NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY
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.
'Death With Dignity' Law Takes Effect in Washington State
Terminally ill patients with less than six months to live will soon be able to ask their doctors to prescribe them lethal medication in Washington state.
But even though the "Death with Dignity" law takes effect Thursday, people who might seek the life-ending prescriptions could find their doctors conflicted or not willing to write them.
Many doctors are hesitant to talk publicly about where they stand on the issue, said Dr. Tom Preston, a retired cardiologist and board member of Compassion & Choices, the group that campaigned for and supports the law.
"There are a lot of doctors, who in principle, would approve or don't mind this, but for a lot of social or professional reasons, they don't want to be involved," he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,502885,00.html
Personhood Amendment Passes Montana Senate
American Life League celebrated Thursday the first personhood amendment in the nation's history to pass a state Senate. Personhood Amendment, SB 406, passed 26 to 24 in the Montana State Senate Feb. 26. Introduced by Montana State Sen. Dan McGee, SB 406 states "all persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights .. person means a human being at all stages of human development of life, including the state of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency." American Life League president Judie Brown issued the following statement: "Personhood is catching fire around the country. Less than two weeks ago, North Dakota's House of Representatives recognized all human beings as persons and now Montana is following suit with passage of the first Personhood Amendment.
http://www.all.org/article.php?id=11834
Planned Parenthood Attacks Oregon Math Teacher
An Oregon high school math teacher will face an attack Friday from an affiliate of the nation's largest abortion business. Planned Parenthood of Columbia/Willamette wants Bill Diss' teaching license revoked. Diss heads Precious Children of Portland – a pro-life organization working to halt construction of Planned Parenthood's new mega-abortion facility in Portland's poorest neighborhood. "Bill has organized one of the most effective efforts against Planned Parenthood in the country," said Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League. "It's no surprise Planned Parenthood will resort to anything – even going after his teaching license – in order to silence him."
http://www.all.org/article.php?id=11833
Women Abandoning the Pill Due to Adverse Health Effects
The use of the contraceptive pill is plummeting among younger women, in response to growing awareness of its destructive health effects, reports a French bioethics site. According to the site "Genetique," the use of "the pill" among women aged 15 to 24 years old dropped from 43% in 2003 to 26% in 2007. The rate of childbirth among the same group increased at the same time. "The principal reason for this decrease is the attention paid by women to their health," says Genetique. "It is now proven that the pill suppresses libido and causes weight gain. The fear of cancer and sterility are equally responsible."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022704.html
Ethics Watchdog Group Files Complaint Against Brownback Over Antiabortion Letter
The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Wednesday filed a Senate ethics complaint against Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) over an antiabortion fundraising letter that a conservative Roman Catholic group sent using a fake Senate letterhead from Brownback's office, The Politico reports (Thrush, The Politico, 2/26).
According to the AP/MSNBC.com, Catholic Advocate in the letter -- which bears Brownback's name and title -- criticizes Democratic lawmakers who are Catholic and support abortion rights. CREW argues that the letter violates a Senate rule that prohibits members from using their letterhead for fundraising purposes (AP/MSNBC.com, 2/26).
CREW's complaint said, "By deliberately attempting to mislead recipients of Catholic Advocate's fundraising appeal into believing they have received a letter from Sen. Brownback in his official capacity, Sen. Brownback has engaged in improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate"
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/140665.php
Abortion Protest News from around the Nation...
K-State Students Protest For Pro-Life Cause
Members of the KSU Students for the Right to Life assembled on the northwest corner of Manhattan and Anderson avenues to conduct a peaceful and silent protest to promote the idea of life starting at conception Saturday afternoon. "We've gotten a lot of support," said Jennifer Wellnitz, senior in animal sciences and industry and president of the organization. "I really appreciate the community and their positive responses." The open protest initially had 11 participants, but because of harsh weather conditions, only three were left holding pro-life signs by the protest's close.
http://kstatecollegian.com/1.1590541-1.1590541
'Abortion Hursts Women' Marchers Clash With Baby Killers at Rochester Planned Parenthood
An anti-abortion march ended in a confrontation at Rochester's Planned Parenthood. The March for Life made its way from Our Lady of Victory Church to University Avenue where marchers encountered a group of pro-choice advocates. Police responded to keep the peace. "Abortion hurts women. It's a desperate choice that they're making. Once they go through with it, they are abandoned; no help is provided to them," said Jose Rivera, anti-abortion advocate. The confrontation ended peacefully and police did not make any arrests.
http://www.rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=69821&rnews_story_type=18
Abortion Protests Lead to Arrests
Robert Coppock was in the back of a Birmingham, Ala., police cruiser when an officer asked him why he and other anti-abortion protesters did not obey orders to leave an area near a high school. The 22-year-old Spotsylvania County resident was demonstrating with eight other people in front of Parker High School. He said he looked directly at the black officer and thought about the civil rights battles that took place in that very state. "I asked him why Rosa Parks didn't leave when she was asked to," Coppock said. "He said, 'I completely understand.'" Moments later, Coppock and members of the Survivors Campus Life Tour were arrested for criminal trespass. His girlfriend, Ashley Hartsell, 19, was among them. Click here to view the video of this protest.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/022009/02282009/447572?rss=local
Anti-Abortion Protesters Stage Low-Key Demonstration Outside Family Planning
An anti-abortion demonstration began at a Wausau reproductive health clinic Wednesday and as organizers promised, it was calm and subdued. The site of the protest and its services, though, were cause for passionate debate. Only a few demonstrators at a time were walking and praying Thursday outside of Family Planning Health Services on Third Avenue. Participants in the 40 Days for Life campaign during Lent said their motivation was to pray for change and get people to think about their actions. Lon Newman, executive director of Family Planning, said the demonstration hasn't caused any problems with traffic or safety.
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090227/WDH0101/902270483/1581&located=RSS
From Pro-Life Blogs...
Devaluing The Unborn Baby
If your car starts to break down, do you start it on fire so it will be no use to anybody?
If your house starts to fall in disarray, do you use a bulldozer and totally destroy it?
If your family member is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Lou Gehrig's disease, or terminal cancer, do you make the choice of killing them so they won't have to go through such an ordeal?
If you discover your spouse is having an affair, do you kill him or her, because of how your life will negatively change in the near future?
If your boss embezzles a huge sum from your place of employment that causes your office to close, do you kill the boss, because this will negatively impact your career?
Do you burn down the administration building at your college when they drop your field of study from the curriculum?
If you don't like your car or house, you can basically put them up for adoption, so to speak, by letting someone else have it. If you have problems with your marriage, work, or school, you find a way to get through the problem without physically harming another. After the initial shock of one of these life-changing events, most will attempt to make the best of an undesirable situation.
But our society allows and often promotes the killing of the unborn baby because, if born, this baby will negatively impact somebody's lifestyle. When it comes to making the best of an undesirable situation of a pregnancy, 4,000 people in the Unites States decide daily to kill the baby. It doesn't make any sense unless one puts more value in a car, house, job, or school than they do a fellow human being.
http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2009/02/devaluing_the_u.php
