NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY

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. Montana Attorney General Approves Constitutional Pro-Life Initiative The attorney general has approved ballot language for a proposed change to the state constitution. Constitutional Initiative 102 defines a "person" as beginning of a human being's biological development. A similar proposal fell short in 2008 of getting the required number of signatures for the ballot. Abortion foes now will have to start that process over to qualify for the 2010 ballot. It would take more than 40,000 petition signatures. Backers say similar efforts are under way in other states. Abortion foes now will have to start that process over to qualify for the 2010 ballot. It would take more than 40,000 petition signatures. Backers say similar efforts are under way in other states. Click here for the full article. Coalition For Life Opens New Facility Coalition for Life hosted a community open house Thursday at its new facility at the corner of Carter Creek and East 29th Street in Bryan. The site will offer free pregnancy tests and counseling for women considering an abortion. The location of the Coalition for Life building is no coincidence. It's just a block away from the Planned Parenthood clinic which is a frequent protest site for Coalition members. Click here for the full article. Indian Woman Fights for 'Rape' Baby The story of a pregnant teenager has been making the headlines in India. Lakshmi (not her real name) is 19 years old, but her mental age is said to be only around eight. She became pregnant after allegedly being raped in a government-run care home, and the state authorities petitioned the local courts to allow them to carry out an abortion. Their contention was that she wouldn't survive the trauma of childbirth, and that she wouldn't be able to take care of a baby. That court ruled that an abortion should go ahead. Click here for the full article. Couple Face Jail After Drugs Used to Murder Unborn Child When Tegan Simone Leach became pregnant late last year, she and her boyfriend Sergie Brennan asked their mothers what to do. On the advice of their families, the Cairns couple decided to end the pregnancy. But rather than organise an abortion through a public hospital or private clinic, it was decided Leach should take the abortion drugs misoprostol and RU-486 at home. Brennan's sister allegedly smuggled the drugs from the Ukraine in December. The couple now face an anxious wait to discover if they will be committed to stand trial. Leach, 19, has been charged under Queensland's Criminal Code with procuring her own miscarriage. Brennan, 21, has been charged with supplying Leach with abortifacients. If convicted, Leach faces only seven years in jail, while Brennan faces only three years in jail. Click here for the full article. UN Calls For More Money For Birth Control A lack of financing for global birth control programs has ended in an overwhelming number of unwanted pregnancies and death due to complications from childbirth. This has lead the UN to call for the world to focus on improving women's health and provide easier access to contraception. "It would cost the world only 23 billion dollars per year to stop women from having unintended pregnancies and dying in childbirth," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Click here for the full article. Documentary Follows Post-Abortive Women   Feminists for Life of America (FFL) has a new series of videos on its Web site called Exposing Coercion:  Pregnant Women Stand Up.  The clips outline the heart-wrenching testimonies of college-age women who have been pressured by medical professionals, parents and boyfriends into having an abortion. Serrin M. Foster, president of FFL, said the video highlights the need to provide tools and resources for women. "The videos give us a bird's-eye view of how women have been treated by those they count on most," she said.  "It's instructional for us as we try to help women in need." Click here for the full article.