NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY National Right To Life Committee, GOP Leadership Criticize Two-Bill Strategy For Health Reform National Right to Life Committee Legislative Director Douglas Johnson claimed Tuesday that disagreements over abortion-related provisions might be enough to thwart a "two-bill" strategy for passage of health reform legislation, CQ HealthBeat reports. Last week, Wendell Primus -- a senior aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) -- said that he remains optimistic about a strategy in which the House approves changes to the Senate's health bill (HR 3590), with the Senate then approving the legislation via the budget reconciliation process. After that process, the House would pass the Senate's original health bill. According to Primus, both pieces of legislation would then head to President Obama, who would need to sign the original Senate bill first and the reconciliation-passed measure second to "trump the relevant portions of the first-signed bill." Johnson contended in an e-mail Tuesday that a "substantial number of pro-life Democrats in the House" intend to oppose the Senate bill "with or without a 'sidecar' reconciliation bill because of the abortion problems." Click here for the entire article Medical News Today. Abortionist Barred From Surgeries Caught Violating Order An undercover investigator says Dr. Andrew Rutland advised her to have a chemical abortion. The lawyer for Rutland, disciplined after an abortion patient's death, says he performed no surgeries. Less than a month after Dr. Andrew Rutland was barred from performing surgeries after an abortion patient's death, state medical authorities say they caught the physician in an undercover sting apparently violating the court order. For the second time in as many months, state officials are seeking the immediate suspension of the Chula Vista physician's license. A hearing is set for Thursday in San Diego. Rutland could not be reached for comment. Click here for the entire article from The Los Angeles Times. Pope Decries "Scourges" of Abortion and Contraception    Pope Benedict XVI told a group of visiting Romanian bishops on Friday to resist the "scourges" of abortion and artificial birth control. The pontiff said the Church should set up "parish consultancy services" for young people to help them combat the "scourges of abortion, corruption, alcoholism and drugs, as well as birth control by methods contrary to the dignity of the human person." Click here for the entire article from LifeSiteNews.com. Boston Cardinal: Church Needs 'Clear' Injunction Denying Pro-Abortion Pols Communion    The best way for the Church to ensure pro-abortion Catholic politicians do not receive Communion would be through a change in the Church's Canon Law, or an official directive from the Pope himself, Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston told LifeSiteNews.com. LifeSiteNews.com caught up with O'Malley in Washington, DC last month, where he was among the concelebrating bishops for the Vigil Mass for Life at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. LSN asked O'Malley what he considered the appropriate pastoral response to pro-abortion politicians receiving Communion. "Well, I think that the only way that that solution [denying communion] should be invoked is if there were a large catechesis or if it was universal for the whole church," the cardinal responded. "You can't have people doing things in one parish and another, you would only divide the Church hopelessly." Click here for the entire article from LifeSiteNews.com. Massachusetts Catholic college: Contact Planned Parenthood for emergency contraception   A Massachusetts Catholic college's "emergency contraception options and resources" list includes links to Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts and to the state government's "access to emergency contraception" web site. The list is found of the web page of the Stonehill College Women's Center, which also offers links to gay activist organizations. In addition, the college's Book of Majors-- published in 2005 by the Office of Academic Services-- lists "Planned Parenthood counselor" among "professional careers" for gender studies majors. Click here for the entire article from Catholic World News. UK Hospitals Fail to Obey Safety Orders On and on it goes, where it stops, nobody knows: Now UK hospitals are being accused of putting patients' lives at risk by failing to comply with safety orders from central control. From the story: Hospitals were accused tonight of putting patients' lives at unnecessary risk after research revealed they were failing to comply with NHS orders designed to prevent deaths from mistakes involving drugs, surgery or equipment. Information released by the ­Department of Health after a freedom of information request showed that hospitals were not complying with safety alerts issued by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). The NPSA's chairman, Lord Patel of Dunkeld, told the Guardian that the behaviour of the trusts was unacceptable and endangered the health of patients. "It's not good enough," he said. "What's the point of us developing these alerts if they don't pay any attention to them? Alerts are produced to reduce risk and hopefully avoid many deaths, so not to implement them to me is alarming. If they aren't implemented then they run the risk of harm occurring and the danger will continue." Click here for the entire article from Secondhand Smoke.