supports Abortion Businesses, One Brags of Killing 4,000 Babies in Abortions

Hillary Clinton is the leading potential Democratic presidential candidate for 2016, but she is one candidate pro-life voters can unite in opposing. Clinton, apart from her extensive pro-abortion record her husband, former President Bill Clinton, put together, is an abortion activist in her own right.

Now, the Clinton foundation is supporting two pro-abortion groups, including one abortion business that brags of killing 4,000 babies in abortions.

The Washington Examiner has more:

Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s international foundation, in the spotlight this month for hosting the annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York, back two groups that operate a massive international abortion business, including one that heralded its 4,000 abortions in a 2013 annual report.

Clinton Foundation documents show that it supports two groups that provide abortion services and supplies in Africa, India and Asia — Pathfinder International and Population Services International.

The foundation, which publicly focuses on help for AIDS in Africa, climate change and support for girls, is being scrutinized as Hillary Clinton readies a likely 2016 presidential bid. Its support of abortion providers is one of the areas the former secretary of State’s critics is looking into.

The Foundation’s website heralds Pathfinder for its effort to train “peer counselors to help decrease unplanned pregnancies, and reduce prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among university students in Kampala, Uganda.”

The group’s most recent annual report said it provided 4,000 abortions and medical services to another 4,300 women for complications for unsafe abortion.

Earlier this month, Clinton said it was shameful that the U.S. had not adopted a treaty that supports abortion.Clinton is also an admirer of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger.

LifeNews.com, Steven Ertelt

Abortion advocate Gloria Steinem in town to launch "Women for Quinn" coalition

1960s abortion right activist Gloria Steinem in town for Pat Quinn Friday

Friday, the Illinois Republican Party pointed to Quinn's slim lead among women as the reason Governor Quinn is finally announcing his "Women for Quinn" coalition with the help of 60s radical leftist Gloria Steinem.

"The  most recent poll on the governor's race shows Governor Quinn trailing Bruce Rauner 41%-44% overall and holding a slim 2% point lead among women," the IL GOP press release said Friday. "Seeing these numbers is clearly taking its toll on the Governor, who today, just 39 days from Election Day, is forced to finally launch his Women for Quinn coalition."

Quinn's people say the governor "has been a strong champion for women, from leading initiatives to strengthen(ing) pay equity to signing laws to prevent domestic violence."

Bruce Rauner has "no social agenda," and his Women for Rauner coalition includes pro-abortion Republican women such as former Lt Governor Corrine Woods and former State Rep. Elizabeth Coulson, as well as pro-life women Republican National Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte, State Rep. Jil Tracy, Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen's wife Sarah and Rauner's running mate Evelyn Sanguinetti.

Ultimately, Quinn's failures will be his downfall, and women will make it happen November 4th, the IL GOP says.

"Governor Quinn is desperate to get women back in his column, but it’s simply not going to work," said Jayme Odom, Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party. "Women and all Illinoisans can see that he's broken every promise he's made, from jobs, to education, to public safety and child welfare. That's why, on Election Day, we're finally going to hold him accountable for his failures."

Illinois Review

Pro-Abortion Attorney General Eric Holder to Step Down

Attorney General Eric Holder, who is pro-abortion and who used his post in the Obama administration to target pro-life people, will step down from his position when a replacement has been confirmed.

Holder appears to have decided to resign now because pro-abortion President Barack Obama needs Democrats in control of the Senate to approve a replacement during their lame duck session after the mid-term elections, which many political observers say will result in pro-life Republicans taking over the Senate.

During his tenure, Holder was busy conspiring with pro-abortion extremists to bring the full weight of the federal government down upon innocent pro-life advocates. He frequently prosecuted peaceful pro-life people who provided abortion alternatives and counseling to women outside abortion clinics.

Pro-life attorney Matt Barber talked about how Holder spent so much time going after pro-life people.

“Eric Holder is much more than just incompetent. He’s an extremist pro-abortion activist who shares his boss’s goal of “fundamentally transforming America” to reflect both men’s secular-socialist self-image,” Barber said. He said the “Obama administration has been abusing our judicial system through a concerted political intimidation campaign via the federal courts. Obama has instructed the Justice Department to sue a number of pro-life counselors and volunteers for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrance (FACE) Act.”

“You won’t hear it from the mainstream media, but the Justice Department has just faced an embarrassing smack down on the highest profile of these cases. It has dropped an appeal in Holder v. Pine against pro-life sidewalk counselor Mary “Susan” Pine, who is represented by the civil rights firm Liberty Counsel. The DOJ has agreed to pay $120,000 for this frivolous lawsuit which, as the evidence indicated, was intended to intimidate Ms. Pine and send a shot over the bow of pro-lifers around the country,” Barber continued. “Holder unsuccessfully sought thousands of dollars in fines against Ms. Pine, as well as a permanent injunction banning her from counseling women on the public sidewalk outside the Presidential Women’s Center (PWC) abortion mill (or any other “reproductive services” clinic).”

After 18 months of litigation, the DOJ’s case was thrown out of federal court, and the department was chastised in a scathing ruling by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Ryskamp for filing a case with no evidence.

Judge Ryskamp wrote that Holder’s complete failure to present any evidence of wrongdoing, coupled with the DOJ’s cozy relationship with PWC and their apparent joint decision to destroy video surveillance footage of the alleged “obstruction,” caused the court to suspect a conspiracy at the highest levels of the Obama administration. “The Court is at a loss as to why the Government chose to prosecute this particular case in the first place,” wrote Judge Ryskamp. “The Court can only wonder whether this action was the product of a concerted effort between the Government and PWC, which began well before the date of the incident at issue, to quell Ms. Pine’s activities rather than to vindicate the rights of those allegedly aggrieved by Ms. Pine’s conduct.”

After the ruling the DOJ appealed on the last day possible and gave indication that President Obama had personally ordered the appeal. A little over a week later, the president apparently decided to cut his losses and reversed course.

Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, pulled no punches in his assessment of Holder’s actions in targeting the pro-life advocate.

“It is irresponsible for the U.S. Department of Justice to place politics above principle when deciding to prosecute, and thus attempt to silence, a pro-life sidewalk counselor without any evidence of wrongdoing,” he said. “When the nation’s highest law enforcement officer files suit against any citizen, the suit must be based on the law coupled with compelling evidence. Anything less is an abuse of the high office. Susan Pine will not be silenced or detoured from her mission to save the lives of innocent children.”

Meanwhile, Holder came under criticism from pro-life advocates for failing to disclose ties to a building in Georgia his wife owns that houses an abortion clinic.

Human Events broke the news that Holder’s wife and sister-in-law co-own, through a family trust, the building where a controversial abortion practitioner operates. The Holder family transferred ownership to a family trust in 2009, eight months after President Barack Obama’s inauguration and a deed names Holder’s wife and sister-in-law as trustees.

Fulton County tax records show Holder’s wife and sister-in-law own the building, located at 6210 Old National Highway, College Park, Ga. A statement from the Georgia Department of Law shows the building was home to Old National Gynecology, the practice of abortion practitioner Tyrone Cecil Malloy.

Holder failed to disclose his wife’s ownership of the building. The attorney general’s financial disclosure reports for 2008 through 2011 show Holder neglected to report his wife’s co-ownership.

LifeNews.com, Steven Ertelt

NASCAR Legend Darrell Waltrip Heads Huge Pro-Life Campaign in Tennessee

He was one of the top drivers ever on the NASCAR racing circuit and now he’s leading another race — the race to approve pro-life Amendment 1 in Tennessee.

Darrell Waltrip has agreed to take on the role as honorary chairman of the Yes on 1 campaign, which supports the pro-life amendment necessary to amend the Tennessee Constitution in order to pass any of a number of key pro-life laws that could save babies from abortions.

“As Christian parents and Tennesseans, we are grieved to know that our beloved state has become an abortion destination. There are so many reasons we all love Tennessee and respect for God’s gift of life should be at the top of the list,” Waltrip said in a statement LifeNews obtained. “That’s why we’re giving our strongest support to the campaign to win pro-life Amendment 1. By voting YES on 1 we can restore common sense protections for the unborn and for abortion-vulnerable women and girls. We can prevent tax dollars from being used for abortion and we can insist that abortion facilities be licensed and inspected like any other surgical center.”

Waltrip concluded: “We urge you to take a stand and to join with us to support God’s gift of life. On November 4th, please vote YES on 1.”

In November, Tennesseans will be asked to vote on an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution which, rather than promoting an abortion ban or any other specific legislative agenda, overturns a radical 2000 pro-abortion decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court and restores to the people of Tennessee the right to determine state laws and policies on matters affecting human life.

Amendment 1 says: “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion.  The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.”

Tennessee Right to Life president Brian Harris has told LifeNews:

• The Tennessee Supreme Court was wrong when it ruled that Tennessee’s Constitution includes a fundamental right to abortion and required that common sense protections be struck from Tennessee’s law;

• Tennesseans cannot be required to fund elective abortions;

• It is the people of Tennessee and our elected state legislators who should decide Tennessee’s abortion laws, including the difficult circumstances when a mother’s life is at risk or when abuse or crimes have occurred.

It’s unfortunate that pro-life Tennesseans and our elected officials have to devote the time, energy and resources to reclaim from activist judges the right and ability to enact legal safeguards and protections for our state’s most innocent and vulnerable.

LifeNews.com, Steven Ertelt

Parents Reject Abortion, Prepare for Arrival of Conjoined Twins Who Share One Heart

For any couple preparing for the birth of a new baby, there’s great anticipation and much nervousness. Even if the baby is healthy, the birthing process and having a new little one to care for brings on a certain amount of stress.

But imagine the stress of preparing for twins. Then, multiply that by imaging the stress of preparing for conjoined twins. Multiply that again by preparing for the birth of conjoined twins who share just one heart. That;s the world in which Robin and Michael Hamby find themselves.

But they say their twin babies may have just one heart but they say it’s a perfect one. And that’s why the Hambys rejected an abortion and are looking ahead to the birth of the twins, who are headed their way around Thanksgiving.

At LifeNews.com over the years, we’ve profiled a number of conjoined twins. In some cases, parents of the twins were given suggestions by doctors to have an abortion. In other cases, the babies were given a chance at life and they were unable to be separated because their unique medical situation made it medically dangerous to perform the surgery, which could have placed their lives at risk.

In those later cases like Tatiana and Christa, who are joined at the head, while some people in society would view them as “freaks” who have a low “quality of life,” they can see through each others’ eyes and they totally support each other physically and emotionally.

Like those courageous sisters, twin boys Asa and Eli will not be able to be separated.

Here’s more on their story:

One heart. One perfect heart.

That’s how Robin and Michael Hamby describe the condition of their conjoined twin sons, sharing one heart, one perfect heart, a ray of hope in a pregnancy where many may see only darkness and imperfections.

Medically, one heart, one perfect heart, means the twins won’t be separated, but it also means they have a better chance of surviving than other conjoined twins with one heart because that organ usually is deficient in some way.

Emotionally, one heart, one perfect heart, means Robin and Michael intend to have sons as united in brotherhood as they are in marriage.

And spiritually, one heart, one perfect heart, means this Ladonia, Ala., couple was motivated by their faith instead of their fear when they decided to ignore the naysayers and bring these budding boys into this world.

So when families around the Chattahoochee Valley gather around their tables to give thanks on Thanksgiving, the 34-year-old Hambys expect to be on the verge of a delivery that some contend will be a burden but they insist will be a blessing.

Against the odds

Robin, a registered nurse at Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Phenix City, and Michael, a hydrant valve technician for the Columbus Water Works, know the odds are overwhelmingly against a healthy ending to this journey. According to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, conjoined twins occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births — and most are stillborn.

Statistics from the University of Maryland Medical Center are additionally daunting: 35 percent of conjoined twins survive only one day, the overall survival rate is between 5 percent and 25 percent, and female conjoined twins are three times more likely than males to be born alive.

The Hamby boys are connected, side by side, a category among the least common types of conjoined twins. They have one trunk but two separate heads. The technical term is dicephalic parapagus, although they won’t be classified until they are born.

Doctors haven’t determined all the organs and systems the Hamby twins share or have separately. With a total of two arms and two legs, each boy probably will control one arm and one leg, Robin said, so they will have to cooperate and coordinate. But they have two spines, she said, which will boost their stability.

During the 4-D imaging session July 19, the Hambys got a sneak peek of their sons’ personalities. The video camera showed Asa rest his head on Eli, who was sucking his fist. Eli promptly took his fist out of his mouth and popped Asa in the face.

As the proud parents shared a good laugh, they witnessed a symbol of that one heart, that one perfect heart: Eli extended his hand toward Asa again, but this time he appeared to give his brother a loving caress.

Robin said, “It was almost like, ‘Sorry, dude, I kind of got upset, but I didn’t mean it.’”

Source: LifeNews.com 

1992 video depicts NFL players opposing abortion

The NFL is in a heated controversy over whether the league is too permissive of players involved in domestic abuse. Over twenty years ago, NFL members felt strong enough about one social agenda to make a public service announcement opposing abortion. 

A video from 1992 with various members of the Washington Redskins and the Buffalo Bills discussing the evils of abortion was unearthed Monday and published on the sports site SBNation.

Illinois Review

H/T LifeNews.com

Hultgren takes to House Floor to Criticize Obamacare's Abortion Coverage

Wednesday, on the floor of the U.S. House, Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) criticized the White House and health insurance companies following a report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirming that under the President’s health care law—Obamacare—taxpayer dollars are subsidizing more than 1,000 plans nationwide that cover elective abortion, contrary to promises made by the President and Democratic leaders when the law was passed in 2009.

Rep. Hultgren was not serving in the House when Obamacare became law, but at the time, many Members of Congress and their constituents raised concerns that there were not adequate safeguards preventing taxpayer-funded abortion, a suspicion confirmed by the GAO report.

Rep. Hultgren urged full transparency from the President and for the Senate to pass the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act which ensures the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal tax dollars from paying for abortions, is implemented across the federal government.

Illinois Review

These Hollywood Celebrities Aren’t Afraid to Speak Out and Say They’re Pro-Life

It’s not easy being pro-life in Hollywood. Tinseltown USA is notorious for its left-wing politics and actors and actresses who push all sorts of political causes that are politically correct or en vogue at the time.

But when it comes to abortion, a few Hollywood celebrities and entertainment icons are willing to speak out and say they are pro-life. Here are a few of them, in their own words:

Jack Nicholson

Nicholson’s opinions on abortion were formed by personal experience. He was a grown man when he discovered the woman he thought was his sister was actually his mother, and the woman he knew as his mother was his grandmother. His mother became pregnant as a teenager and was encouraged to have an abortion, even back in 1937, but she chose life for her son. The revelation that his sister was his mom was understandably difficult for Nicholson, and had a profound affect on him. For one, it made him pro-life:

I’m very contra my constituency in terms of abortion because I’m positively against it. I don’t have the right to any other view. My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life.

This short statement is full of humility, wisdom, and courage. Note that he says, “I don’t have the right to any other view.” He has understood, thanks to the knowledge that his own life almost never happened, that life is a gift for which we should all feel gratitude. His willingness to vocally oppose abortion in the face of Hollywood and his own political party is inspiring and should be encouraged.

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson is not without controversy and he’s admittedly made some mistakes in his life. Still, Gibson has never wavered on the issue of life.

In a Barbara Walters interview in 1990, at the height of his fame, Gibson said:

One can’t decide for oneself who comes into this world and who doesn’t. That decision doesn’t belong to us.

Later, he vocally spoke out against life destroying embryonic stem cell research. He said this on a television commercial:

…[I]n 23 years embryonic stem cell research has not produced a single human cure. All it has yielded is tumors, rejection, and mutations. See bad science doesn’t attract venture capital. So why should the taxpayers be bled dry? This is Mel Gibson and I’m voting NO on Prop 71. Creating life simply to destroy it is wrong.

Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton is one of the few prominent pro-life women in Hollywood. Recently, LifeNews notedhow Heaton takes to Twitter to voice her pro-life convictions as she often does, most recently highlighting how abortions target a disproportionate number of black babies.

But where do her pro-life convictions come from? As she tells The Blaze, her pro-life views and Christian faith go hand in hand and that becoming a mother made it so abortion was something she felt more passionate about and gave her an additional reason to do so.

Heaton said, as far back as 2004, that she and her pro-abortion Hollywood colleagues didn’t see eye to eye on abortion – explaining why her name was not on a list of Hollywood celebs supporting a pro-abortion march that year.

“Many of the celebrities on the list are my friends,” Heaton explained, “but when it comes to championing abortion, we go our separate ways.”

“I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic and psychological,” said Heaton. “In reality, most women ‘choose’ abortion because they believe they have no other choice.”

Donald Trump

Donald Trump shocked attendees at a CPAC conferencewhen he declared himself pro-life after years of supporting the pro-abortion position.

“One thing about me, I’m a very honorable guy. I’m pro-life, but I changed my view a number of years ago. One of the reasons I changed… a friend of mine’s wife was pregnant, in this case married. She was pregnant and he didn’t really want the baby. And he was telling me the story,” Trump said. “He was crying as he was telling me the story. He ends up having the baby and the baby is the apple of his eye. It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him. And you know here’s a baby that wasn’t going to be let into life.



Justin Bieber

A young Justin Bieber was widely criticized for his open stance on abortion. “I really don’t believe in abortion,” Bieber told Rolling Stone in 2011. “It’s like killing a baby.” When asked about cases of rape, the pop star said, “Um. Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don’t know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that.”

Bieber may have made mistakes in his life since then and needs to get on a more upstanding path, but he apparently still holds to his pro-life views.

Kenny Chesney

Chesney’s most notable example of pro-life advocacy is in the song he has called one of his favorites, “There Goes My Life.” It spent seven weeks at number one, and it tells the story of a teenager whose girlfriend gets pregnant and has the baby rather than having an abortion. The teen initially believes that his life has been ruined, but in the end, he realizes how much of a blessing the child is.

Jordin Sparks

Sparks has repeatedly participated in pro-life conferences as a volunteer and singer. She sang at Arizona’s Right to Life 2005 conference and attended the conference with Dr. Alveda King, the pro-life niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the keynote speaker at the event.

Sparks hasn’t been shy about her pro-life beliefs either. She appears on Fox & Friends last year with Brian Kilmeade who asked her questions based on emails from viewers. Sparks was asked about a ring she wears on her wedding ring finger even though she is 17 year-old and unmarried.

She said, without hesitation, that it was her Purity Ring, and that it says she’s waiting until she is married, and saving herself for true love.

Jim Cavieze

Jim Caviezel, famed for his role as Christ in The Passion of the Christ, and currently starring as the leading man in TV’s Person of Interest, is no stranger to being, well, different in Hollywood. From his publicly Catholic faith to his committed pro-life views, he stands in stark contrast to the typical movie star.

Caviezel’s personal life is even more remarkable than his incredible on-screen talent. Taking the road less traveled, Jim and his wife Kerri have adopted two children from China, both of whom had special needs.

Their first adopted child, Bo, came to the Caviezels after a traumatic first five years of life. The little boy had a brain tumor and had been abandoned before he was taken in by an orphanage and subsequently adopted by his loving parents. Bo is a remarkably boisterous child, and with the love he has received from Jim and Kerri, it is hard to believe that just a few short years ago he was struggling to survive in a hostile environment.

When asked how becoming a father had affected him, Caviezel toldCatholic Digest, “Even though they’re adopted, it’s as strong as any instinct. That’s what blew me away. I always thought if I adopted that I wouldn’t have the same feeling [as I would] if they were genetically my own children. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The actor told Catholic Digest in 2009 that being pro-life is more important to him than his career. He told the digest, “How are we so arrogant to think the 51.5 million babies who have died in this country… Look, I am for helping women. I just don’t see abortion as helping women. And I don’t love my career that much to say, ‘I’m going to remain silent on this.’”

Kathy Ireland

Kathy Ireland rose to fame in the 1980s as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. In 2011, Ireland was the keynote speaker at the Council for Life’s annual luncheon, where she professed her religious beliefs and detailed her journey from being an advocate for women’s right to choose to become a pro-life supporter.

As a supermodel who graced the covers of magazines world wide, Kathy Ireland told over 300 people gathered in Columbia, Mo., on September 24 she was told by photographers to “shut up and pose.”  Now this design company mogul tells those fighting for the pro-life cause to “speak the truth and never let anyone silence you.”

The former Sports Illustrated (SI) swimsuit cover model considered herself a “Pro-Choice Christian” until she dove into the medical books of her husband, an emergency room doctor.  She used those science texts to even change her husband’s view on abortion.  Then she did something many told her not to do—go on Bill Maher’s HBO show “Politically Incorrect” and take the pro-life view.

“I was told it was a lose-lose situation and would kill my business.  But I thought if I did this maybe one woman watching wouldn’t kill her baby,” Ireland shared.  Thankfully she had a business partner who encouraged her to do it, saying if one woman watching cancelled her abortion appointment, it would be so worth it.”

Nick Cannon

Nick Cannon, the rapper and husband of R&B/pop superstar Mariah Carey, released a song in 2005 entitled “Can I Live.” The song tells of Cannon’s near abortion death.

Phil Robertson

Robertson is very strongly pro-life.

In a video featuring Duck Dynasty’s Robertson, the TV star – in what appears to be a religious sermon – declares his pro-life stance on the issue of abortion.  When discussing the ethics of, and that there’s even a debate on, the issue, he asks, “What in the world happened to us?”

“Listen, from the time you started inside your mother’s womb, Thomas Jefferson had it right, you have the God-given right to life for crying out loud. You’re this long (pointing to his finger). You’re a week old inside your mother. They suck you out of there when you’re about like that (point to finger again). You wouldn’t be here tonight!

“And, when you got to be the size of my thumb, they suck you out. You wouldn’t be here. Then, you grow a little bigger, like my fist – and finally eight, nine months later you come out.

LifeNews.com by Steven Ertelt

Study Proves Abortion is More Dangerous Than Childbirth

Pro-abortion activists fight for abortion throughout pregnancy for any reason—no exceptions. Their fundamental argument centers on women’s health.

But stunning research shows this concern is all smoke and mirrors.

Pro-abortion activists have long tried to claim that abortion is safer than childbirth. For years they’ve touted manipulated numbers, trying in vain to bolster this myth. We’ve always known those statistics were bogus, and a study by Dr. Priscilla Coleman and Dr. David Reardon reveals abortion is much more dangerous to women than giving birth. And the results are sadly even more devastating to women’s health than even I had anticipated.

First, let me vouch for the authors of this research. I know them both to be solid individuals with a reputation for thoroughness. I met Dr. Coleman in Santiago, Chile where we lectured at their largest university. We again shared an academic podium in Quito, Ecuador the following year.

Second, allow me to explain why this study is so important. It’s compelling because of its unmatched scope:

• The study includes a large number of women—nearly one-half-million—experiencing first-time pregnancies.
• The medical records are profoundly reliable because the data was compiled from Danish government sources including fertility records of births and stillbirths, the national abortion registry and cause of death registry.
• The study covers an extensive ten-year time period, providing comprehensive long-term data.
• It analyzes both early and late-term abortion compared to childbirth.

In other words, this isn’t a biased study with a relatively small sample size produced to cater to pro-abortion activists—or any side for that matter. This research was conducted at the national level, over the course of a decade, providing substantial credibility, a comprehensive level of detail, as well as earning publication in respected medical journals. The reliability has been substantiated, which is why the results are even more troubling.

When it comes to which is safer—abortion or childbirth—the results speak loudly and clearly:

• During the first six months after an early abortion (12 weeks or less), a woman has double the risk of death compared to giving birth.
• During the first year following a late abortion (after 12 weeks) a woman has over three times the risk of death compared to giving birth.

Here’s a link to the entire study if you’d like to read it.

Pro-abortion activists prey on the fear of Americans by perpetuating the myth that if Roe v. Wade is reversed, women will suffer horrific back-alley abortions and tragic deaths. The reality is that under legalized abortion, women are being killed on a much larger scale.

Remember when we heard the news that Planned Parenthood is responsible for 24-year-old Tonya Reaves’ death following a botched abortion. Reports showed that a devastating five-and-a-half hours passed between the time of her abortion and her transport to a local hospital.

There’s no record that a 911 call was placed by Planned Parenthood. The autopsy report indicated that her injuries were survivable if she had received proper emergency care in a timely manner. The only difference between her death and a back-alley abortion death is that Ms. Reaves’ abortion was sanctioned by the US Supreme Court, giving her a false sense of security that the procedure was safe.

Now Tonya’s one-year-old son will grow up without a mother. Sadly, there have been additional victims after Tonya’s death. And don’t forget the Gosnell “house of horrors.”

Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities continue to lure young women under the false premise that they perform “women’s healthcare services.” Abortion isn’t healthcare. It’s killing. In fact, they’re an industry of death—killing unborn babies and exposing their mothers to a staggering increased risk of death. Let’s not let this grave injustice continue. Share this with those you know and take a stand. You now have compelling proof that abortion is not safer than childbirth. Help us warn unsuspecting women.

LifeNews.com Note: Bradley Mattes is the executive director of Life Issues Institute, a national pro-life educational group.

Pro-lifer warns about Planned Parenthood-trained 'navigators'

Some people signing up for ObamaCare may find they are exposing very private information without knowing it.

Planned Parenthood has received over a half-million dollars to hire and train so-called "navigators" to sign up people for medical insurance. But it's allegedly a backdoor approach for the abortion business to generate more income.

"These people are going to steer the general public to insurance companies that will reimburse Planned Parenthood for their medical services," says Jim Sedlak of the American Life League.

"They will sign them up for these insurance companies, then these people will come back to Planned Parenthood for their services and Planned Parenthood will get paid," he explains.

Sedlak also alleges the navigators receive very little training or screening, and their job gives them access to the "personal information for all citizens of the United States, because they're going to be able to access through systems that tie into the IRS and to the medical system and everything else."

So the pro-lifer calls the navigators' jobs "Planned Parenthood's gold mine."

Since President Obama has Planned Parenthood to thank for his successful re-election, Sedlak considers the added half-million dollar grant a "political payoff."

Charlie Butts (OneNewsNow.com)

Pro-life groups to hold memorial services Saturday honoring aborted infants

In the walls of the earliest Christian catacombs outside Rome, Italy are countless small tombs, only a foot or two across. These gravesites mark the burial places of infants that were commonly cast out of their pagan homes and left to die of starvation and exposure. With care and grief, the early Christians buried the innocent victims' bodies and mourned their loss in a time of prayer.

On Saturday, September 13, 21st Century Christians will memorialize the innocents that have died due to legalized abortion in America with the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Chldren. Mourners across America will visit the gravesites of aborted children whose broken bodies were recovered over the last 40 years from trash dumpsters and pathology labs.

The memorial service will be held at several sites throughout Illinois, including the gravesite of 2000 babies at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside. His Eminence Francis Cardinal George will officiate the memorial starting at 2:00 PM.

Another service will be held at the Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville, Illinois at 1:00 PM, and another at the St. Mary Cemetery in Evergreen Park at 2:00 PM. In addition to the above burial sites in Illinois, also see the list of other memorial sites in Illinois dedicated to the memory of aborted children.

Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of Chicago-based Pro-life Action League, stated, "It's sobering to realize that grave markers for the unborn victims of abortion list only a date of burial. They have no birthdays because they were never allowed to be born. We can list no date of death, because those who killed them discarded their bodies like garbage. But they are not garbage to us. They are our brothers and sisters. That's why we buried them, and that's why we visit their graves to mourn for them and testify to their humanity."
Monica Miller, Director of Citizens for a Pro-life Society, added, "Since 1973, 55 million innocent unborn children have been killed with the sanction of law. A fraction of these victims of the American slaughter have actually been buried. The graves of these victims are scattered across America - graves of sorrow and graves of indictment on a nation that permitted the killing of the innocent. As we visit these graves on September 13, we call upon our nation to remember these victims and bring an end to the injustice of abortion."

"Abortion is not an abstract issue," explained Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life. "Having a memorial service where these babies are buried reminds us that abortion is not merely about beliefs, but about bloodshed; not just about viewpoints, but victims. By visiting the graves of the aborted unborn, we allow our hearts to be broken for them, and we recommit ourselves to protecting other children from suffering the same fate."

The first National Day of Remembrance was held September 2013 on the 25th anniversary of the solemn burial of several hundred abortion victims in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prayer services were held at over 100 locations, with thousands of mourners participating. Response was so great that the National Day of Remembrance has been established as an annual event, to be held on the second Saturday each September. More information at Abortion Memorials.

Illinois Review

It’s Time for Pro-Life Voters to Get Involved in the 2014 Elections

As only one-third of Americans have given any thought to the elections coming on November 4, citizens who stand for the rights of defenseless pre-born lives must ask ourselves: in what direction will today’s candidates lead our nation?

Right before their summer vacation, the U.S. Senate considered two staunchly pro-abortion bills: S. 1696, which would wipe out hundreds of common-sense safety measures in over the half the United States; and S. 2578, designed to overrule the Supreme Court’s recent pro-liberty decision Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.

The busy rush before break allows only a few bills to be prioritized, so it’s telling the Senate Judiciary Committee made time for a hearing on S. 1696—and majority leader Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) called for a vote of the full Senate on S. 2578.

While neither bill will likely proceed further in the current Congress, key legislative actions send a signal to voters: These are the first bills a pro-abortion Congress will reach for upon taking power.

Policy expert Peter Wehner, who served in the Reagan Administration, has seen this coming for months: “Prepare for an assault by Democrats on a range of cultural and quasi-cultural issues, including contraception, gay marriage, abortion [and] religious liberties.”

One media-savvy businesswoman isn’t taking the challenge lying down. Longtime CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina kicks back at the mainstream media in explaining why she is launching the Unlocking Potential Project—a political action committee (PAC) to connect with women on a wide range of issues.

“Everywhere I go I meet strong, intelligent women who are tired of being taken for granted and are sick of the current political environment belittling them,” she says. “From career women to dedicated public servants to stay-at-home moms, they are thirsty for a genuine debate about real issues impacting their lives.”

Fiorina, a former U.S. Senate candidate, explains the so-called “War on Women” in a recent video interview with Genevieve Wood of The Daily Signal:

The Hill recently reported on women’s response to the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a law proposed to protect pre-born children capable of feeling pain in the womb.

“Several national polls have shown that women voters back the GOP’s 20-week abortion ban, including a 2013Washington Post-ABC News survey that pegged their level of support at 60 percent,” The Hill notes.

In the spirit of “all Americans working together to reduce the number of abortions” as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) phrases it, another pro-life group has centered its election efforts on promoting this proposed law. It passed the U.S. House yet has been stalled in the Senate since November.

Women Speak Out PAC, affiliated with the nonprofit Susan B. Anthony List, has brought together local grassroots activists in three battleground states – Arkansas, Louisiana, and North Carolina – to bring attention to the records of pro-abortion Senators currently holding office.

The Hill predicts pro-life election efforts will be far outspent by their pro-choice counterparts. Yet casting an inviting, positive vision for the future – “building a Senate majority that will finally pass pro-life laws,” to quote Women Speak Out – has the potential to win over voters fed up with Congress’ inaction on key issues.

“Think about how the language (and spirit) of the pro-life movement shifted,” says Peter Wehner of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. “From accusing people of being ‘baby killers’ to asking Americans to join a movement committed to enlarging the circle of protection to the most vulnerable members of the human community, in which every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life.”

He continues, “Science, in the form of sonograms, has been a friend of the pro-life movement. It’s no accident, then, that Americans have become more pro-life in their views over the last 15 years.”

Presenting a winsome pro-life message remains a constant focus for many, notably The Heritage Foundation whose 2014 Index of Culture and Opportunity tracks key social indicators like fertility and the abortion rate – enlightening stats to inform effective policy solutions moving forward.

“Many conservatives relish the fight and welcome putting abortion at the center of the midterm elections,” reported the New York Times recently. “The problem, they argue, is not that conservatives talk too much about social issues, but that they say too little, and do it in the wrong way. They are urging greater compassion for women with unplanned pregnancies…”

Honing a persuasive message on why pro-life policies matter—vitally important to grow the movement—does not make political clashes go away.

When President Barack Obama claimed at a recent fundraiser, “We’re going to have Supreme Court appointments [in the next two years],” it set off a frenzy of speculation around the nation’s highest court.

According to the National Law Journal, “President Obama made the statement to bolster his pitch that ‘I need a Democratic Senate’ to be elected in November, to ‘get things done’ during the remainder of his tenure as president.”

The U.S. Senate votes to confirm all Supreme Court justices. Because the court has largely set abortion policy in America, any change in the nine Supreme Court justices has a great bearing on future cases surrounding the right to life.

What are we to make of all this? As a leader of the National Day of Prayer recently discussed, the lines on life are clearly drawn. “Candidates have aligned with opposing sides of the spectrum, leaving no middle ground.”

He continues, “Based on the arguments, life is described as either (1) sacred and meant to be preserved, no matter the circumstances, or (2) a decision—not a right.”

While one side has two pro-abortion laws waiting in the wings, the pro-life coalition in Congress has ramped up efforts to pass laws protecting more women and children—notably the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and revisions to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act.

“Personnel is policy,” President Ronald Reagan often said. Injecting Congress with fresh pro-life blood, while removing “personnel” who refuse to stand for vulnerable pre-born lives, suddenly changes what is possible to accomplish.

These monumental issues call us to a place of prayer and action. Citizens who stand for life should be highly engaged in this election, even if most Americans aren’t paying attention.

The first step is registering to vote, which Bound4LIFE has made easy with an online Voter Registration tool. State deadlines to register are fast approaching.

In addition, a variety of resources exist to help citizens navigate the voting process. Leading pro-life groups National Right to Life, FRC Action and Heritage Action (among others) offer detailed scorecards that examine the votes cast by current Members of Congress.

Be sure to connect with the Family Policy Council in your state, as critical issues affecting life are on state ballots across America.

“Look for able men from all the people,” states the command to Moses in Exodus 18:21. “Men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people…” Because we are blessed to live in a democratic republic, this command rings true as we decide our representatives in government—many of whom are courageous women like Rep. Martha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Jamie Beutler (R-WA).

However involved with elections and campaigns, be faithful to pray for those in authority over us. Intercede for candidates talking to citizens daily on important issues, that the value and sanctity of each life would be clear in their conscience.

Pray for elected officials who will truly serve the people of their state and district—leaders who will look beyond the power structures of men and rely on steadfast convictions.

LifeNews Note: Reprinted with permission from Bound4LIFE.