Breast-Feeding Would Save Lives and Money, Study Says
The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.
Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.
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Yes, Indeed, There Is a "Death Panel"
During the debate over the recently enacted health care legislation, media elites and other partisans of unlimited government lambasted critics who insisted that the measure would lead to rationing by way of a federal “death panel.”
At least some of those who took up that derisive chorus are now extolling the same death panel – the Independent Medicare Advisory Board – for its supposed cost-saving benefits.
New York Times economics columnist Paul Krugman is enchanted with the Advisory Board, which he says “has the ability to make more or less binding judgments on saying this particular treatment doesn’t do any good medically and so we are not going to pay for it. That is actually going to save a lot of money.”
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Allen County Indiana OKs Ordinance On Out-Of-Town Abortionists
Despite objections from Planned Parenthood of Indiana, the three Allen County Commissioners on Friday unanimously approved an ordinance that will require out-of-town providers of abortion and other medical services to assure patients can receive followup care in case of complications. As first introduced in 2008 by Commissioner Nelson Peters, the bill would have required doctors performing certain procedures outside hospitals to have admitting privileges at area hospitals. As passed, however, the ordinance requires so-called "itinerant" medical providers to provide the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health, hospitals and others with information on how to contact them or another doctor in case of emergency. The law applies to doctors lacking privileges at area hospitals who live outside Allen County, and failure to comply could result in closure of the facility, a $1,000 fine, or both.
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Tennessee Legislature: Abortionists Must Warn Clients against Coerced Abortion
Overwhelming majorities in both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly have passed a law requiring abortionists to post signs in their clinics informing women that it is against the law for anyone to coerce them into having an abortion. The law also applies stiff penalties to abortion facilities that fail to post the signs.
The newly-passed Freedom from Coercion Act, SB 3812, requires abortion facilities to post a sign in large 40 pt. Arial font in their waiting room with the words: "Notice: It is against the law for anyone, regardless of the person's relationship to you, to coerce you to have an abortion. By law, we cannot perform an abortion on you unless we have your freely given and voluntary consent. It is against the law to perform an abortion on you against your will. You have the right to contact any local or state law enforcement agency to receive protection from any actual or threatened criminal offense to coerce an abortion."
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USCCB: Abortion Executive Order Meaningless
A detailed legal analysis from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops of the health care bill has reinforced the bishops' conclusion that the Executive Order that Rep. Stupak obtained in exchange for his vote does little to nothing to solve the abortion-related problems in the bill.
The USCCB memo concludes that “the Executive Order cannot and does not fix the statutory problems of direct funding of abortion at CHCs (Community Health Centers), and of funding insurance plans that cover abortions; it cannot and does not make up for the absence of conscience protections that are missing from the statute; and it does not strengthen the conscience protections that are there, though it could have in certain limited ways.”
It also points out that, “Where the Order purports to fix a shortcoming of the Act in these areas, it is highly likely to be legally invalid; and where the Order is highly likely to be legally valid, it does nothing to fix those shortcomings.”
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Kenyan Parliament Approves Pro-Abortion Constitution
The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues expressed its deep regret that today, the Kenyan Parliament passed a Draft Constitution which will enshrine a right to abortion in the highest law of the land. The constitution does not contain any meaningful restrictions on abortion, despite recognition of the right to life from conception. Section 26 contains language which allows abortion when in the "opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger, or if permitted by any other written law."
This is a reversal of previous law on abortion - which required the opinion of two medical doctors who agreed an abortion was necessary for the life of the mother- and will open the door to abortion on demand.
Abortion is also advanced in Article 43 of the Draft which states: (1) Every person has the right- (a) to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to health care services, including reproductive health care...
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