Human Rights Panel Urges Obama to Confront China's Forced Abortion Policy

Human Rights Panel Urges Obama to Confront China's Forced Abortion Policy

  

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A panel of human rights activists at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission last week heard testimony about the Chinese government's atrocities against women and families. One prominent U.S. lawmaker on the panel urged President Obama to confront the issue during his state visit to China this week.

"In effect since 1979, the coercive one-child policy is, in scope and seriousness, the worst human rights abuse in the world today," said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the Commission who chaired the hearing.  "Few people outside China understand what a massive and cruel system of social control the one-child policy entails."

Though the Chinese government has downplayed the coercive aspects of its one-child policy, on-the-ground investigators and other sources affirm that Chinese officials deal with unregulated pregnancies with tactics unheard of in Western countries.  These include staggering fines - as much as ten times an average Chinese couple's yearly income - as well as harassment, beatings, destruction of property, forced sterilization, and forced abortion.

One Chinese woman who testified entered the room wearing a black cloth over her head, and sat behind a screen to guard her from cameras.  She told the panel how she went into hiding after becoming pregnant without a birth permit in 2004, but underwent a forced abortion after Chinese officials discovered her.  She said the officials had detained and beaten her father to learn her whereabouts.

"In the end of surgery one nurse showed me a part of the bloody foot, with tweezers, through my tears and the picture of the bloody foot [was] engraved in my eyes and into my heart. I clearly saw five small bloody toes," said the woman, who used the name Wujan.

"The body of the baby was thrown into a trashcan."
 
Human rights activists say that the experiences of women like Wujan help explain why China has the highest female suicide rate in the world. About 500 Chinese women commit suicide every day, five times the national average. 

Women's Rights Without Frontiers founder Reggie Littlejohn confirmed that the Chinese government has stated its intention to continue its coercive one-child policy for several more years.

"When we say forced abortion, what do we mean? We mean women being literally dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night, or even in the middle of the day as in the case of this young woman, strapped down to tables, pleading and crying and being forced to abort their babies," said Littlejohn.

Rep. Smith criticized the United States' lax attitude towards China's human rights atrocities, particularly in the "airy spirit" of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first visit to China earlier this year.

"Human rights are trivialized by China, and the United States has been sending a message that profits and money-making trumps human rights," said Smith, who is also a senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"As President Obama embarks on this trip, we appeal to him to seriously raise the plight of Chinese women," he continued. "It is outrageous that the Obama Administration lavishly funds - to the tune of $50 million - organizations, including the U.N. Population Fund, that partner with China's National Population Planning Commission."

At a Chinese town hall event Monday, President Obama questioned some of the Chinese government's other repressive policies, such as those regarding religious freedom and information technology, but did not touch on the coercive one-child policy.

"These freedoms of expression and worship; of access to information and political participation, we believe are universal rights," said Obama. "They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities; whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation."

Obama is expected to discuss human rights issues in private meetings with Chinese leaders during his visit.

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: November 16, 2009
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Planned Parenthood 'runs on fear,' former clinic director charges

Planned Parenthood 'runs on fear,' former clinic director charges
  

Abby Johnson with Shawn Carney of
Coalition for Life outside the Planned
Parenthood clinic where she worked.

Denver, Colorado - Abby Johnson, former Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood director spoke with CNA on Monday about the restraining order her former employer filed against her following her Oct. 6 resignation.  Johnson noted that while she was a little surprised by the injunction, she also knows that Planned Parenthood "runs on fear."

Johnson, who had worked at the Bryan clinic for eight years, left Planned Parenthood on what she describes as "good terms" after witnessing an ultrasound of an abortion.

"I made a decision that day," she told CNA.  "I went home and talked to my husband about it."

Following her resignation, Johnson joined up with members of the Coalition of Life.  Shortly after, Planned Parenthood's lawyers filed a restraining order against their former employee citing their concern that she would share confidential information about the clinic as well as its patients.

Johnson noted that Planned Parenthood's attempt was unsuccessful and that their claims "had no evidence."

"Alluding to the fact that I would release patient information is very offensive.  I cared about them when I worked there, and I still do."  Johnson added that she would never do anything to violate their privacy.  "It's absolutely ridiculous!"

The former clinic director went even further in denouncing Planned Parenthood, calling it "an organization that frequently threatens people who go against them."  During her tenure at the clinic, Johnson said that she saw her former employer "continually threaten" its opponents.

"If you're against them, they are going to try to sue you," she told CNA.

Though Johnson admitted she was slightly surprised the organization filed an injunction, she figured they might go after her.

"Planned Parenthood is an organization that runs of fear.  They are scared of what they do know, and they are scared of what they don't know."

Now that Johnson has resigned from her position, she said she's not sure what is in store for her. Currently she has several talks lined up to discuss pro-life issues on the benefits of ultrasound and how important it is for women.

She added that she and her husband are "spending a lot of time in prayer to decide what we'll do next.  Everyday something new pops up.  Something that we didn't expect."

Source: CNA
Publish Date: November 17, 2009
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Feminists also fume: No mandated contraception coverage in healthcare bills

Feminists also fume: No mandated contraception coverage in healthcare bills



Sharon Lerner at Double X wrote:

Abortion, it seems, was lost to political horse-trading. But there are also deeper forces at work....

The best example is birth control, which was also recently thrown under the health-reform train. So far, none of the 3 reform bills has required insurers to cover contraception....

Women's health advocates reported that some Democrats cited a fear of igniting controversy when asked to insert birth control and other preventive services for women into the minimum benefits package. What's the controversy, exactly? It seems birth control has become a suddenly loaded political issue, a toxic sister to abortion, somehow resonant of irresponsible sex and women's bodies....

If you ask a pro-life activist what exactly is objectionable about birth control, you're likely to launch a discussion about when life begins. That's because much of the opposition to contraception that's sprung up over the last decade or so has been hitched to the idea that specific methods are tantamount to abortion. In this mindset, the IUD, oral contraception, and the "morning-after" pill are essentially abortifacients, since they may prevent the implantation of an already-fertilized egg - a life, in their view.

Yet this tight logic hasn't survived the leap from far-right circles to mainstream politics. For one, it leaves open the glaring question of why pro-lifers have little interest in other birth-control methods that can prevent abortions. You'd expect anyone who's truly concerned about protecting life to be interested in supporting at least the forms of birth control that work before an egg is fertilized. Yet you rarely hear pro-lifers promoting condoms or diaphragms, which are among the surest bets in preventing abortions. And, indeed, there was no distinction made among birth control methods in public discussions around health reform....

A few thoughts.

1st, I don't understand why certain pro-lifers battle the idea that hormonal contraception may cause abortions when the other side freely admits it - on package labeling and in discussions, as above.

Actually, I think I do understand. These pro-lifers may be users, or they may attend a church that has no moral problem with hormonal contraception, such as mine. I'm a former user, btw. I realize the implications are enormous.



2nd, Lerner is isn't listening. Even if a certain segment of the pro-life population doesn't want to make an issue of the abortifacient component of hormonal contraception and IUDs, most of us agree pushing contraception is to push illicit sexual behavior.

Which leads to my 3rd thought, that liberal feminists promoting wide availability of contraception, particularly, the Pill, demonstrate the epitome of sexism against women by promoting their exploitation as well as savaging their health.

"Hormonal contraception" is merely code for artificial female sex steroids. Men aren't stupid. Most men would never agree to tamper with their virility and health by ingesting small amounts of male sex steroids daily for decades.

Stupid feminists. Stupid women. One of the 2 primary reasons for the sudden spike in breast cancer over the past few decades is the ingestion of poisonous, carcinogenic estrogen every day via hormonal contraception.

(The other reason being abortion, of course. As if more evidence were needed, read about this recent study in China linking a 17% increased incidence of breast cancer in mothers who have aborted.)



As birth control manufacturers continue to experiment on women, new problems are found, such as in Yaz recently, currently being accused of "fraudulent concealment of safety information" by covering up its potential to cause blood clots, "gallbladder damage, kidney stones, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms and strokes."

And where are the feminists? Promoting Yaz et al.

Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: November 17, 2009
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French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life

French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life



ORANGE, France - A hospital in the south of France has been found guilty of taking excessive measures when they successfully revived a newborn baby that had been declared stillborn.  The case was brought by the parents, who are seeking 500,000 euros in damages.

The baby was born in an Orange hospital on December 14, 2002.  The baby's heartbeat had dropped during delivery, and the baby seemed to be dead upon birth.  After twenty-five minutes of attempted resuscitation, the gynecologist informed the parents that the baby was dead, but staff continued their efforts and the heartbeat returned.  The baby has since suffered severe mental and physical disabilities due to the trauma.

The parents' lawyer, Alexandre Berteigne, told lepoint.fr that he was pleased with the decision, which he says is unprecedented in France.  "For the first time, a tribunal recognizes that a life without consciousness is not a life," he said.  He accused the hospital of having "forced to revive a child."

The judge's ruling, laid down in June, but not revealed until last week, states that hospital staff had been overly aggressive in their attempts to save the child's life.  "By acting this way without taking into account the highly probable harmful consequences for the child," the verdict states, "the doctors demonstrated unreasonable obstinacy ... that constituted a medical error of a nature which engages the responsibility of the Orange hospital."

According to Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, and an advocate for those with disabilities, the decision could have far-reaching consequences for children born with various anomalies.  If the decision is taken seriously, he said, "it will once again dehumanize people born with disabilities, to the point where their lives will be considered incompatible with life."

"The judge should have said that while the ethics of [the extraordinary measures] might be questionable," Schadenberg said. "... now that that child is alive, we cannot question this."

"If someone is alive, it should simply be deemed that their life is worthy of life, and we should not be judging that life as having value or somehow being a life that should not have happened," he continued.  "Being alive should be enough."

Contact: Patrick B. Craine
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: November 16, 2009
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NEWS SHORTS FOR TUESDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR TUESDAY
(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.)

Using Patients own Stem cells in Therapy to Treat Heart, Lung and Vascular Diseases Show Positive Results



A Florida cardiologist is using stem cell therapy to treat patients who suffer from a range of heart, lung and vascular illnesses. The results have been extraordinary. Zannos Grekos, M.D. uses the patients' own stem cells to treat the diseases. "One's own stem cells offer great potential for the treatment of serious heart, lung and vascular diseases," Dr. Grekos said. "We are seeing remarkable outcomes through this treatment." The process, utilizing adult stem cell therapy, can be used to treat such diseases as congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, peripheral artery disease and severe pulmonary disease.
Click here for the full article.


Abortion Group allowed to Buy Pro-Abort TV Advertisement

An abortion group is preparing to launch a television ad on Tuesday using a rare condition in which a fetus is missing parts of its skull and brain in the hopes of rallying support for covering elective abortion procedures. The ad, which is presented as a stand-up comedy routine, is paid for by the Center For Reproductive Rights. It is slated to air on cable networks in the Washington, DC, market and on Internet news sites starting Tuesday.
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Personhood Petition would Outlaw Pills that Kill Babies in the Womb by Induced Abortion



CARSON CITY -- The leader of a Nevada organization that wants to outlaw abortion acknowledged today that passage of its Parenthood amendment would prohibit women from using pills that induce abortion. Olaf Vancura, president of Personhood Nevada, said any birth control pill or other forms of contraception that end pregnancies or destroy "newly formed life" would be outlawed if voters approve the proposed constitutional amendment. Birth control designed to prevent a pregnancy before one occurs would not be prohibited, he said.
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Michigan abortionist under pressure

A well-known Michigan abortionist is encountering a new lawsuit for his inhumane methods.
 


Albert Hodari previously made headlines for disposing of aborted babies in a dumpster. Judy Climer, president of Flint Right to Life, believes pressure is mounting on him partly because of his past.
 
"I know there's a new lawsuit pending against him, and I don't know if that, along with the fact that he's still on probation from putting the babies in the dumpster... with the mothers' medical records... and then the $10,000 fine that he got for the woman who died as a result of one of his abortions [adds to] the financial pressure and everything [as it] is caving in on him," notes Climer.
 
The present lawsuit was filed by Caitlin Bruce, who went to Hodari for an abortion and changed her mind before the procedure began. She claims that a worker held her down at Hodari's command as the abortionist forced the procedure which resulted in killing her baby. Among other things, Hodari is charged with medical malpractice, battery and fraud.
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Don't Ignore Forced Abortion



One of the few incontrovertible assertions one can reasonably make is that no one supports forced abortion. Yet, coerced abortions, as well as involuntary sterilizations, are commonplace in China, Beijing's protestations notwithstanding. While the Chinese Communist Party insists that abortions are voluntary under the nation's one-child policy, electronic documentation recently smuggled out of the country tells a different story. Congressional members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission heard some of that story Tuesday, two days before Obama was slated to leave for Asia, including China, to discuss economic issues. Among evidence provided by two human rights organizations, ChinaAid and Women's Rights Without Frontiers, were tales of pregnant women essentially being hunted down and forced to submit to surgery or induced labor.   Also, read: In China, Abortion is NOT Always a Choice
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Going to Extremes: Pro-Aborts Argue Pro-Life Health Amendment "Paves the Way to Religious Discrimination"



WASHINGTON, D.C. - The brewing pro-abortion vitriol against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for their role in adding pro-life Hyde-amendment language to the House health care bill has evolved in the week since the bill's passage, with new claims surfacing that the pro-life amendment amounts to "religious discrimination" against faith systems that might allow abortion.

Gordon Newby of the liberal online magazine Religion Dispatches issued a column Friday affirming that the amendment banning federal abortion funding means that "many religious Americans will be unable to live and act according to their own religious consciences and beliefs." He advances his argument by pointing to the Jewish Mishnah's ethical treatment of a life-threatening pregnancy, the ambiguity on abortion in Islam and Buddhism, and the historical Christian debate on when the soul enters the human body.
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Time for Senator Reid to Back Up his Words with Action by Including Pro-Life Protections in Senate Health Care Bill

Time for Senator Reid to Back Up his Words with Action by Including Pro-Life Protections in Senate Health Care Bill SBA List President Urges Senate to Adopt Pro-Life Stupak language WASHINGTON, Yesterday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told Roll Call he expects language excluding abortion to be included in the Senate version of health care reform. Reid said,  "I expect that the bill that will be brought to the floor will ensure that no federal funds are used for abortion and that the rights of providers, health care facilities, like Catholic hospitals, will be protected, so I believe we can work that out, and we will." In response, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser offered the following statement: "Senator Reid should remember the Nevadans who elected him to defend Life when he is crafting abortion language in the Senate health care reform bill.  Abortion is not health care, and Senator Reid's constituents will not settle for anything less than an authentic abortion exclusion measure. "There is just simply no room for compromise when human life is at stake.  Either you fund abortion or you don't.  Nevadans won't settle for phony compromises and accounting gimmicks -- they deserve authentic safeguards that will ensure not one dime of federal funds subsidizes abortion or health plans that cover abortion.  The Senate should respect this status quo, precedent set under the Hyde Amendment.  Now is not the time to cave into the scare-tactics and increasing demands from the abortion lobby. "Senator Reid claims to oppose taxpayer funding for abortion, and he can prove with health care reform.  He has the opportunity to stop the greatest expansion of government-backed abortion since Roe v. Wade.  Make no mistake -- government-sponsored abortion coverage is a stark departure from our long tradition of limiting federal taxpayer-funds for abortion. "It's time for Senator Reid to live up to his pro-life self-label.  Reid should honor his pro-life commitments and the consciences of the majority of Nevadans by opposing the abortion mandate in health care reform.  If he doesn't, the Susan B. Anthony List will make sure his constituents know the truth, because votes have consequences." As part of its Votes Have Consequences project, the Susan B. Anthony List has funded $130,000 in television (video), radio ads and educational phone calls across Nevada calling on Senator Reid to defend Life in health care reform. For the last several months, the Susan B. Anthony List has mobilized tens of thousands of pro-life Americans nationwide to urge Congress to exclude abortion from healthcare reform.  Susan B. Anthony List activists have sent nearly 500,000 letters to Congress requesting an explicit exclusion of abortion from health care reform. Contact: Joy Yearout Source: Susan B. Anthony List Publish Date: November 11, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life campaign set to launch

Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life campaign set to launch Joe Davis, Jr. was cured of sickle cell anemia using his brother Isaac's stem cells. Kansas City, Kan., Nov 12, 2009 / 08:03 pm ().- The Family Research Council, (FRC) has announced the beginning of its campaign to spread awareness about how successful adult stem cells are in treating a variety of diseases. The most recent count places the number of conditions successfully treated at close to 80. On Saturday, November 14, 2009, the FRC will kick off the "Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life Education & Awareness Campaign" at the Town Hall in Shawnee, Kansas. At the premier, they will publicly launch www.stemcellresearchfacts.com and present the stories of people who have been successfully treated with adult stem cells via short videos. Laura Dominguez knows firsthand about the impact a stem cell treatment can make. In the summer of 2001, when Dominguez was just 16 years-old, she was involved in a car accident that broke her neck, paralyzing her from the neck down. After a Portuguese surgeon took stem cells from her nose, cultured them, and used them to replace the scar tissue in her neck, she is now able to feel her body below her chest. She can grasp and move the mouse of a computer and is able to walk with leg braces. Though her range of motion is limited compared to her abilities before the accident, due to the treatment which used her own stem cells, she is no longer a paraplegic. David Prentice, Ph.D., formerly a professor at Indiana State University who now works full time with FRC, told CNA that this campaign is about awareness. "This (adult stem cell research) is out there. There's more coming." Prentice noted that the majority of people don't even know about adult stem cell treatments and how effective they are. According to Prentice, the exact number of conditions that can be successfully treated by adult stem cells "is growing weekly. It's over 70, and soon it will be 80." Currently the most common and effective treatments using stem cells are various forms of cancers and anemias, he said, though adult stem cells have also repaired heart attack damage, treated leukemias, lymphomas, spinal cord injuries and helped patients with multiple sclerosis and juvenile diabetes. When asked about the embryonic stem cell research debate, Prentice noted, "No human beings have even been injected yet" in embryonic stem cell research. Published science, however, has verified the successful treatments of thousands of patients using adult stem cells. "Lets focus on helping the patients, and helping them now," Prentice said. "We're not even talking about embryonic stem cell research. It's not helping anybody. It's not even helping the lab rats." Source: CNA Publish Date: November 12, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

Chairman Steele Nixes Abortion Coverage for RNC Employees

Chairman Steele Nixes Abortion Coverage for RNC Employees WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Republican Party leads the fight against federal funding of abortion in health care legislation, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) has ordered the immediate discontinuation of abortion coverage for his own employees after the coverage was publicized in a news report Thursday. "Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," Steele said in a statement following a Politico report that revealed the existence of elective abortion coverage in the RNC plan. "I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled." Politico confirmed that elective abortion coverage had been available to GOP staff through its Cigna insurance plan since 1991. In a memo to nationwide committee members following the Politico report, RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay said Chairman Steele "had already called for an official review of our health insurance policy along with a number of other operational items." "The review of our health insurance policy has been underway for some time and that review continues," wrote McKay.  "I can assure you that the Chairman takes this issue very seriously." The GOP traditionally upholds a pro-life platform, one that Steele has vowed to strongly maintain as a pro-life Catholic.  Nonetheless, Steele has earned sharp criticism from pro-life leaders for his statements on abortion - which appear largely guided by his stated priority of widening the party base - since his ascendency to the chairmanship in January.  Contact: Kathleen Gilbert Source: LifeSiteNews.com Publish Date: November 13, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

Pro-Life Protesters Reach Common Ground with Aurora on Protests at Planned Parenthood

Pro-Life Protesters Reach Common Ground with Aurora on Protests at Planned Parenthood Pro-Life Action League and City of Aurora Settle Years-Long Dispute over Protesters' and Free Speech Rights at the Nation's Second Largest Abortion Clinic AURORA, Ill., - Last night the Aurora City council agreed to a long-awaited settlement between the city and the Pro-Life Action League that lays out provisions protecting the rights of pro-life protesters at the Planned Parenthood facility in the city. A win for pro-lifers, the agreement recognizes the rights of protesters and secures comprehensive protection for citizens who wish to speak out in front of one of the nation's largest abortion facilities. "With this new agreement in place, the pro-life community's peaceful outreach to abortion-bound mothers can proceed without hindrance, and the uncertainty and confusion that has characterized the police response to pro-life protests at Planned Parenthood should finally end," said Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League. The settlement ends a dispute between the pro-life protestors and the City of Aurora that has gone on for more than two years, and exemplifies the kind of cooperation between municipalities and peaceful pro-life activists that is needed across the country. The new agreement demonstrates that there is no need to silence protesters in "bubble zones" like the one to be enacted later this month in Chicago and another that was recently struck down by Philadelphia's Third Circuit Court. In the settlement agreement, the City of Aurora agrees to: • Recognize the rights of pro-life citizens to protest abortion and offer alternatives. • Provide special First Amendment and non-discriminatory law enforcement training to police officers in collaboration with pro-lifers. • Amend two ordinances related to parades and residential picketing to make them less restrictive of Constitutionally-protected public protests. • Refrain from arresting pro-life protestors for trespassing if they are walking or standing on the Planned Parenthood side of the access road in front of the facility. • Concede pro-lifers' right to post a reasonable number of signs in the ground during protests and vigils. • Remove signs erected on Oakhurst Drive in 2007 prohibiting protest activity. In return, the pro-life group agreed to limit protest activity on the east side of Oakhurst Drive, continue their standard practice of posting warning signs when graphic abortion posters are used at their monthly protests and drop their federal lawsuit against the City. "I am encouraged by the spirit of collaboration that gave rise to the settlement, and hope that it will become a model for other municipalities reluctant to fully recognize and respect the Constitutional freedoms of pro-life activists," said Scheidler. Contact: Eric Scheidler Source: Pro-Life Action League Publish Date: November 11, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

4th Pro-Life World Congress Calls Abortion "Mega-Genocide"

4th Pro-Life World Congress Calls Abortion "Mega-Genocide" SARAGOSSA, Spain, - The representatives of national and international pro-life organizations who gathered in Saragossa, Spain from November 6 to 8, 2009, in the Fourth Pro-Life World Congress, have issued a statement - the so-called Declaration of Saragossa - that has condemned the slaughter of the unborn by abortion as a "mega-genocide." Comparing the six million "legal" deaths in the Nazi concentration camps, which constitute the international crime of genocide, to the "eight hundred million deaths, provoked, up to the moment, by means of 'legal' abortions, in the countries of the world that have authorized it," the Declaration states that "for its number and extension" abortion "constitutes a crime against humanity, a mega-genocide." The Declaration identifies the UN and its agencies, various international organizations such as the Rockefeller, Ford, Gates, and Soros Foundations and the International Federation of Family Planning (IPPF), as well as "the current president of the United States of America and the bureaucracy of the European Union, among other groups of global power," as the main elements that encourage, "sometimes in a direct way and sometimes using euphemisms," this mega-genocide. The pro-life representatives make a distinction between the lives lost to direct abortion, and the "hardly determinable number of victims" of "diverse contraceptives capable of killing human beings in their first days of life," such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), the "morning after" pill, systemic use contraceptive pills, injectable or subdermal implants, and the chemical abortifacient drug misoprostol. Artificial fertilization also falls within this category of "invisible mega-genocide," since, according to statistics, only 4% of embryos conceived in "extracorporeal fertilization" (e.g. IVF) are born. Demanding respect for life from conception to natural death, the Declaration calls for the promotion of rational solutions, respectful of life, for human needs, the penalization of abortion, euthanasia, eugenic practices and the manipulation of human life, and the protection of conscience of doctors and health care workers who refuse to participate in the killing of innocent human life. The Declaration concludes with the warning that, "A society that tolerates with indifference the mega-genocide of abortion, be it surgical or chemical, loses the most elementary sign of humanity, and sooner or later it will be inclined to damage in a violent way some other human rights of its citizens." The full English text of the Declaration of Saragossa will be available on the Pro-Life World Congress website as soon as it is translated. Contact: Thaddeus M. Baklinski Source: LifeSiteNews.com Publish Date: November 10, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

Chinese Women with Abortions Have Statistically Significant 17% Increased Breast Cancer Risk -- Scientist Argues Researchers Underestimated Risk

Chinese Women with Abortions Have Statistically Significant 17% Increased Breast Cancer Risk -- Scientist Argues Researchers Underestimated Risk Chinese researchers Peng Xing and his colleagues conducted a case-control study in Northeast China examining reproductive factors associated with subtypes of breast cancer. They found a statistically significant overall odds ratio of 1.17 (17% increased breast cancer risk for all subtypes combined) among women with induced abortions. [1] Earlier this year, a Turkish study reported a statistically significant 66% increased risk for women with abortions. [2] Both studies show that, when honest research is conducted outside the control of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and other Western governmental agencies or organizations tethered to abortion ideology and politics, the truth emerges that abortion raises risk. Studies reporting no abortion-breast cancer (ABC) link were proven in medical journals to be stupendously flawed (fraudulent). [3-13] "The Chinese and the Turkish studies are relevant considering the debate over government-funded abortion through healthcare reform," said Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer. "Government-funded abortion means more dead American women from breast cancer." American researchers say Chinese studies on the ABC link exclude the possibility of a flaw called "report bias" because abortion isn't stigmatized in China. [14] Communist officials forcibly abort women after first full term pregnancy (FFTP), so Chinese women are considered reliable reporters of their abortions. Professor Joel Brind (Baruch College, City University of New York) maintains that Chinese studies underestimate the risk of abortion because of its high prevalence in China. Commentary Xing et al. found an increase in risk associated with having more children (multiparity) among women who delayed FFTP and never breastfed. Commentary Regarding breast cancer subtypes, the numbers of women within the subgroups are so small that no conclusions can be reached. Contact: Karen Malec Source: Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer Publish Date: November 12, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY (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.) Renelique Gone Wild! Abortionist Attacks New York Reporter Revoked Florida license doesn't stop abortionist quack Pierre Renelique from setting up shop in New York NEW YORK -- A New York television news station has released a shocking expose in its "Shame, Shame Shame" segment on abortionist Pierre Relenique, whose Florida medical license was revoked for his part in a botched late-term abortion that resulted in a live birth and for falsifying medical records to hide the fact that the baby was born alive then intentionally killed. The news reporter, Arnold Diaz, discovered that Renelique had moved to New York and is working at the Clinton Place Medical Center in the Bronx. A receptionist at that clinic insists that Renelique is not doing abortions there.  Click here for the full article. Lawsuit Filed Against Personhood In Nevada Anti-Personhood Groups Sue To Stop Proposed Constitutional Amendment CARSON CITY, Nev. - A legal challenge was expected to be filed by the end of the day against a proposed Nevada ballot measure that seeks to define a person and override Nevada's abortion laws. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood planned to file the challenge late Thursday in Carson City District Court on behalf of a doctor, pharmacist and a pregnant woman. Among other things, 'pro-abort' lawyers said the suit will argue that the description of the initiative's purpose violates a single-subject rule and is misleading. The Nevada "personhood" initiative was filed last month by Richard Ziser, a conservative activist in Las Vegas. It seeks to define a person and extend due process rights to "everyone possessing a human genome" from the beginning of biological development through end of life. Click here for the full article. China's One-Child Policy Leads To Coerced Abortion, Sterilization, Columnist Parker Writes Although "no one supports forced abortion," coerced abortions and involuntary sterilizations "are commonplace in China" under the country's one-child policy, syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker writes in the Washington Post. The Chinese Communist Party "insists that abortions are voluntary" under the policy, but "electronic documentation recently smuggled out of the country tells a different story." The documentation was presented to members of the House Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, Parker says. The evidence presented by ChinaAID and Women's Rights Without Frontiers included "tales of pregnant women essentially being hunted down and forced to submit to surgery or induced labor," Parker continues. Citing a conversation with Reggie Littlejohn, founder and president of WRWF, Parker writes that a woman who does not have a "birth permit" or has an "out of plan" pregnancy "has to surrender her unborn child to government enforcers, no matter what the stage of fetal development." Click here for the full article. Texas judge rejects Planned Parenthood bid to gag former clinic director A Texas court has rejected an effort by Planned Parenthood to impose a restraining order on a woman who formerly directed an abortion clinic there, but has now become a pro-life activist. The court found no reason to believe that Abby Johnson had taken confidential files from the Planned Parenthood clinic that she directed, or that she was likely to divulge patients' records. Johnson has said that her superiors at Planned Parenthood were encouraging her to promote abortions in order to bring more revenue for the organization. A restraining order would have compromised Johnson's ability to continue telling that story. Click here for the full article. Senate Dems Plan For Floor Fight On Abortion Coverage In Health Reform Bill Senate Democrats are preparing for a fight over abortion coverage when floor debate begins on the chamber's version of health care reform legislation, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) version of the bill, which is yet to be released, is not likely to include restrictions on abortion coverage that will be strong enough to satisfy antiabortion-rights members. Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said they have not decided if they will offer an antiabortion amendment to Reid's bill. Nelson on Tuesday said, "I think the Hyde Amendment is fairly clear and it ought to be carried over into any legislation here." He added that the "question of how you do it is of course going to be open. That'll probably be a big debate on the floor." Click here for the full article. Obamacare: Nonstory–Bill Does Not Refuse to Pay For Withdrawal of Food and Fluids A few conservatives are trying to make mistaken hay out of the House bill's payment of doctors who withhold food and fluids, even though it will not pay to "promote assisted suicide" (the nuances about which I discussed here) in the end of life counseling provision (revised and made better from the original version, as I also discussed here).  From the story:     The health-care bill that cleared the House on Saturday says federal funds cannot be used to "promote" assisted suicide, euthanasia or mercy killing. But Rep. Charles Boustany, Jr. (R-La.), who is a surgeon, says the bill does not prohibit the use of federal funds to pay health care providers who provide "end-of-life care" that involves denying food and water to a patient. "H.R. 3962 does not rule out using federal funds to reimburse health providers should they withhold nutrition or hydration," Boustany spokesman Rick Curtsinger said. "The bill says end-of-life care planning materials may not 'promote' assisted suicide, but it leaves this term intentionally vague so the ban might not apply in states with 'death with dignity' laws." Click here for the full article.

Senior Democrat "Confident" Stupak Amendment Will Perish in Later Bill Version

Senior Democrat "Confident" Stupak Amendment Will Perish in Later Bill Version WASHINGTON, D.C. - As more Democrats attempt to reassure the pro-abortion constituency not to fret over the health bill's apparent pro-life turn, one senior House Democrat has declared her certainty that the pro-life Stupak amendment, which was passed by the House this past Saturday, is bound to be shot down in a later version of the bill. "I am confident that when it [H.R. 3962] comes back from the conference committee that that language [the Stupak amendment] won't be there," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the House's chief deputy Democratic whip, in an appearance on MSNBC. "And I think we're all going to be working very hard, particularly the pro-choice members, to make sure that's the case." Pro-abortion House Speaker Nancy Pelosi surprised many in the abortion lobby on Saturday evening by allowing a vote on the easily-passed Stupak amendment, which would maintain federal policy by blocking government funding of most abortions. However, it is widely acknowledged that the move was critical just to keep the struggling health care overhaul alive to see another day. The LA Times reports today that, in her pragmatic quest for the bill's survival, Pelosi courted the pro-life constituency like never before: "She summoned antiabortion Democrats to her ornate Capitol office. She conferred with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to be sure the new restrictions were acceptable. She even consulted by telephone with a cardinal in Rome. " However, as Democrats and pro-life leaders alike note, while the amendment was a strong testimony to America's pro-life values, the bill's backers are not about to abandon the pro-abortion forces that have supported the initiative all along. "There's no way at the end of the day we're going to support these kinds of further restrictions on abortion," said Representative Jan Schakowsky, Democrat of Illinois, in a Saturday morning appearance on C-Span. "We're going to strategize further about how we're going to respond to this amendment. Get as many votes as we can against it. But at the end of the day we want to move the process along." Pro-abortion California Democrat Lynn Woolsey told The Hill Sunday, concerning the pro-life amendment: "I will insist that it come out." House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner says he was on to the Democrat strategy early in the game, when he failed to receive assurance from senior Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman that the pro-life language would stay put when the bill later merged with its Senate counterpart. "The only reason this amendment is allowed to be offered is in order to secure enough votes to try to move this bill through the floor today," said Boehner. "And I have my doubts about whether this language if it passes has any chance of ever being in the final version of this bill." Contact: Kathleen Gilbert Source: LifeSiteNews.com Publish Date: November 9, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

New Pro-Life Website, www.WhyProLife.com Educates and Activates Pro-Lifers to Speak Up

New Pro-Life Website, www.WhyProLife.com Educates and Activates Pro-Lifers to Speak Up Champaign, IL — www.WhyProLife.com is a new website to educate pro-lifers and help them to be active at spreading the pro-life message.  "We want pro-lifers to have the basic facts and reasons for the pro-life position at their fingertips," said John-Paul Deddens, Director of Students for Life of Illinois (SFLI), a collegiate pro-life organization that built this site. "I believe that equipping pro-lifers with well organized facts and arguments will hasten the end of abortion." He said. The opening of this website also coincides with the "I'm Pro-Life, Ask Me Why!" Day of Action on November 11th. On this day, participants will use the knowledge gained from the website to tell others why they are pro-life. They will wear buttons and t-shirts with the phrase "I'm Pro-Life, Ask Me Why!" to provoke the dialogue. The facts and figures come from Sharing the Pro-Life Message, a book released by the Pro-Life Action League. This book is a quick reference for answering the common pro-choice reasons for supporting abortion. "Now more than ever pro-lifers need to be equipped to confidently defend the pro-life message. This little handbook gives you all the answers you need to win friends and neighbors over to the pro-life side." Said Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League. Deddens works for the collegiate pro-life movement, but created the website to help both college students and the general public.  "This website serves two groups. First, it provides an 'Activism Day' for our student groups," he said "And second, for all pro-lifers to have online access to a tool to empower them to say: 'I'm Pro-Life, Ask Me Why!'" Click here for a video on "I'm Pro-Life, Ask Me Why!" Contact: Katy Malley Source: Students for Life of Illinois Publish Date: November 10, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

NOW DC rally protesting Stupak amendment fo shizzle fizzles

NOW DC rally protesting Stupak amendment fo shizzle fizzles Randall Terry and Andrew Beacham have posted video of the fizzled NOW rally yesterday. This was the perfect venue for Terry's antics, and I have to say he cracked me up, even while destroying my favorite song of all time... Click here for the video. Twitter works both ways. It gets word out to the right people... and to the wrong people. Such was the case this morning when I stumbled upon a tweet by National Organization for Women promoting a rally today in downtown DC to protest the House's passage of the Stupak/Pitts Amendment. The plan was to march around the Senate and House office buildings to scare senators. Click to enlarge... I thought of the perfect person to relay this piece of information: Randall Terry. Here was the perfect niche for him. Terry quickly assembled a small group to dog the feminist pro-aborts. The screen shot, above, is of pro-lifers mixing it up - holding signs of aborted babies - with pro-aborts. Terry reported back that the DC police broke up the rally because NOW didn't have a permit. Whoops. LOL. DC law requires assemblages greater than 19 to file for a permit. I suppose it would have been doubly embarrassing had not the NOW gang fulfilled DC's definition of an assembly - which it barely did with 30 on hand. Contact: Jill Stanek Source: jillstanek.com Publish Date: November 10, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

Baby RB Father Surrenders

Baby RB Father Surrenders Big headlines over here in the UK today: The fight to save the life of Baby RB has ended with the father's acquiescence to removing life support. From the story:     A baby at the centre of a "right to life" court battle will be allowed to die after his father today withdrew his case. Doctors and the one-year-old child's mother had gone to the High Court for permission to switch off his life support. The father backed down on the seventh day of an emotionally-charged High Court hearing. In a moving statement the judge, Mr Justice McFarlane, paid tribute to the parents' care for the boy, recognising the "immense stress" they had suffered at the cost of their relationship. In one moment, he said, all their hopes and dreams for their baby had been dashed and replaced by a "a life characterised by worry, stress, exhaustion, confusion and no doubt great sadness".     The judge had faced the formidable task of deciding whether the chronically disabled child, known only as RB,should be allowed to live or die in peace after withdrawal of his ventilation. "Be allowed to die in peace" rather than live with disabilities. Kind of sums it all up in a nutshell, doesn't it? Contact: Wesley J. Smith Source: Secondhand Smoke Publish Date: November 10, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

Obama lays down gauntlet: Opposes Stupak Amendment

Obama lays down gauntlet: Opposes Stupak Amendment Well, that didn't take long. It was only yesterday that pro-abort groups like Planned Parenthood and EMILY's List began pushing Barack Obama to dump the Stupak/Pitts Amendment from the socialized healthcare bill. Last Night during an interview with ABC's Jake Tapper, Obama responded:     President Obama said today that Congress needs to change abortion-related language in the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives this weekend.     "I laid out a very simple principle, which is this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill," Obama said. "And we're not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions."...     Saying the bill cannot change the status quo regarding the ban on federally funded abortions, the president said, "There are strong feelings on both sides" about an amendment passed Saturday and added to the legislation, "and what that tells me is that there needs to be some more work before we get to the point where we're not changing the status quo."... And then in a display showing he either 1) thinks we're idiots; 2) thinks he's god; or 3) is wildly delusional, Obama continued:     Obama told... Tapper that he was confident that the final legislation will ensure that "neither side feels that it's being betrayed."     "I want to make sure that the provision that emerges meets that test - that we are not in some way sneaking in funding for abortions, but, on the other hand, that we're not restricting women's insurance choices," he said. National Right to Life's Doug Johnson responded:     The only thing that will prevent the health care bill from being "an abortion bill" is precisely the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, as the House recognized by a 46-vote margin. The phoniness of Obama's claim that he has been trying to preserve the "status quo" on abortion policy should be evident to any observer by now. false, healthcare, stupak, abortion.gif     In reality, the White House and top Democratic congressional leaders have been working hard to create a national federal government health plan that would fund abortion on demand, just as Obama promised Planned Parenthood. According to Politifact.com on November 7, the claim that Stupak/Pitts "changes the status quo" is FALSE. Contact: Jill Stanek Source: jillstanek.com Publish Date: November 9, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

UK Down Syndrome Pregnancies Rise Sharply - 92% End In Abortion

UK Down Syndrome Pregnancies Rise Sharply - 92% End In Abortion LONDON - The number of Down syndrome pregnancies in the UK has nearly doubled over the past 20 years, whereas the number of Down syndrome births has slightly declined, with the vast majority of such pregnancies ending in abortion, according to a study published Oct. 26 in the British Medical Journal. University of London researchers found the number of confirmed prenatal or postnatal diagnoses of Down syndrome increased by 71 percent between 1989 and 2008, from 1075 to 1843. However, live births of babies with Down syndrome fell about 1 per cent, from 752 to 743 over the time period. Though the proportion of mothers diagnosed with a Down syndrome baby who decided to abort their child remained constant at 92 percent, the increased numbers of babies being diagnosed with the syndrome means the actual number of abortions rose sharply. Dr. Joan Morris and Dr. Eva Alberman analyzed data from the U.K.'s National Down Syndrome Cytogenetic Register, which includes approximately 93 percent of all diagnoses of Down syndrome in England and Wales. The research pointed to maternal age playing a large part in the increased number of Down syndrome pregnancies. The trend toward later motherhood has resulted in a higher risk of having a child with Down syndrome, with the research estimating that the risk for a 40-year-old mother is 16 times that for a 25-year-old mother. With many women delaying motherhood until their thirties and forties, most are encouraged by the medical profession to undergo screening for Down syndrome, usually with the intention of abortion if the test reveals the condition. The initial screening test consists of an ultrasound scan and blood tests, but these tests are by no means accurate or conclusive. If Down syndrome is suspected, an amniocentesis, which uses a needle to extract fluid from the womb for analysis, is carried out. This test carries a roughly 1 in 100 chance of injuring the child in the womb with a consequent miscarriage. Official figures for 2008 from the UK's Office of National Statistics show that nearly half of all births in England and Wales were to women aged over 30, compared to just 28 per cent in 1986. Professor Morris said, "What we're seeing here is a steep rise in pregnancies with Down syndrome but that is being offset by improvements in screening. It was thought that these improvements would lead to a decrease in the number of births with Down's Syndrome. However due to increases in maternal age this has not occurred." "In the absence of such screening, numbers of live births with Down syndrome would have increased by 48 per cent, since couples are starting families at an older age," she said. The researchers noted a sharp increase in the proportion of Down syndrome pregnancies in women under the age of 37 being detected by screening, rising from three percent to 43 percent within the time frame of the study, while the figure for women over 37 remained constant at around 70 percent. "The proportion of antenatal diagnoses has increased most strikingly in younger women, whereas that in older women has stayed relatively constant. This trend suggests that, even with future improvements in screening, a large number of births with Down syndrome are still likely, and that monitoring of the numbers of babies born with Down syndrome is essential to ensure adequate provision for their needs," the study reported. Contact: Thaddeus M. Baklinski Source: LifeSiteNews.com Publish Date: November 9, 2009 Link to this article.   xSend this article to a friend.

NEWS SHORTS FOR TUESDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR TUESDAY (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.) Planned Parenthood Says It Will Expand Lot In Aurora Planned Parenthood's parking lot, quite possibly Aurora's most controversial parking lot, will be expanding by 11 spaces. Aldermen voted 7 to 3 Tuesday to follow the Planning and Development Committee's recommendation of 11 new spaces, 16 fewer than the clinic said it needed to increase security for its employees and clients. A dozen abortion opponents, many who claim to spend several hours outside the clinic praying for and counseling the couples and women headed inside, argued they have caused no violence at the site since it opened two years ago and posed no threat. Click here for the full article. Deal Cut In Aurora Planned Parenthood Protests Suit AURORA -- Tonight, the City Council will have a chance to bring a two-year legal battle between the city and anti-abortion protesters to a close. In August of 2007, local group Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood filed suit in federal court, charging the city with infringing on the First Amendment rights of protesters rallying in front of Planned Parenthood's clinic on East New York Street. Since then, the two sides have been hammering out an agreement that would regulate protests there, and still preserve the rights of those protesting. According to attorneys from both sides, a settlement was reached last week, and presented to Judge Virginia Kendall on Monday morning. Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, representing the protesters, said Kendall "strongly recommended" the council approve the agreement. Click here for the full article. Chicago Tribune Examines Long Debate Over Illinois Law On Parental Notification For Abortion The Chicago Tribune on Sunday examined the "long and complicated" history of Illinois' more than 30-year debate over parental notification for minors seeking abortions. Most recently, a Cook County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement of a 1995 law that was set to take effect last week. The American Civil Liberties Union has questioned whether the law violates state constitutional protections on privacy and gender equality. Illinois' first attempt at parental involvement, a provision of the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, would have required unmarried minors to obtain consent of one parent prior to an abortion, unless a doctor certified that the procedure was "necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother." Courts ruled the provision unconstitutional because the state lacked the authority to give "absolute veto power" to parents. Click here for the full article. Pro-Abort HuffPo Writer Rips NARAL and PP for Pro-Life Victory in Health Bill PP points finger at U.S. Bishops, calls pro-life stance "unconscionable power play"   In a piece published on the Huffington Post website on Monday, one prominent pro-abortion writer has issued a stinging criticism of Planned Parenthood and NARAL following the pro-life amendment victory in the health care bill on Saturday, complaining that the abortion leaders have been more faithful to the Democratic Party than their pro-abortion ideals. "Let's be clear about this," wrote Jane Hamsher, the founder and publisher of the blog FireDogLake.  "The only reason that we are in [this] position ... is because Planned Parenthood and NARAL have allowed it to happen." Click here for the full article. Man Confesses to Shooting Kansas Abortion Provider Wichita, Kansas - The man accused of shooting a Kansas abortion provider has confessed to the killing to The Associated Press, saying he has no regrets.   In a telephone call from jail Monday, Scott Roeder told the AP: "Because of the fact pre-born children's lives were in imminent danger, this was the action I chose."   The 51-year-old Kansas City man is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the May 31 shooting of Dr. George Tiller at the abortion provider's Wichita church. Click here for the full article. Spanish pro-life leader says abortion still a concern in Spain Zaragoza, Spain - Speaking at the fourth International Pro-Life Congress which began on November 6, president of the Spanish Federation of Pro-Life Associations Alicia Latorre noted that abortion is the "gravest problem that Spain is facing"  and charged, "We will nto rest until there are no abortions."   During the Congress's first press conference, Latorre said, "The debate on abortion is not over; it is an issue of critical importance today."  "There is no room for reproaching or criticizing anybody because lives that have been lost cannot be regained.  Rather, positive ideas for the future that involve society in supporting pregnant women ought to be put forth."   Attributing the slight decrease in the number of abortions in Spain in 2008 to the work of pro-life organizations, Torres added, "We will not rest until there are no abortions." Click here for the full article.