NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY (Referral to Web sites not produced by The Illinois Federation for Right to LIfe is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.) Abortions of Down Syndrome Babies 'Double Official Level' As Doctors Spare Women's Feelings But Not Babies' Abortionists in the UK are aborting twice as many unborn babies because the children have Down Syndrome (DS) as official figures suggest, an independent body has revealed. Doctors are trying to spare women's feelings at aborting disabled children by failing to classify the abortions as Down abortions, it was claimed. Instead, they record them as "social" abortions, which make up most abortions in the UK. Click here for the full article. Strip Mall Abortions: Upgraded Planned Parenthood Opens In Revamped Mall MADISON, WI - When it was time to get a urine sample from patients at the old Planned Parenthood facility on Park Street, staff members would put a collection cup inside a brown paper bag and escort the patient down a long hallway outside the clinic to the nearest bathroom. They tried to make the process as discreet as possible, but the setup was far from ideal, notes Deborah Hobbins, regional vice president of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. "It put the miles on," she notes dryly. Click here for the full article. March for life attracts 50,000 in Costa Rica San José, Costa Rica - Some 50,000 people participated in the "Costa Rica March for Life and the Family" on November 28, which concluded with an address calling on officials to reject any law that would attack these fundamental values. The address commits participants "to defend all human life" from conception to natural death. It also urges that marriage and the family be protected, "and for this reason we oppose, and we call on our representatives in the executive branch, legislative assembly and municipalities to reject any bill, policy or institutional activity" to the contrary. Click here for the full article. ACLU Sues to Block Alaska Personhood Initiative ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the latest in a string of court proceedings against personhood initiatives nationwide, the Alaskan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is backing a lawsuit against state officials for giving voters an opportunity to decide on a ballot initiative that would declare all human beings "persons." The suit alleges that the proposed language does not adequately present to voters the possible consequences of its enactment, such as the outlawing of abortion, and thus Lieutenant Governor Craig Campbell should not have approved it.  Plaintiffs, including Vic Fisher, a former Alaska Democratic legislator, argue that the signature-collecting process should be halted immediately. Click here for the full article. Adult Stem Cells Heal Human Hearts In a newly-published study, scientists from several institutions across the country report that use of adult stem cells can repair hearts damaged from heart attack. The researchers say that it's some of the strongest evidence yet that adult stem cells can turn into new heart cells to repair damaged tissue. The study suggests that adult stem cells, in this case derived from bone marrow, are more flexible than previously thought. The published study looks at 53 patients who had heart attacks within the previous ten days. Patients were injected intravenously with mesenchymal adult stem cells; the cells migrated to the damaged heart and began repair. Patients who received the adult stem cells showed improvement over those who did not receive the cells. According to Dr. Joshua Hare, a University of Miami cardiologist and lead author of the 10-university study... Click here for the full article.