'Nothing Happened Here' -- Except a Botched Abortion Ending in Fatality

'Nothing Happened Here' -- Except a Botched Abortion Ending in Fatality

Mother of four dies after abortionist severs an artery during an abortion



Alexandra Nunez, a 37-year old single mother of four, died after a botched abortion Monday at the A-1 Women's Center in New York City.

Police, who are continuing to investigate the death, said that the abortionist severed an artery during Nunez's abortion, leading to massive bleeding and eventually cardiac arrest. Nunez was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died.

A-1 Women's Center, located in a run-down building in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood of Jackson Heights, was only recently licensed in July of last year to do surgical procedures that required anesthesia. It is operated by an abortionist Salomon Epstein, who has a long history of being protested by pro-life groups.

An unidentified clinic worker told reporters that everything had "gone well" at the abortion clinic, which also doubles as a plastic surgery center. "Nothing happened here," she said.

"Nothing happened there -- except fatal injuries during a botched abortion which cost a woman her life," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "It is so typical of abortion clinics to hide the truth, but this time, the truth is out. The clinic is under investigation, and we will be forwarding information about this tragedy to the New York State Medical Board and demand disciplinary action against the abortionist."

Operation Rescue recently launched the Abortion Whistleblowers campaign, offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an abortionist who is breaking the law.

"We urge anyone working at A-1 Women's Center to come forward and tell what they know in the interest of protecting other women from suffering Ms. Nunez's fate."

Contact: Troy Newman, Cheryl Sullenger
Source: Operation Rescue
Publish Date: January 27, 2010
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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.)

CBS Stands Behind Acceptance Of Focus On Family Spot



CBS Tuesday (Jan. 26) stood behind its decision to take a Super Bowl ad from Focus on the Family that has drawn fire from reproductive choice organizations. The network said it does not reject advocacy ads out of hand, and added that it would consider "responsibly produced ads from all groups" for the "few" remaining spots in the broadcast. "We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms on the issue," CBS said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday. "In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time. At CBS, our standards and practices process continues to adhere to a process that ensures all ads -- on all sides of an issue -- are appropriate for air.
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Super Bowl Ad Exposes NOW's Anti-Christian Bigotry



"It is amazing to watch the venom and hatred that is being directed at Tim and Pam Tebow and Focus on the Family by the National Organization of Women (NOW) for a Super Bowl ad that they have not seen," said Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. "This backlash exposes the irrational hatred of NOW who apparently despises any hint of a positive Christian message. CBS is to be commended for their willingness to not censor a wonderful story of a mother's courage and love."
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The 'A' Word Debated In Court (See Video)



Attorneys in the case against Scott Roeder discuss use of the word "abortion" during testimony.


Click here for the video.


Activists Blame Teen Births on Abstinence Education
 


The teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. rose 3 percent in 2006, the first increase in more than a decade.  A report from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute claims abstinence education is to blame because funding for such programs rose to $120 million from 2000 to 2003.

Scott Phelps, executive director of the Abstinence and Marriage Education Partnership, said the assertion makes no sense.
 
"This slight increase of 3 percent follows a 14-year decline of 34 percent," he said.  "In other words, teen birth rates have dropped substantially in the past 14 years.  They have no data to support the claim."
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U.S. House vote on pro-abortion Senate health bill

U.S. House vote on pro-abortion Senate health bill

Do not be fooled, the Democrats' disastrous plan to take away your healthcare is not dead in Congress.

                 

Everyone should immediately re-contact every member of a state's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, with this question:  Will you vote NO on the Senate-passed health care bill (H.R. 3590) if Speaker Pelosi brings it to the House floor?  (See the January 25 Associated Press story below for details.)  The Senate bill would result in direct federal funding of abortion, federal subsidies for private abortion insurance, and federal pro-abortion mandates.  For further details, see the up-to-date action alert posted here and an NRLC letter to the U.S. House of Representatives posted here.

Associated Press
Monday, January 25, 2010

Dem Leaders Coalesce On Strategy To Salvage Obama's Health Care Overhaul

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic congressional leaders are coalescing around their last, best hope for salvaging President Barack Obama's sweeping health care overhaul.

 

Their plan is to pass the Senate bill with some changes to accommodate House Democrats, senior Democratic aides said Monday. Leaders will present the idea to the rank and file this week, but it's unclear whether they have enough votes to carry it out.

 

Last week's victory by Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts cost Democrats the 60th vote they need to maintain undisputed control of the Senate, jeopardizing the outcome of the health care bill just when Obama had brokered a final deal on most of the major issues.

 

The new strategy is as politically risky as it is bold. There is widespread support for Obama's goals of expanding coverage to nearly all Americans while trying to slow costs. But polls show the public is deeply skeptical of the Democratic bills, and Republicans would certainly accuse Democrats of ignoring voters' wishes.

 

Obama initially voiced doubts last week that a comprehensive bill was still viable, but he now seems to be pushing for it. Asked Monday if the president was backing away from his pursuit of major changes, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs responded: "No."

 

"I think the president believes that the circumstances that led him to undertake greater security for people in their health care ... existed last year, last week, and this week," Gibbs added.

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said last week she does not have the votes to pass the Senate bill without changes. Democratic congressional aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because the issue is in flux, said the latest strategy involves using a special budget procedure to revise the Senate bill.

 

The procedural route -- known as reconciliation -- would allow a majority of 51 senators to amend their bill to address some of the major substantive concerns raised by the House.  That would circumvent the need for a 60-vote majority to hold off Republican delaying tactics.

 

The remaining alternatives are unappealing: scaling back the health care bill to less controversial, smaller pieces, or setting it aside altogether.

 

Momentum is growing to pass the Senate bill with compromises agreed on by the president and congressional leaders, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a liberal advocacy group. "Are they there yet? No," he said.

 

Among those arguing for a quick strike on health care is David Plouffe, the political adviser who helped elect Obama president and has just been summoned back by the White House to help coordinate this year's elections.

 

"I know that the short-term politics are bad," Plouffe argued in a Washington Post op-ed. "But politically speaking, if we do not pass it, the GOP will continue attacking the plan as if we did anyway, and voters will have no ability to measure its upside." Among the immediate benefits: allowing dependent children to stay on their parents' coverage into their mid-twenties, and assistance for seniors in the Medicare prescription coverage gap.

 

How the new legislative strategy would work has not been fully determined. Would the House vote with only an assurance the Senate will make fixes?

 

One problem is that it may not be possible to resolve all the significant differences between the House and Senate bills through the special budget procedure. Only changes that affect taxes and government spending would normally be allowed to pass with a majority of 51 senators, rather than a 60-vote majority.

 

It's unclear that other major disputes - for example, how to restrict taxpayer funding for abortions -- could be settled similarly. On abortion, the House bill is more restrictive than the Senate version.

 

"Provisions that have no budgetary effect would clearly run afoul," said James R. Horney, a former Senate Democratic budget aide now with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

 

That means Democrats might be able to resolve differences between the House and Senate on economic issues: taxing high-cost insurance plans, closing the coverage gap in the Medicare prescription benefit, and providing subsidies to help middle-income households pay insurance premiums. Yet they still could be left with a bill that cannot pass both the House and Senate.

 

Abortion opponents say they will count any House vote for the current Senate bill as favoring new government subsidies for abortion. "I suggest they do it the other way around, fix it first and then pass it," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for National Right to Life. "Members will be held accountable for what they actually vote for. It really doesn't do to say, 'I voted for something, but I was against it.'"

 

Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.

Alert! Mark your calendars!

Alert! Mark your calendars!

                     

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life Legislative Day is March 9, 2010 in Springfield!  Don't miss this opportunity to spend the day with your fellow pro-life activists from all over the State of Illinois.  We need to meet, unite and fight for life!  This is the year to come together to turn the State of Illinois around.  It's happening all over this nation, and we can make it happen here!  Join us as we begin the victory of 2010!  Watch for our flyers with details, but for now mark your calendar, start your prayers and plan to attend!

Scheidler: Jenkins Remains Utterly Immovable on ND 88

Scheidler: Jenkins Remains Utterly Immovable on ND 88

Says talking to Jenkins about the issue like talking to a "stone"



 Joseph Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League says that prior to last week he had sent letters "begging and pleading" for a chance to meet with Father John Jenkins, President of Notre Dame, but he was never given the chance to do so.

So when he saw Father Jenkins at the March for Life in Washington last Thursday, he thought that it was "too good a chance to miss."



Jenkins had agreed to attend this year's March for Life as part of the pro-life measures he began on campus in response to the outcry caused by his invitation of President Obama to speak at last year's Notre Dame commencement.

However, Jenkins' announcement that he intended to participate in the March for Life did little to assuage the criticisms of pro-life activists, in large part because of his continued refusal to ask that the charges against the 88 peaceful pro-life protestors who were arrested on the campus last year be dropped.

The 88 pro-lifers face up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine if they are found guilty of the charge of trespassing. Currently an online petition effort, demanding that Fr. Jenkins request that the charges be dropped, has been signed by over 5,000 concerned individuals.

However, according to Scheidler, Fr. Jenkins remains obstinate in his refusal to do so, saying that talking to Jenkins about the issue was like talking to a "stone."

Scheidler told LifeSiteNews (LSN) that he told Fr. Jenkins "that many, many of my friends wanted me to talk to him about removing the charges of the Notre Dame 88.  So [Father Jenkins] said, 'Well, now you've told me what they want,' and that was it."

"So I thought, 'Well, that wasn't very good,'" said Scheidler. "So I went back and I said, 'You know, I not only was a student at Notre Dame but I taught at Notre Dame, and I'm very fond of Notre Dame.  And I am really concerned that these 88 people were arrested for simply going on the campus doing something that they should do,' or something to that effect.  And he said 'Alright, now you've said that.'  And he was very off-putting."

Joseph Scheidler is among those listed as "Notable Alumni" on the Notre Dame website.  Other Notre Dame alumni are of a similar opinion as Scheidler; according to ReplaceJenkins.com donations totaling over $16 million from over 1,500 alumni have been withheld from Notre Dame because of Father Jenkins' actions.

According to Scheidler, the whole impression Father Jenkins gave was that, "You can talk to me all day about this, and my mind's made up."

"I think he's going to stand his ground on this," he continued. "Although, you know, anything could happen.   But I wouldn't want to be one of the 88, because they are facing, you know, a possible 6 months in jail and possible 5,000 dollar fine."

"I don't give much hope for any change. ... You might as well have been talking to a stone."

Such inflexibility, according to Scheidler, makes Jenkins' arrival at the March for Life little more than an empty gesture.  "Going to the March was a very small payment for having Obama there," Scheidler said, "and nothing for saving these 88 people ... [from] paying for what was not a crime."

"He has said before that it's out of his hands," he continued.  "Well, it's not.  He could say 'Drop the charges,' and they'd be dropped."

The problem posed by Father Jenkins' obstinacy makes Scheidler fear for Notre Dame's reputation, especially after Jenkins' recent reelection to another five years in his position.  "He's got five more years handed to him," said Scheidler, "and I have great fears that Notre Dame is going to lose its reputation. It's losing it fast.  And it would be almost impossible to get it back."

To sign the petition to Free the ND 88, click here.

Contact: James Tillman
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: January 25, 2010
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“Everybody Matters, No Matter What”

"Everybody Matters, No Matter What"



I was asked by First Things to write an "On the Square" essay about the awful comments by the novelist Martin Amis, who yearned for "euthanasia boxes" to be placed on every corner to do away with the "stinking" elderly.  I did.  From my piece, "Everybody Matters, No Matter What:

    The noted British novelist, Martin Amis, became the latest to support establishing a radical euthanasia license. In an interview in the January 24 Sunday Times (London) Amis expressed views that were hardly compassionate—the usual pretext for supporting euthanasia/assisted suicide. To the contrary: He denigrated the elderly as a "silver tsunami," whose very existence threatens society. "There'll be a population of demented very old people like an invasion of terrible immigrants, stinking out the restaurants and cafes and shops," Amis told the Times. His answer to this malodorous demographic incursion? "Suicide booths on every corner," Amis offered, a hyperbolic turn of phrase that quickly went viral.

It would be easy to bash Amis's crassness. But I saw something else at work.

    Mostly missed in the resulting commentary to Amis' diatribe is that he wasn't as much ageist as self-loathing. "Medical science has again over-vaulted itself so most of us have to live through the death of our talent," Amis said. "Novelists tend to go off at about 70. And I'm in a funk about it. I've got myself into a real paranoid funk about it, how talent dies before the body."

    In other words, Amis rejected his own intrinsic dignity and moral worth in the apparent belief that should he become incapable of producing good writing, his life would be rendered useless. This terror of not being "special"—certainly not limited to the cognoscenti—isn't really about a feared loss of talent (or productivity, or independence, and so on), but an abiding worry that if we lose our vigor or health, we will become unworthy of being loved.

The answer to that fear is radical self giving to the suffering and despairing.

    This existential terror can only be overcome by embracing human exceptionalism and its corollary that each and every one of us matters—no matter what. But this corrective is quite beyond the most brilliant intellectual argument or reliance upon religious or philosophical principles—which at most, effectively can be deployed as holding actions. If we really want to reverse the tide, we must strive to love our neighbor even more than we love ourselves.

I give some examples of how people ease others' suffering and conclude:

    There will always be the Martin Amises of the world raging in despair against life's vicissitudes. But they will be rendered societally impotent if each of us loves actively. As St. Paul put it so eloquently, love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." In the end, if we want to finally defeat euthanasia, it will have to be so with us.

We must engage the holding actions to stop legalization, etc.  But to putting the movement itself back into the grave will require actions more than words.

Contact: Wesley J. Smith
Source: Secondhand Smoke
Publish Date: January 26, 2010
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While the Nation Remembers Roe v. Wade, a New Book is Hot Off the Electronic Press

While the Nation Remembers Roe v. Wade, a New Book is Hot Off the Electronic Press


Just days after our nation remembered the historic Roe v. Wade decision, a new book is hot off the (electronic) press. Author Serena Gaefke chose the internet as the best forum to reach her target audience, young, unexpectedly pregnant women. Gaefke's work is titled, "101 Reasons Not to Have an Abortion: A Girl's Guide to Informed Choices" and is available for download from her website. Aiming at benefiting the most people possible, this child of her four year research is being made available for free.

Her statement is as follows:
"No matter what side of the abortion issue you stand, shouldn't your choice or the choice of someone you love be informed? We are so big on 'choice' that we forget that if a choice is made while information is lacking it is likely to be a choice that will be regretted. But what if Planned Parenthood doesn't give you all this information?

"What I've tried to do is to look at the things you normally wouldn't consider when all that comes to mind is that abortion is the quick fix you need. I've come up with a full 101 reasons as to why, possibly, abortion may not be the best of choices. If abortion really is the best choice for you, then nothing in this book should sway you.

"Whichever side you're on, it seems that we can all agree on one thing -- that this a tough choice, one not taken lightly. So what can a woman do when she finds out that she is unexpectedly pregnant and her world is thrown into chaos? Hopefully a good friend will be near to tell her of 101girlsguide.com. Best of all, her informed choice will come at no cost to her. I have chosen to publish this for free in order to benefit the most women possible and hopefully fulfill one of my dreams of making a difference.

"This book includes personal stories and information gleaned from both pro-choice and pro-life sites. It's really very thorough, as you will see by the 53 page bibliography.

"My book is not only for the people of Pittsburgh, but for the people of all states and nations. It is a labor of love that I believe is set to touch many hearts!"

For more information or to download a free copy visit www.101girlsguide.com.

Contact: Serena Gaefke
Source: 101GirlsGuide
Publish Date: January 26, 2010
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Personhood Kansas Launches Campaign to Amend Constitution

Personhood Kansas Launches Campaign to Amend Constitution
  
A new Kansas pro-life organization, Personhood Kansas, is seeking to partner with Christian and pro-life leaders, activists, and volunteers to work to amend the Kansas Constitution to protect all human beings, including the unborn.

Similar groups have sprung up in several states after a ballot measure to amend Colorado's constitution made it onto the ballot in 2008. The measure was subsequently defeated.

"The effectiveness of the personhood coalition in Colorado has really been the inspiration," said Keith Ashley, Personhood Kansas Petition Drive Coordinator. "They were the first to demonstrate how close we are to recognizing the personhood of the preborn."

Personhood Kansas has advised the drafting of language that would recognize the right to personhood for all human beings from the biological beginning of human development.  "Basic biology explains that human life begins at the moment of fertilization," said Ashley. "This is the moment when we are no longer talking about functional parts of a woman and a man, but rather, we see a complete, genetically unique, living human being.

"Just like injustices in the past that relied on the 'not all human beings are persons' argument because of our differences such as race or gender, so too, denying the preborn full human personhood is discrimination based on an equally arbitrary human property – age."

The organization has started a statewide petition drive with the intent to deliver the responses to the state legislature.

Ashley explained that a two-thirds majority of both legislative houses is needed to pass the amendment, which he called "a rather challenging endeavor."

"So it is of the utmost importance that Kansans voice their desire to see this measure passed," he said.

The amendment process will then call for a referendum, which will give Kansans an opportunity to vote the measure into law.
 
Personhood Kansas is calling on all Christian and pro-life leaders to get involved by announcing the petition drive and collecting signatures from their churches, parishes, organizations, and events, and by networking with leaders throughout the state.  Future plans include a mass emailing and calling campaign, but the group is not advising citizens to wait for instructions.

Instead, they are encouraging citizens to start contacting their legislators immediately to voice their support for human personhood in Kansas.

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: January 26, 2010
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U.S. passes 50 million abortion mark

U.S. passes 50 million abortion mark

At some point during the past two years the United States experienced its 50 millionth legal abortion, the overwhelming majority of which were conducted for reasons of convenience.

The tragic statistic -- which spans the 37 years since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 -- is based on data compiled by the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute and tallied by the National Right to Life Committee. Guttmacher's data is respected by both sides of the issue and comes directly from abortion clinics.

The mark of 50 million was passed in 2008 and likely approached or reached 52 million in 2009, although data is not yet available for that year. The 50 million figure actually is an estimate based on Guttmacher data from 2005 -- the last year of data -- when 1.2 million abortions were performed. The abortion rate ranged between 1.2 and 1.3 million from 2000 to 2005. If the same number of abortions performed in 2005 were performed in each succeeding year, then the number stood at 52 million at the end of last year.

To put the total in perspective, the combined number of military deaths in all of America's wars –- from the Revolutionary War to the second Iraq war –- is 1.2 million.

"We've been brutalized, desensitized and paganized by an ever-rising flood of the unborns' blood as our nation continues to abort roughly one out of every four babies conceived," Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said.

"I can still remember the Bible lesson I heard as a youngster in Sunday School about how the people of God turned their back on the One True God and went down into the Valley of Hinnom [2 Chronicles 28] to offer up in pagan sacrifice their little children to the pagan god Molech. I could never have imagined then that I would live to see the day that America would offer up its unborn children as pagan sacrifices because they were viewed as too expensive, too embarrassing, too ill or too inconvenient."

Although pro-choice leaders often claim a solid majority of Americans support the status quo on abortion, polling paints a very different picture. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll from September 2008 showed that 10 percent of registered voters believed abortion should always be illegal and 37 percent believed it should be legal only in cases of rape, incest and to save the mother's life -- totaling 47 percent who oppose the current laws. Similarly, a Los Angeles Times poll of 1,039 registered voters in October 2007 found 50 percent believed abortion should either be totally illegal or legal only with those three exceptions.

The reason the abortion rate in America is so high is because the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling was so far-reaching. Roe v. Wade -- coupled with the court's companion Doe v. Bolton ruling -- legalized abortion for any reason at any point of the pregnancy. That has led to a society in which 86 percent of abortions are done for convenience, according to a 2004 Guttmacher study of women who had had abortions. Rape and incest each were cited by less than half of a percent of all women who underwent abortion. Twenty-five percent said they weren't ready for a child, 23 percent said they couldn't afford to have one, 19 percent said they didn't want any more children, 8 percent said they didn't want to be a single mother or they had relationship problems, 7 percent said they were too young to have a child and 4 percent said they believed a child would interfere with their education or career.

The reason that some polls show Americans supportive of Roe, pro-lifers say, is because they don't know what it accomplished. Pro-life groups this year once again are sponsoring a website -- RoeIQTest.com -- with 13 multiple choice questions to help educate the public about Roe's reach.

"In spite of its impact, the true understanding of Roe and what it accomplished remains relatively vague in the public consciousness," the website states. "The ongoing debate over federal funding of abortion in the proposed health care legislation has demonstrated that Roe continues to be a contentious issue for many Americans. It is imperative that we, as citizens, understand the facts about what Roe does and does not do."

Contact: Michael Foust
Source: BP
Publish Date: January 25, 2010
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Abortion Remains Top Obstacle to Health Bill amid Long Silence from Dems

Abortion Remains Top Obstacle to Health Bill amid Long Silence from Dems

White House to retool health care image with Obama campaign guru Plouffe

 

Both the White House and Congressional Democrats remained stuck at a crossroads over the weekend following the Massachusetts election that destroyed Senate Democrats' filibuster-proof majority, and in the process put the future of the health care overhaul in question.  As the White House scrambles to regain popularity, and Democrats weigh health care success against a tough election season, the abortion issue has emerged yet again as the clearest issue that could block the health bill's path into law.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) told the FOX Business Network Wednesday that the Senate bill in its current form, which would unleash federal funding of abortion, would meet with certain death in the House.

"I bet it wouldn't get a hundred votes," he said.

Stupak was the House member most responsible for securing Hyde-amendment restrictions on federal abortion funding in the House bill in November.

"[Democrat leadership] tried to hit a homerun with health care instead of hitting - let's get a single, let's get a double. You know, build on this," he continued.  "But they went for the whole grand slam and it got thrown back. It got too big, too controversial, and it's just like they overreached."

The House Democrat suggested that Obama and party leaders need to "be more in tune to what the people are saying."  "Yes, we want health care, but don't give us a 2,600 page bill that no one can understand, that most of the members have never read," he said.

Stupak made the remarks a day after Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown shocked the nation by snatching the senate seat of Democrat icon Ted Kennedy in the state's special election.  Brown rode to victory on a heavily anti-health-care-bill platform. His surprise win left Democrats facing re-election in November wondering whether their cooperation with Obama's health care agenda could spell their own political demise.  Describing the impact of Brown's victory on Democrats, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said Thursday: "People are at various levels of the seven stages of grief."

So far, none of the options floated for rescuing the health care bill are without serious flaws.  Both Stupak and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have indicated that the chamber will not pass an unamended version of the Senate bill, which would be the only way to pass the overhaul without subjecting it to a second vote in the Senate, where it would almost certainly fail.

"I don't see the votes for it at this time," Pelosi told reporters concerning the Senate bill.

"Unease would be a gentle word in terms of the attitude of my colleagues toward certain provisions in the Senate bill."

Democrats were hoping to secure such a vote in the House with promises of a later budget bill that could deliver some of the House's interests, and still pass the Senate with a 51-vote majority through the reconciliation process.  Yet even the more moderate House bill originally passed with only two votes to spare - and more than two of the previous "yes" votes have confirmed they will not vote for the Senate bill, some citing its lack of adequate abortion restrictions.

"Everyone's talking about Plan B. Plan B is dead. We're not passing the Senate bill, so you best come up with Plan C now," said Stupak.

Analysts have pegged President Obama's State of the Union address scheduled for Wednesday as a crucial moment for his administration's agenda. The speech essentially will be a tightrope-walk to pacify voters concerned over unemployment and the economy as well as liberals expecting an even stronger push for the health care bill.

Obama, who spent the weekend hashing out options for the health bill with Congressional leadership, signaled willingness to pursue a scaled-back version of the bill that could be passed with bipartisan support.  Details on the form such a measure might take are unclear.

Meanwhile, administration officials cast the Massachusetts backlash as anger that the government had not done enough – although this interpretation appears to contrast with the message of the nationwide "tea party" movement, which is opposed to the federal government's encroachment into the private sector.

"What we learned from the Massachusetts victory is that people are sick and tired of Washington not delivering for them," said White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett on "Meet the Press."

It was also revealed this week that the White House plans to recruit former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe to revitalize the party's sagging image on health care reform as Democrats head into a midterm election season that could devastate the party's grip on Capitol Hill.

Republicans say that, should Democrats continue to hold the line on the unpopular bill, it will spell disaster at the ballot box in November.

"If they try to jam health care through on partisan lines, I think November 2010 will be a very good month for us," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told "Fox News Sunday."

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: January 25, 2010
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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.)

CBS Urged to Scrap Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad Featuring Tebow and His Mom



NEW YORK -- A coalition of women's groups called on the CBS network on Monday to scrap its plan to broadcast an ad during the Super Bowl featuring college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, which critics say is likely to convey an anti-abortion message. The ad -- paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family -- is expected to recount the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy in 1987 with a theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." After getting sick during a mission trip to the Philippines, she ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child and gave birth to Tim, who went on to win the 2007 Heisman Trophy while helping his Florida team to two college football championships.
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Indiana Rewards Planned Parenthood Negligence



Last time we took a look at Planned Parenthood of Indiana, we saw a "health" provider train-wreck: two different PP abortion locations, on the same day, with almost the exact same language, agreed to cover up clear cases of child sexual abuse. To a girl purportedly 13 years old and impregnated by her 31-year-old "boyfriend," the nurse in Bloomington said, "I don't want to hear the age, I don't want to know the age" and the one in Indianapolis insisted, "I don't care how old he is." Live Action's undercover videos of Planned Parenthood's blatant violations of Indiana mandatory reporting law sparked state investigations–and yet somehow now, the Indiana State Department of Health has awarded PP IN $150,000 in government grant money for 2010.
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Pro-Life Movement Had Successes In 2009, National Review Opinion Piece Argues



With the 2008 election of a Democratic president and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, many analysts -- including conservatives -- advised Republicans to moderate their views on abortion, Michael New, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama and a fellow at the Witherspoon Institute, writes in a National Review opinion piece. "However, the events of 2009 have clearly demonstrated the movement's resiliency and heft" and shown that "the right-to-life movement is an indispensible part of the center-right coalition," New writes. He argues that antiabortion-rights advocates have made gains in public opinion polls and led opposition to President Obama's health reform plans.
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Anit-Lifers Advocates Fear Roe Challenges Given Supreme Court's Willingness To Overturn Precedent



Anti-Life advocates say that the Supreme Court's 5-4 campaign finance decision last week shows the willingness of conservative justices to overturn longstanding precedents and signals that they might be open to upending the 37-year-old Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, Politico reports. Thursday's ruling declared unconstitutional a law barring corporations from involvement in federal elections. The ban was challenged by the conservative group Citizens United. Just six years ago, the court said that the ban was "firmly embedded in our law."

Nancy Northup of the Center for Reproductive Rights said that the court "exhibited a stunning disregard for settled law of decades' standing" and that the decision is "terrifying to those of us who care deeply about the constitutional protections the court put in place for women's access to abortion." She added, "We are deeply concerned.
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Neb. Bill To Ban Abortion After 20 Weeks Could Start Legal Battle



A Nebraska bill (LB 1103) that would ban abortion after 20 weeks' gestation in nearly all cases could prompt a legal battle regarding its constitutionality, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The bill, introduced by Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood (R), would allow abortion past 20 weeks only to save the woman's life or to "avert serious risk or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function." Current Nebraska law bans abortion after viability except to preserve the life or health of the woman.

Flood's bill claims there is "substantial evidence" that fetuses feel pain at 20 weeks and proposes to use the fetus' ability to feel pain, rather than viability, as the dividing line between legal and illegal abortion.
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President Affirms Support for Abortion
 


President Obama issued a statement in support of abortion on Friday, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on demand.
 
The president said he "affirms every woman's fundamental constitutional right to choose whether to have an abortion."
 
David O'Steen, executive director of National Right to Life, said he's not surprised.
 
"His whole history," he said, "both as a state legislator, as a senator and as president has been one of unequivocal support for abortion."
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Pro-life marchers flood D.C. in protest of legalized abortion

Pro-life marchers flood D.C. in protest of legalized abortion



Hundreds of thousands of people are gathered in the nation's capital today to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and protest abortion in the annual March for Life. Gathering from all over the country, protesters of all ages first heard from prominent pro-life, political and religious leaders before beginning the march.

Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) was among the politicians who addressed the crowd on Friday, saying, "Thank you one and all for being an important part of the greatest human rights struggle on earth – the right to life movement. By the grace of God, we stand behind, with and unabashedly for both victims of abortion – women and children."

The sheer number of people has caused a traffic advisory to be issued for the District. The volume of protesters has also allowed for two separate marches to take place. The first route will proceed East on Constitution Avenue to First Street, NE, then South on First Street, NE, to the United States Supreme Court where they will rally and then disband.

The second march route will proceed West on F Street to 10th Street, NW, south on 10th Street to Constitution Avenue, NW,  West on Constitution Avenue to 12th Street, NW, then South on 12th Street to the National Mall, where pro-life marchers will also rally and eventually disband.

CNA contacted the D.C Metropolitan Police Department for a crowd estimate but was told that due to disputes in the past between the city and protest organizers over the amount of people gathered, they have stopped giving estimates. However, police said that the march has progressed peacefully and without indecent thus far.

According to EWTN, 300,000 demonstrators are estimated to be taking part in the March for Life.

Just one day before the March for Life in Washington D.C., the results of a new survey put out by the Knights of Columbus and Marist College showed that the number of Americans who say they are pro-life is continuing to grow. Members of the Millennial generation (18-29 year-olds) say abortion is "morally wrong" at a rate of 58 percent.

The survey, which was conducted between December 2009 and January 2010, asked if abortion was "morally wrong." Fifty-six percent of Americans said they thought that abortion was indeed "morally wrong."

In addition to showing that more Americans are becoming pro-life, the results showed that the upcoming generations are more pro-life than those nearing retirement.

Source: CNA
Publish Date: January 22, 2010
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U.S. Congressmen Decry Abortion on Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

U.S. Congressmen Decry Abortion on Anniversary of Roe v. Wade



On Friday, the eve of the 37th anniversary of "one of the ... darkest days in U.S. history," in the words of Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), a contingent of pro-life politicians rose in the U.S. House of Representatives to condemn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that imposed a "right" to abortion on the country.

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) began, expressing his gratitude to the throngs of pro-life supporters flooding the capital for Friday's March for Life.  The marchers, he said, gather to "mourn the loss" of the 52 million babies killed by abortion in the last 37 years, but also to rejoice over the countless babies saved due to the march and other efforts, such as pregnancy care centers.

"There are ... hundreds of lives that may never have been, were it not for those who continue to stand on behalf of the unborn," he said.

"Abortion really hurts all of us, but I truly believe that it hurts women the most," explained Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), emphasizing that "it is the woman's privilege to carry that baby inside of her until it is full-term."

She related the "immediate and devastating" impact of the "horrible, horrible" Roe v. Wade decision, which resulted in a massive and fast rise of abortions in the country.

But she also insisted that "the tide is changing."  "The reality is that abortion is no longer a part of mainstream medicine, and the vast majority of hospitals in the United States, religious or secular, now choose not to perform elective abortions," she said.  "Yes, the tide is turning."

According to Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), this year's anniversary of Roe v. Wade has particular significance because the abortion debate has risen to "paramount" importance during the national health care debate.  Pro-life leaders, in fact, have warned that, if successful, Obama's health care initiative could be the largest expansion of abortion in the country since the infamous 1973 decision.

"Abortion is an inhumane perversion in our society, a distorted emphasis on rights to the disregard of individual responsibilities," said Cao.  "To protect human rights, we have distorted the continuity of human development to portray the human fetus as something less than human, and [who] therefore, can be disposed of."

"Although this is the week when we mark that terrible decision of 1973, I love this week," said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).  "Thousands and thousands of Americans are going to come to the nation's capital, and they're going to celebrate life.  They know that life is precious, and that in this great country, the greatest nation in history, we should celebrate life, we should understand that life is precious, life is sacred, that it should be protected."

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said that even after his 38 years in the pro-life movement, "I still don't get how ... so many seemingly smart, sane, compassionate, and accomplished people – especially in politics – support, promote, and – if President Obama has his way in the pending health care legislation – lavishly fund with public dollars the violent death of unborn children and the wounding of their moms by abortion."

"Is it really so hard to understand that abortion is violence against children – a pernicious form of child abuse, falsely and aggressively marketed as choice, a human right?" he asked.  "How long will we permit the pro-choice cover-up and the bogus safety claims to misinform, especially in light of the reams of evidence documenting serious injury to women who abort?"

Smith related the story of Dr. Jean Garton, a former abortion proponent whose conversion to the pro-life cause was strongly influenced by the innocent witness of her own child.  Smith explained how Garton was preparing a pro-abortion lecture and her 3-year-old son unexpectedly walked into the room, seeing an image of an aborted baby on the screen.

"Mommy, who broke the baby?" the boy screamed.

"That young child saw the brutality of abortion with unclouded comprehension," observed Smith.  "That child was unencumbered and unaffected by the deceptively clever and preposterously misleading propaganda dished by the multi-billion dollar pro-choice industry."

Joining these five Congressmen in their courageous witness to the dignity of life were Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL), Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), and Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).

See the Representatives' speeches on Youtube:

Rep. Chris Smith (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Rep. Joe Pitts
Rep. Jean Schmidt
Rep. Joseph Cao
Rep. Jim Jordan
Rep. Parker Griffith
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry
Rep. Todd Akin

Contact: Patrick B. Craine
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: January 22, 2010
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Pro-Life Majority Takes Charge of Nation's Capital

Pro-Life Majority Takes Charge of Nation's Capital

Thousands March for Life, Send Message to Congress

Evidence of Growing Pro-Life Reality in America



Today's March for Life in Washington, D.C. on the 37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade is another indicator that the majority of Americans are influencing the nation says Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.  She offered the following statement:

This growing, bursting at the seams March for Life is an impressive and visible sign of a quiet populist reality.  The numbers marching today are spillover of a movement growing exponentially that has just achieved what no other issue base can claim -- helping to bring down the President's top domestic priority. 
 
President Obama was so ideologically fixated upon forcing all of us to finance almost every abortion committed in this nation that he ultimately paid for that extremism with the death of health care. 
 
There are lessons here.  The people marching today from every nook and cranny of the nation represent millions more who find 'pro-choice' rhetoric empty of meaning and abortion-friendly policies a violation of their consciences. 
 
According to recent national surveys a majority of Americans now consider themselves pro-life. 
 
They have made their voice heard on the health care bill.  We will see evidence of this tidal wave of opinion in important Congressional races this November 2nd.
 
The Susan B. Anthony List will be continuing its national tour to mobilize pro-life Americans in key Congressional Districts, Women Speak Out: Abortion is NOT Health Care, in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas January 26 -29, 2010.  Details can be found at www.sba-list.org/tour.

Contact: Joy Yearout
Source: Susan B. Anthony List
Publish Date: January 22, 2010
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Tens of Thousand of Pro-Lifers Fill San Francisco Streets

Tens of Thousand of Pro-Lifers Fill San Francisco Streets

Sixth Annual Walk for Life West Coast: Tens of Thousands of Pro-Lifers fill San Francisco Streets

"It is up to us to stand, raise our voices, and protect the smallest." --- Lila Rose, 2010 Walk for Life West Coast



At least 35,000 peaceful pro-life walkers filled this city's waterfront, toddlers holding hands with grandparents and college students waving banners, as the largest crowd ever attended the 6th Annual Walk for Life West Coast, Saturday, January 23rd.

Frank Lee, coordinator of Asian Americans Pro-Life, led the rally in a prayer at the start, saying: "Every life is precious and should be cherished. We have a tough battle in front of us, but we shall overcome when we combine our efforts to make it a perfect whole!"

Students from San Francisco high schools and from Stanford, UC-Berkeley, St. Mary's of Moraga, St. Thomas Aquinas College, and Wyoming Catholic College marched alongside eight Catholic Bishops.

One hundred and twenty Catholic seminarians carried banners and Tom Martin, who worked for former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown before entering the seminary, said: "It's a great opportunity for the people of God to see that the seminarians are joining with them not only in praying for life, but also taking a stand."

Speakers included Abby Johnson, who worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years, walked away from her job as a Planned Parenthood clinic director in October after assisting in an abortion. Johnson said: "If you are here, you are an activist. We can no longer just say the words but must put our words into action." Johnson joined 40 Days for Life, a national prayer and fasting campaign outside abortion clinics. The Walk presented the St. Gianna Molla Award to David Bereit, national campaign director of 40 Days for Life.

Lila Rose of Live Action said "The fact that we have allowed abortion in this great nation, the killing of the most defenseless and weak among us has resulted in the greatest human rights abuse I believe our nation has ever seen. It is up to us to stand, raise our voices, and protect the smallest."

"If ever there was a time to 'seize the moment' in the interest of unborn babies, it is now," Evangelical preacher, author and theologian, Pastor Jim Garlow of San Diego, told the rally.

The Reverend Clenard Childress, founder of BlackGenocide.org, said "There is an obvious shifting in our culture and it stems from advances in the pro-life movement."

Walk for Life co-founder Dolores Meehan said "The tenacity of pro-lifers, showing up in their tens of thousands, despite a downpour, is a testimony to their commitment!"

The Walk for Life West Coast was started by a group of San Franciscans in 2005 to affirm the right to life from conception to natural death and particularly to change hearts hurt by the violence of abortion.

Walk for Life West Coast: www.walkforlifewc.com

Click the following for videos of the Walk for Life West Coast..

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

Contact: Gibbons J. Cooney
Source: Walk for Life West Coast
Publish Date: January 24, 2010
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Groups Request Congressional Investigation of National Cancer Institute's Misinformation on Breast Cancer Risks of Abortion, Oral Contraceptives

Groups Request Congressional Investigation of National Cancer Institute's Misinformation on Breast Cancer Risks of Abortion, Oral Contraceptives
 


The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer announced today it is sending a letter, signed by doctors and pro-family organizations, to President Obama and the leaders of Congress calling for an investigation of the U.S. National Cancer Institute. It puts political leaders on notice of a discrepancy between what the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) says about the breast cancer risks of abortion and oral contraceptives (OCs) - "the pill" - and what Louise Brinton, the NCI's Chief of the Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch, has reported in her research. The letter asks Congress to investigate the NCI's failure to issue timely warnings about breast cancer risks and asks political leaders to remove public funding for abortion from all legislation being considered by this Congress.
 
"As a scientist representing the official policy of the NCI, Brinton says there is no abortion-breast cancer (ABC) link," explained Professor Joel Brind of Baruch College, City University of New York, "While as a scientist publishing her findings in a peer-reviewed medical journal, she says there is a significant ABC link. Both of these points of view rely on data that is up to 20 years old, yet both points of view have been recently--within the last few months---confirmed publicly (on the NCI website and in the Dolle study, respectively. Will the real Louise Brinton please stand up? Since this direct contradiction came to light in the public eye, she appears to have been hiding under her desk."
 
The letter tells how the NCI conned women with its 2003 workshop, "Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer." Brinton was the chief organizer of that workshop.
 
"The NCI puts politics ahead of women's lives," said Karen Malec, president of the Coalition. "That's why we're putting both parties on notice of the NCI's misconduct. If they decide to watch women die, instead of cleaning house when we have prima facie evidence of a cover-up, then both parties will have to answer to angry women."
 
Brinton was a co-author in a 2009 study conducted by Janet Daling's team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and led by Jessica Dolle. The Coalition previously reported the study's findings in a press release dated January 6, 2010. The Coalition features a YouTube video discussing researchers' findings. The Coalition published a January 19, 2010 newsletter explaining why co-author Kathleen Malone's claim about the study, "There are no new findings related to induced abortion..." is a lie. [2]
 
Researchers unequivocally stated their findings "were consistent with the effects observed in previous studies on younger women. Specifically ... induced abortion and oral contraceptive use were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer."

Contact: Karen Malec
Source: The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer
Publish Date: January 25, 2010
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Viewers will choose outcome of women with unintended pregnancies in new series

Viewers will choose outcome of women with unintended pregnancies in new series



A new webcast series will focus on the fictional stories of three women who face unintended pregnancies. It will allow viewers to choose how the characters' stories will end for the final episode.

Yellow Line Studio said the premiere of BUMP+ would be Friday, Jan. 22. Thirteen episodes will follow in February and March, the California Catholic Daily reports.

"From Juno and Bella to Glee and Desperate Housewives, a woman's right to choose has been explored across the media landscape," said the series' executive producer Dominic Iocco. "What makes BUMP+ different from the others is that we're letting the viewers decide how our characters' stories will end. We've opened the official website to comments and our team will craft the final episodes based on audience feedback. Their choice really is up to you."

Series co-executive producer Christopher Riley said the series was inspired by President Barack Obama's May 2009 commencement speech to graduates at Notre Dame.

"He urged people on both sides of the debate to find ways to communicate about a workable solution to the problem of unintended pregnancies," Riley explained.

He described the series as an "experiment to see if story can succeed where nearly four decades of angry rhetoric and political posturing have failed."

"We're not making a moral or political statement; hopefully, we're starting a conversation with the audience," Riley added, according to the California Catholic Daily.

Yellow Line Studio said a trailer for the pilot has attracted several comments and personal stories for viewers and it is gaining a following on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

The San Diego-based studio describes itself as an independent entertainment company. It operates a satellite office in Los Angeles.

The website of the series is at http://www.bumptheshow.com.

Source: CNA
Publish Date: January 24, 2010
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NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR MONDAY
(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.)

Denying Abortion Protesters' Free Speech Rights Proposed for Rockford



ROCKFORD, IL -- City leaders will begin debating Monday whether Rockford should adopt a "bubble law," an ordinance that would prevent protesters from coming within 8 feet of a person or vehicle entering or exiting a health care facility, including the Northern Illinois Women's Center abortion clinic. The sidewalks outside the clinic at 1400 Broadway are a regular gathering spot for abortion protesters and have been for several years. Some protesters pray quietly. Some yell through a megaphone. Some carry Bibles. Some walk back and forth on the walkway with signs bearing anti-abortion photos and messages. Ald. Karen Elyea, who is proposing the ordinance, and City Attorney Jennifer Cacciapaglia, who drafted it, said the law could help increase the level of safety outside the clinic for clients and protesters. Ald. Karen Elyea, who is proposing the ordinance, and City Attorney Jennifer Cacciapaglia, who drafted it, said the law could help increase the level of safety outside the clinic for clients and protesters.
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Colorado Personhood Amendment Encounters Historical March for Life Success, Legal Setbacks



Friday's Colorado March for Life, presented by Colorado Right to Life, was the largest in recent history, with marchers at the State Capitol numbering nearly 1,500. The march was marked by an unprecedented number of teens, with young people making up the majority of participants.
 
'Personhood' was the theme, with each speaker highlighting the need to recognize Personhood rights for preborn babies from the moment of their biological beginning. The Personhood USA slogan "Persons Not Property" was displayed prominently, and chants of "Roe v. Wade has got to go!" resounded through the streets surrounding the March.
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Abortion Groups Attack Faith-Based Charities Providing Support to Pregnant Women



Amidst budget shortfalls and a busy legislative session, lobby groups for abortion clinics have stirred up a perfect storm for state legislators. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington and Planned Parenthood are pushing for new legislation that would place a "gag order" on faith-based charities providing free support to pregnant women. With support from a half million Washingtonians across the state, more than 45 pregnancy resource centers and medical clinics say this legislation would regulate their organizations out of existence, eliminating approximately $15 million worth of free services (annually) to women facing unplanned pregnancies. In addition, the Attorney General's Office has estimated the bill will cost Washington taxpayers more than a half million over the next four years.
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"Honk, If You Were Once a Baby"



It was a colossal crowd, as huge as it was wired. People were everywhere. Up and down the main thoroughfare and any number of side streets. Can you hear us now, President Obama?

I am in a time bind, today so let me offer just three quick impressions.

I overheard young people (and, as always, they constituted the bulk of the attendees) talking about how their parents had brought them to the March over and over again when they were children. Now as young adults, they were coming with their schools and universities or on their own. I cannot overestimate the importance of the behavior these parents had modeled for their children.
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March for Life 2010

Participants in the 2010 March for Life were consistent in their reports of the crowd enthusiasm and size.



HUGE. That is all I can say. The largest in recent memory. Some informal estimates at 300,000. In my humble opinion, there were more like 500,000 people attending the March. Pro-lifers swarmed Washington D.C. on a cool but rain free day. The sun even came out at the end of the day while the women from Silent No More gave their testimony. - Jakubczyk on Life

Today, in spite of the weather, I drove to Washington D.C. to partake in the 37th annual March For Life and had an experience like no other. I saw an enthusiastic crowd in very large numbers totally devoted to the life cause, consisting largely of young, fresh faced people chanting, praying, laughing, and enjoying life to its fullest as they marched for their firmly held beliefs.
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March for Life, Health Care Bill Dies, Bells Ring for Roe

Pictures from the 2010 March for Life...

  

 

Pelosi admits: health care dead...right now

from the Associated Press...

WASHINGTON – Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she lacks the votes to quickly move the Senate's sweeping health overhaul bill through the House, a potentially devastating blow to President Barack Obama's signature issue.

Pelosi, D-Calif., made the comment to reporters after House Democrats held a closed-door meeting at which participants vented frustration with the Senate's massive version of the legislation.

Her concession meant there was little hope for a White House-backed plan to quickly push the Senate-approved health bill through the House, followed by a separate measure making changes sought by House members, such as easing the Senate's tax on higher-cost health plans. Such an approach would be "problematic," she said.

"In its present form without any changes I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House," Pelosi said, adding, "I don't see the votes for it at this time."
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Also read... Healthcare redo in the works

BELLS MAY RING TODAY TO MARK ROE V. WADE DECISION

All parishes in the Rockford Diocese, including St. Mary's Church in DeKalb and the Church of St. Mary in Sycamore, are being encouraged to toll their church bells on Jan. 22, which marks the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion [sic] (Courts do not make law). A news release from the diocese states that the day should be "a sorrowful reminder of the devastation wrought by the killing of the most vulnerable among us," and encourages mourning for those lost through abortion, as well as prayers for those affected and prayers of reparation for those who defend abortion.
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Healthcare redo in the works

Healthcare redo in the works



A congressional analyst believes Democrats will even have a difficult time passing a watered-down version of their healthcare bill.
 
Confronted with the reality that they lack the votes necessary to pass their desired version of healthcare reform, Democrats are now deciding how they can scale back the legislation so it can win congressional approval.
 
Dan Holler, deputy director for Senate relations at The Heritage Foundation, gives an idea of what a smaller Democratic healthcare bill might entail.
 
"What they're talking about right now are some insurance market reforms, some things to help small businesses, closing the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage...and bumping up how long children -- I guess you can call them children -- but keeping dependents up to 26-years-old on their parents' coverage," he explains.
 
He also notes that Democrats are forced to scrap major tenets of their original bill.
 
"The individual mandate, the employer mandate, the public option, the OPM-run plan, the national or state exchanges -- a lot of the big picture stuff is being thrown aside because they just can't move it through [because] they found it to be too unpopular," Holler reports.  "But, all of that said, what they're proposing is still going to be very hard to do."
 
The analyst says if Congress jettisons the individual mandate, there will be no insurance industry support for the reforms that were tied to that mandate.  That scenario, he predicts, will render the bill "unworkable."

Limited overhaul
Appearing on CBS's The Early Show today, former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean says he still thinks Democrats can get a scaled-back health care bill through Congress. But Dean also said he doubts Republicans will work with Democrats on a compromise measure -- even one far more modest and less costly than versions passed by the House and Senate.

The former Vermont governor said he believes Republicans concluded "they can benefit" politically from resisting President Barack Obama's ambitious health overhaul. But he also said the American people want changes in the system, saying "they didn't want something that was written by the insurance industry."

Contact: Jim Brown
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: January 22, 2010
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