NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY
Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of The Illinois Federation for Right to Life. They are presented only for your information.
Parental Consent Required For Tattoos in Maryland, But Not For Abortion
The Maryland House of Delegates has unanimously approved a proposal to require "parental consent" for tattoos and body piercings done on minors. However, the state still only requires that one parent be notified that a minor is going to have an abortion, with no need for the parent's consent.
Republicans in the House tried and failed to amend the "tattoos and body piercing" measure to include parental consent for abortion when Del. Gail H. Bates, a Howard County Republican, asked to have the measure include parental consent for "other invasive surgical procedures."
However, House Speaker Michael E. Busch declined to consider the proposed amendment, arguing that it changed the purpose of the bill and was, therefore, out of order, according to a Baltimore Sun report.
Maryland's Parental Notification for Abortion Law (Article 20-103) requires that one parent or guardian be notified before a minor has an abortion. The parent/guardian does not need to consent to or agree with the minor's choice, but does need to know the minor is planning to have an abortion.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022606.html
Obama Moves to Rescind 'Conscience Rule'
Taking another step into the abortion debate, the Obama administration Friday will move to rescind a controversial rule that allows health-care workers to deny abortion counseling or other family-planning services if doing so would violate their moral beliefs, according to administration officials. The rollback of the "conscience rule" comes just two months after the Bush administration announced it last year in one of its final policy initiatives. The new administration's action seems certain to stoke ideological battles between supporters and opponents of [murdering chuldren by abortion] over the responsibilities of doctors, nurses and other medical workers to their patients.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-conscience-rulefeb27,0,6563255.story
Obama Budget Moves Towards Universal Health Care
President Barack Obama is sending Congress a budget that would boost taxes on the wealthy and slash Medicare to make way for a $634 billion down payment on universal health care. Obama's first budget predicts the deficit for this year will soar to a whopping $1.75 trillion, reflecting spending to pull the nation out of recession. The numbers come from administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity before the budget is publicly unveiled Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090226/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_budget_37
World Congress of Families Reacts to UNFPA Leader Who Says Family Breakdown is a 'Triumph' for 'Human Rights'
In response to a leader of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) who declared that family breakdown is a triumph for human rights, World Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs said he was only surprised that UNFPA is now willing to admit what has always been part of its agenda. At a recent colloquium in Mexico City, Arie Hoekman, a UNFPA representative from the Netherlands, told participants that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent the triumph of "human rights" over "patriarchy."
http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/prnewswire/press_releases/national/District_of_Columbia/2009/02/27/DC76043
Family Planning Association Reacts To Rise In Teenage Pregnancy Rates And Releases Results Of Parents' Survey Into Teenage Pregnancy, UK
Reacting to the rise in teenage pregnancies released today, Julie Bentley, Chief Executive, fpa said:
"Given that we've had such a downward trend it's disappointing to see any rise. However, thousands of young women and men who may have become teenage parents haven't because of the work of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. It's therefore important that the Strategy continues.
"Teenage pregnancy is extremely complicated. There's never a 'quick-fix' but this does show how important it is to get statutory Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) into schools quickly[1]. In our survey, parents told us the most important thing the Government can do to bring down teenage pregnancy is to have better SRE as well."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/140493.php
Kevorkian Against Final Exit Network Assisted Suicide Method!
Jack Kevorkian, who painted the delightful picture above, helped kill people--other than Thomas Youk, who he lethally injected--via an assisted suicide machine in which the client flipped a switch opening the valve of a canister containing carbon monoxide. Yet, he has come out against the alleged approach to assisted suicide taken by the arrested Final Exit Network assisted suicide practitioners. From the story:
Southfield attorney Mayer Morganroth said Kevorkian, once referred to as Dr. Death, believes a doctor should always be involved in any type of assisted suicide.
"Other than that, he's not allowed to express any views about the methods they use," Morganroth said Thursday. "That's a limitation on his parole. The only thing he can say is that he disagrees with the methods and one of the reasons is that there should be a doctor present."
http://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2009/02/kevorkian-against-final-exit-network.html
Assisted suicide case revives right-to-die debate
The case against an alleged assisted suicide ring known as the Final Exit Network has revived a long-simmering debate over the right to die.
The network's president, its medical director and two other members are due in court Friday on charges they aided the suicide of a 58-year-old Georgia man who suffered for years from cancer of the throat and mouth.
Voters in Oregon and Washington have legalized doctor-assisted suicide, and a district judge in Montana ruled in December that such suicides are legal there, though the state Supreme Court could overturn that decision.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Headlines/Default.aspx?id=430700
