NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY
Stalemate on fetal homicide issue
The legislation was proposed in the aftermath of a car wreck in which Patricia Blair's minivan was struck head-on by a car driven by a 22-year-old woman who was under the influence of prescription drugs. Blair was pregnant and lost the twins she was carrying, but because there is no Vermont law to prosecute someone for killing an unborn baby, the woman faced lesser charges. (See earlier article)
Mary Hahn Beerworth, executive director of Vermont Right to Life, reports the problem in the legislature revolves around one senator. "That senator has refused now to let Patricia Blair, the mom of the twins, have so much as five minutes before his committee -- and he has decided he's not going to take up the issue after all," Beerworth explains.
Click here for the entire article from OneNewsNow.
AZ pro-life laws currently in limbo
Arguments have been held in state and federal courts over two pro-life laws in Arizona that are designed to protect the health and safety of women.
Planned Parenthood filed suit blocking implementation of the laws until the courts rule. One law deals with informed consent; the other with licensure to perform abortions.
Deborah Sheasby, who is legal counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy and an Alliance Defense Fund-allied attorney, defended the statutes.
Click here for the entire article from OneNewsNow.
Bioethics Must be Guided by Natural Law Principles of Human Dignity
A bioethics not founded in the “foundational principle of human dignity” is unable to respect human rights, the pope said on Saturday. In his address to the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV), a meeting of philosophers and scholars held annually in Rome, the pope said that with the rapid advance of technology, it is more imperative than ever that bioethics be guided by the Natural Law that is “inscribed by God the Creator in the heart of man.”
“When respect for the dignity of the person is invoked it is fundamental that it be complete, total and with no strings attached,” he said. Without the “universal principles” of the fundamental right of all human beings to have their inherent dignity regarded – a “common denominator for the whole of humanity” – the result will be a “relativistic drift at the legislative level.”
Every law in every society, said the pope, “is called to recognize this right as inviolable and every single person must respect and promote it.”
Click here for the entire article from LifeSiteNews.com.
Personhood Nevada Files Appeal in State Supreme Court to Keep Personhood Alive
Personhood Nevada appealed to the State Supreme Court today, calling for the overturning of Judge James Russell's opinion against the Nevada Personhood Amendment. On Friday, January 8, Judge Russell ruled that the fourteen word amendment did not encompass a single subject, although it is comprised of merely a handful of words and one of the most succinct ever to be filed in that State. "It's a civil rights initiative by and for the people. By the logic of First District Court Judge James Russell, the people of Nevada would never be allowed to bring forth a civil rights initiative," observed Personhood Nevada President Olaf Vancura. "Such denial is unconstitutional. We're appealing to the Supreme Court in hopes that they will recognize the voters' rights in the State of Nevada."
Click here for the entire article from CovenantNews.
New Planned Parenthood Headquarters Opens With Party
Amid tight security and a vocal group of anti-abortion protesters, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette celebrated the opening of its $12.5 million headquarters Sunday afternoon with rousing rhetoric and a brief plea for more funding. Inside the new building, supporters munched on cookies, listened to music and framed the opening of the new facility in Northeast Portland as another step in the fight for expanded health care. The new headquarters could provide services to twice as many people as the old facility, according to a Planned Parenthood spokeswoman. Outside, pickets carried signs, prayed and spoke for the unborn. Abortions will be performed at the clinic. The site of the new headquarters, at Northeast Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Beech Street, has been a magnet for controversy since the groundbreaking in October of 2008. Protesters have been regular visitors. And some opponents have accused Planned Parenthood of targeting the African American community by putting the new building in a neighborhood that is home to many black residents.
Click here for the entire article from Oregon Live.
Illinois Federation for Right to Life
2600 State Street, Ste E
Alton, IL 62002
Phone: 618-466-4122
Web: http://www.ifrl.org
E-mail: mail@ifrl.org
