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.
Pro-Life Musician/Activist: "1 Minute Biology Lesson" is "Above President Obama's Pay Grade"
David MacDonald, a pro-life musician and activist, says that a simple diagram explaining precisely the basic biology of when life begins has become one of his most useful tools in explaining the pro-life position to students at schools that he visits.
Over the last month MacDonald has spoken to over 2,000 students at various schools, to whom he has presented his pro-life testimony. "I was surprised that the majority of students did not know when life begins," he told LifeSiteNews.com. "It's a confusion which I've seen in teens, adults, and even good intentioned people who are educated."
"It's amazing that even after the Genome project, when every biologist on the planet is in agreement, that the general public is still in the dark."
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President of Honduras gives green light to morning-after pill
President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras has vetoed a decree that prohibited the sale of the morning-after pill in the country, thus giving a green light to the sale of the drug that prevents the implantation of a newly conceived child.
The president's private secretary, Eduardo Reina, said Zelaya vetoed the bill "because it is unconstitutional." The Honduran congress will need a two-thirds majority in order to override the presidential veto. The measure to prohibit the drug was supported by the Medical College of Honduras.
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Amnesty International Calls for Nicaragua to Overturn Abortion Restrictions
Amnesty International (AI), a group originally founded by Catholics to fight human rights abuses, but that has recently made its support for abortion as a "human right" official, has now called Nicaragua's ban on abortion a form of "torture." AI issued a media release on Friday backing a group of UN committees that are pressuring the government of Nicaragua to loosen its abortion laws to allow exceptions for pregnancy due to rape.
The United Nations committees on Human Rights, on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Committee against Torture have all pressured Nicaragua to lift its total ban on procured abortion. AI submitted a briefing to the UN committees that called abortion an "essential medical service" and said, "Denial of an essential health service meets each of the elements of article 1 [of the Convention Against Torture] and is torture within the meaning of the convention."
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Oklahoma Funds Science and Stem Cell Ethics
The Oklahoma Legislature having voted unanimously to outlaw all human cloning--still no word on what the governor will do with the bill--state bureaucrats are now putting $5.5 million into adult stem cell research over the next five years. From the story:
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust board voted Monday to contribute $5.5 million to adult stem cell research. The board committed $500,000 for a yearlong planning phase to decide how the money should be distributed, followed by $1 million in grants each year for five years.
The action was taken after presentations on adult stem cell research under way in Oklahoma. Adult stem cells could someday be used as "regenerative medicine" to treat or cure many ailments such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, said Dr. Stephen Prescott, president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
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Miguel Estrada for the Supreme Court
Media reports have consistently pointed out that the President is looking at several Hispanic candidates for the Supreme Court. Pundits say Democrats would cherish the idea of confirming the first Hispanic to the Court.
However, the Democrats' shameful treatment of Miguel Estrada, the first Hispanic nominee to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, cannot be overlooked. As you may recall, unable to block Estrada's nomination and knowing he would be confirmed if a full Senate vote was allowed, Democrats used an unprecedented and unjust partisan filibuster to prevent a vote from ever taking place.
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GOP House Members Send Obama Letter Asking Him To Reinstate 'Conscience' Rule
House GOP members on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama praising him for saying that he wants to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion" during his commencement address at the University of Notre Dame last weekend, The Hill reports. The Republican lawmakers -- Reps. James Sensenbrenner (Wis.), Chris Smith (N.J.) and John Fleming (La.) -- said Obama's speech indicated to them that he would reinstate the HHS provider "conscience" rule, which expanded the ability of health workers to refuse to provide services or information they objected to on moral or religious grounds and prohibited federal funding for health entities that do not comply.
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