NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR FRIDAY

Neb. Lawmakers Advance Antiabortion Mental Health Screenings Bill



Nebraska lawmakers voted 36-7 Wednesday to give second-round approval to a bill (LB 594) that would require abortion providers to perform extensive mental health screenings of women prior to the procedure, the Omaha World-Herald reports.

Before advancing the bill, lawmakers approved an amendment from state Sen. Amanda McGill, an opponent of the legislation, that would require the state's Health and Human Services Department to provide women with information about public and private agencies -- including outpatient clinics, crisis intervention services and hotlines -- that offer mental health resources. The information would include a list of agencies, descriptions of services and contact information. McGill argued that if physicians are required tell women about the psychological issues they could face as a result of an abortion, they also should be required to inform them about how to properly obtain potentially useful information about mental health services.
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Several States Consider Bills Prohibiting Abortion Coverage In Health Plans



Although the federal health reform law (HR 3590) includes several restrictions to ensure public money is not used for abortion coverage, antiabortion-rights lawmakers in several states are pushing for legislation that would prohibit abortion coverage in health plans, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the Journal, many abortion-rights opponents say the health reform law's abortion-coverage restrictions on plans selling coverage in the state health care exchanges don't go far enough. Five states, including Oklahoma and Tennessee (HB 2681), have introduced bills that would generally block abortion coverage in the exchanges, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In addition, Mississippi Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R) -- who also is running for Congress -- plans to introduce a similar bill this month. The Journal reports that such restrictions likely would affect most small-group and individual plans when the exchanges launch in 2014.
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UK Woman Dies of Blood Clots after Ten Years on the Pill



A 28 year-old UK woman has died of deep vein thrombosis after taking birth control pills for a decade, the Daily Mail reports. Jenna Morris, a bank worker who was planning to marry her live-in fiancé Luke Hawson, was sent home sick from work by doctors who told her she was suffering from kidney stones. She died suddenly when blood clots that formed in her legs spread to her lungs.

Her sister Suzanne confirmed that doctors said the clots were “possibly caused by the contraceptive pill.”

“I am still in shock,” she said. “I still cannot believe what happened. I keep thinking it is a dream.

“People should be aware because it could happen to anyone. Jenna was our beautiful pink princess and a fantastic sister. I miss her so much.”

Studies are increasingly showing connections between hormonal contraceptives and a range of serious health risks.
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Euthanasia Requests Triple in Belgium, Highest Among Young Cancer Victims



After being legalized eight years ago, euthanasia is becoming increasingly frequent in Belgium, according to a recent study by the Flemish-speaking Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel or VUB).

The number of requests for euthanasia have almost tripled since 2003, when 235 patients reportedly asked to be killed.  The number rose to 428 in 2006, 495 in 2007, and 705 in 2008, according to the latest statistic gathered in the study.

The largest group requesting euthanasia is young male cancer victims, although 18 percent are people over the age of 80. Over 6.5 percent are people who are not in the final stages of their lives, but are mostly victims of degenerative neuromuscular diseases.

The majority of euthanasia recipients are killed in their homes by the administration of barbiturates and muscle relaxants.
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Cardinal George at Pfleger Award Ceremony: 'Abortion Kills Racial Justice'



Presiding at an archdiocesan event honoring controversial priest Fr. Michael Pfleger for his civil rights work, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago took the opportunity to criticize media scrutiny of the award, but also to highlight the fact that, far from being irrelevant to the theme of the event, "abortion kills racial and social justice."

The Dr. King Prayer Service and Racial Justice Awards sparked controversy in pro-life Catholic circles after it was revealed that Fr. Pfleger, an outspoken supporter of strongly pro-abortion U.S. President Obama, would receive an award from the archdiocese's Office of Racial Justice at the event.

Cardinal George responded to the controversy in his remarks by defending Pfleger as "a Catholic priest and a pastor,” saying that, “in that capacity, like all good priests and pastors, he acts out of love."

The cardinal then went on to say that, “As part of his ministry for racial justice, Fr. Pfleger has addressed killing, for killing is not an act of love,” a theme that the cardinal applied to the issues of abortion and race. (To read the cardinal's complete remarks, click here) 
Click here for the entire article.


Kansas abortions fall by 11%



Abortions in Kansas decreased by 11 percent in 2009, according to a preliminary report by the state's Department of Health and Environment.

But contrary to the opinion of some pro-choice leaders, the drop of 1,170 reported abortions -- from 10,642 in 2008 to 9,472 last year -- was the result of more than the closing of George Tiller's Wichita clinic following his murder, according to Kansans for Life, the state's leading pro-life organization. Tiller, whose clinic specialized in late-term abortions, was shot to death May 31 by Scott Roeder, who was convicted in January of first-degree murder. All major pro-life organizations denounced the killing.
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Illinois Federation for Right to Life

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Medical Board Complaints Demand End to 'Telemed Abortions'

Medical Board Complaints Demand End to 'Telemed Abortions'


 
Operation Rescue has filed formal complaints with the Medical Board of Iowa asking for an investigation into dangerous "telemed abortion" and asking the Board to stop allowing abortions without a licensed physician on site and discipline those involved. Separate complaints were filed against abortionist Susan Haskell and her employer, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
 
Operation Rescue released a report on the "telemed abortion" last week detailing how Planned Parenthood is keeping open small, doctor-less clinics using a teleconferencing hook up whereby an abortionist appears on a computer monitor and explains the medical abortion procedure to patients. The drugs are then dispensed at the clinic by employees. The patient is never physically examined by a licensed physician at any time. This scheme allows the abortionist to never leave her office in Des Moines, yet Planned Parenthood bills insurance companies over 2 ½ times the national average cost for similar abortions.
 
This is lack of direct access to a licensed physician is of concern since medical abortions using RU486, also known as Mifepristone, and its counterpart, Methotrexate, have a 7-20% failure rate. At least 13 women have died from medical abortions and over 1,100 have suffered serious complications.
Operation Rescue's complaint details four areas of concern:
 
1. Violation of the law requiring that a licensed physician only may do abortions in Iowa.
 
2. Planned Parenthood protocols deviate from FDA-approved protocols by eliminating visits along with other safety precautions.
 
3. Deviation from FDA protocols and lack of an onsite licensed physician presents unacceptable health and safety risks to women.
 
4. Insurance companies are overbilled at twice the price of cash patients, which is an unethical financial practice that raises the cost of health care.
 
"We have made attempts to inquire about the legality of these 'telemed abortions' from the Iowa Medical Board for at least two weeks, without adequate response. In fact, we have been put off. Therefore, we had no choice but to file a formal complaint in order to get their attention so that women can be protected from this outrageous and dangerous abortion scheme," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
 
Click here to read OR's Special Report: "Telemed Abortions" Endanger Women And Drive Up Insurance Costs

Contact: Troy Newman, Cheryl Sullenger
Source: Operation Rescue
Publish Date: April 8, 2010
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Teen Birth Rates Down, Abstinence Credited

Teen Birth Rates Down, Abstinence Credited
 


Teen birth rates in the U.S. declined after increasing in 2006 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The 2008 numbers show the rate declined by two percent among girls 15-19. The largest decline occurred among 18- and 19-year-olds at four percent.

Valerie Huber, executive director with The National Abstinence Education Association, said a "positive trend begun a decade ago can continue."

"We should redouble our efforts to help teens avoid all the consequences of sexual activity, including teen childbearing," she said.

President Obama eliminated all funding for abstinence-centered education in his 2011 budget. However, due largely to Sen. Orrin Hatch's efforts, Congress reinstated a third of the original  funding for five years in the health care reform law.

"(The) announcement provides Congress an opportunity to make a course correction by again placing a priority on the risk-avoidance abstinence-centered message," she said.

Source: CitizenLink
Publish Date: April 7, 2010
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Population expert sees dangers as U.S. birthrate falls below replacement

Population expert sees dangers as U.S. birthrate falls below replacement



The U.S. birthrate fell from 2007 to 2008 and is now below replacement rate. One population expert, noting that children are the “only future a country has,” warns that a scarcity of children condemns a country to stagnation, bankruptcy and eventually death.

The U.S. National Vital Statistics Report for April 2010 shows that the U.S. birthrate fell two percent from 2007 to 2008. It is a drop below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman to a rate of 2.08.

In 2008 there were 41.5 births per 1,000 teens aged 15 to 19, also a two percent drop. The report also indicates that more U.S. children are being born out of wedlock than ever before.

According to the Washington Post, an October survey by the Pew Research Center said that 14 percent of Americans ages 18 to 34 and eight percent of those aged 35 to 44 said they postponed having a child because of the recession.

CNA discussed the report in a Wednesday e-mail interview with Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute (PRI).

Asked whether the drop in births could be attributed to the economic downturn, he replied:

“Children are an expression of hope in the future. With the downturn in housing prices, and the upswing in the unemployment rate, it is not surprising that many couples decided to defer having children until the economic downturn had corrected itself. We will, I predict, see a bigger drop in the birthrate in 2009, when the unemployment rate closed in on 10 percent, 9.3 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

He said birth rates have fallen in Europe and other developed countries, “for the same reason.”

CNA asked whether an increase in the abortion rate could have been a factor in the falling birth rate.

Mosher said “anecdotal evidence” suggests Americans are “increasingly aborting babies who were unfortunate enough to be conceived during this economic recession.”

He reported that more men and women are having themselves sterilized and contraceptive use is also up.

Asked about the broader consequences for a country below a replacement birth rate, Mosher commented:

“Look at present-day Greece, which is going over a demographic cliff because of a scarcity of children. Too few young people are entering the work force to replace retiring workers, entitlement spending is increasing at the same time that tax revenues are leveling off, and the government is technically bankrupt.

“Children are the only future a country has, and countries that fail to provide for the future in the most fundamental way--by providing the future generation--are condemned to stagnation, bankruptcy, and death.”

Source: CNA/EWTN News
Publish Date: April 8, 2010
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Chicago Archdiocesan Office Apologizes for 'Pro-Choice' Obama Remark

Chicago Archdiocesan Office Apologizes for 'Pro-Choice' Obama Remark



Sr. Anita Baird, the founding director of the Office of Racial Justice for the Chicago Archdiocese, has apologized for saying that President Obama is simply pro-choice and not pro-abortion, and now professes that "there can be no distinction" between the two.

"In order to clarify my quote that appeared on LifeSiteNews.com, I am affirming my belief in the teachings of the Catholic Church and understand that there can be no distinction between pro-abortion and pro-choice, because the choice at issue is the choice to kill a child," wrote Baird in a statement released Wednesday. "I also apologize to those who were scandalized by my statement."

LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) had interviewed Baird Tuesday regarding the Office for Racial Justice's planned award for Fr. Michael Pfleger, a politically activist priest notorious for outspokenly supporting pro-abortion public figures such as Barack Obama. 

During the interview, Baird said that "the president is not pro-abortion, the president is pro-choice. I think they are two very different things."

"To be pro-abortion is that you believe in abortion and you support it," she said. "And I don't think you'll find that the president has ever said that."

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 8, 2010
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Obama administration pays off Planned Parenthood through HIV test funding

Obama administration pays off Planned Parenthood through HIV test funding

A tweet from Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards yesterday:



Here's the article Richards was linking to, by TheBody.com, April 5:

CDC on Thursday announced the expansion of an initiative through which more than 1.4 million Americans have been tested for HIV. During the next 3 years, funding for the effort will increase by approximately $31.5 million, and a total of $142.5 million will be awarded to state and local health departments in eligible jurisdictions to increase HIV testing in health care and non-health care settings.

Here's why Richards thought that news noteworthy...



Here we see the trickledown economics of Obama paying off Planned Parenthood for helping get him elected, with a literally dead end focus, I might add.

This is because the prevention of HIV, which in the US would largely be avoidance of man-on-man sex, is politically incorrect.

Also politically incorrect is the abstinence/be faithful message, which would stave HIV in the black community.

Politically incorrect because those now in charge of messaging are the 1960s free love generation, who along the way have acquired added perks for pushing illicit sex - money and power - by becoming part of the multi-billion dollar cottage and political industry that has grown around ameliorating its consequences, not preventing it.

Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: April 8, 2010
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Can nutritional cocktail boost stem cells?

Can nutritional cocktail boost stem cells?

New supplement could be used for treatment of Alzheimer's disease



A new report by a team of scientific researchers working with stem cells reveals it may be possible to stimulate production of stem cells essential for repairing the body with a nutritional cocktail.

A peer-reviewed report set for publication in the Journal of Translational Medicine suggests that a commercially available supplement can increase blood circulation of hematopoietic stem cells, which can mature into blood cells: white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets, and endothelial progenitor cells, which reside in the adult bone marrow or circulate in the blood and repair damage to blood vessels. Get "Smart Medicine" and find out what you should know about medications!

Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem Inc., worked with a team of 13 researchers from industry and academia to investigate whether the supplement, containing a cocktail of green tea, astralagus, goji berry extracts, "good" bacteria lactobacillus fermentum, antioxidant ellagic acid, immune enhancer beta 1,3 glucan and vitamin D3, could increase the number of stem cells circulating in the blood.

The team recruited 18 healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 72 who took the supplement twice daily. Researchers took blood from the adults before beginning the course and tested for cell activity in the following days. They then confirmed whether taking the supplement changed the overall levels of hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells in the blood.

"Hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells increased after taking the nutritional supplement, suggesting that the supplement may be a useful stimulator for both types of stem cells," the report said. "In this study, the levels of these stem cells peaked at 2-7 days and started to drop at 14 days, suggesting that this supplement could be used for continuous treatment for conditions associated with decreases in these stem cells such as Alzheimer's disease."

The statement notes that other therapeutic treatments to increase hematopoietic stem cells are not practical as long-term solutions because of high costs and greater health risks caused by the exceptionally elevated levels of stem cells that the treatments maintain in the blood.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating profound mobilization effect with possible clinical significance by a food supplement-based approach," the report's authors said. "Indeed it may be possible that our supplement could be beneficial in conditions associated with reduced progenitor cells such as diabetes or in smokers which possess lower baseline values as compared to controls."

However, they added, "[G]iven commercial pressures associated with this largely unregulated field, we propose detailed scientific investigations must be made before disease-associated claims are made by the scientific community."

As WND has reported, Medistem previously reported a medical advance that would make the use of embryonic stem cells unnecessary. The group also revealed fat cells may be used to slow or repair physical nerve deterioration caused by the incurable multiple sclerosis. Three patients treated with fat procedures "showed dramatic improvement in their condition."

Medistem reported successful testing of an adult cell that can match tissues in the heart, lung, liver, pancreas, blood vessels, brain, muscle, bone and fat.

Contact: Chelsea Schilling
Source: WorldNetDaily
Publish Date: April 8, 2010
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NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY

Words of Life



Our neighbors to the north are debating the value of life. The latest round of heated talk comes after a Member of Parliament introduced a bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. Similar bills considered in the U.S. have failed in state legislatures, in large part due to the testimony of medical professionals who care for terminally and chronically ill patients.

One voice worth listening to in this debate is Dr. Bill Toffler. The Oregon physician knows first hand how legalized assisted suicide can be abused, cause fear among patients and negatively impact the delivery of medical care.
Click here for the entire article.


Pope Appoints 'Strong' Pro-Life Advocate to Los Angeles Position
 


Pope Benedict XVI has announced pro-life Archbishop Jose Gomez to replace Cardinal Roger Mahoney when he steps down as the archbishop of Los Angeles.

Gomez reportedly objected to the appearance of then Senator Hillary Clinton at a Catholic University in 2008, because of her pro-abortion views.

"The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles," Gomez said at the time. "They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."
Click here for the entire article.


6-Year-Old's Accidental Death Classified As 'Suicide'



The death of a 6-year-old Oregon girl sent to her room after exchanging cross words with her mother has been classified as a suicide by a state medical examiner. After her mother told her to go to her room, Samantha Kuberski, a first-grader in McMinnville, Ore., crawled into an unused crib, tied one end of a belt around her neck, the other on a bar of the crib, and hanged herself, according to reports. The incident happened on Dec. 2, days shy of the girl's 7th birthday, making her the youngest person in Oregon history to have committed suicide. But McMinnville police investigating Samantha's death are not convinced that the girl understood the consequences of her actions. They are challenging the classification of suicide. Samantha's death, they argue, was the result of an accident.
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Wis. Prosecutor: Sex Ed Rules Could Mean Charges



A Wisconsin prosecutor is warning sex education teachers they could face charges if they follow a new state law that allows them to instruct students about proper contraceptive use. A letter sent to five school districts by Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth said the instruction could amount to contributing to the delinquency of a minor if teachers know students are sexually active. He said the districts should drop sex education until the law is repealed. Southworth also argued that teaching contraceptive use encourages sexual behavior among children, which equates to sexual assault because minors can't legally have sex in Wisconsin. "Depending on the specific facts of a case ... this encouragement and advocacy could lead to criminal charges," Southworth, a Republican, wrote to districts in his county.
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Alaska Court Sets May 20 Hearing On Baby Killing Regulations In Voters Ballot



Oral arguments are set for May 20 in a case seeking to keep a proposed abortion initiative off the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court released the schedule Wednesday. ACLU of Alaska and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest appealed a lower court ruling that Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell write an "accurate" summary of the proposed initiative. A judge had ordered Campbell to make clear several points, including that the initiative would restrict existing rights and potentially subject doctors to penalties. The ACLU's Jeffrey Mittman has said the decision didn't go far enough and that the proposal shouldn't appear on the ballot since voters weren't given a complete picture of what it would do during the signature-gathering process.
Click here for the entire article.


'Abortion Kit' Flyer Called Mail Fraud



Some may call it a prank, a hoax or a sick joke. The U.S. Postal Service said a flyer for an "at-home abortion kit" will be investigated as mail fraud. The flyer was mailed in the mane of a non-existent group called American Women's Health. It offered an 'at-home abortion kit' for $400 and encouraged people to call or write for more information. But the phone number and address on the flyer belong to the Pro-Life Action League, a group opposed to abortions.
Click here for the entire article and video.

 

 

Illinois Federation for Right to Life

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Pro-Life Action League the Target of Mail Fraud; Offers Counsel for Other Organizations Facing Reputation Attacks

Pro-Life Action League the Target of Mail Fraud; Offers Counsel for Other Organizations Facing Reputation Attacks



Last week, the Pro-Life Action League was the target of mail fraud, in which an advertisement offering an at-home abortion kit was mailed to an undetermined number of recipients using the League's contact information. An unknown individual sent out the mailing that advertised an "At-Home Abortion Kit" from a fictional women's clinic, American Women's Health, using the address and phone number of the League's Chicago office.
 
In most states, a physician is required to perform an abortion. The at-home abortion "kit" described in the fraudulent advertisement is medically unheard of – it describes using a variety of "pumps" with a "secret combination of chemicals" to break down in the unborn child into "bio-waste in a mere ten minutes" even up until the eighth month of pregnancy.
 
Click here to view the advertisement.
 
"In our 30 years working to help abortion-bound mothers and their unborn children, we have seen it all – from signs prohibiting protest activity, to lawsuits infringing upon our free speech, to baseless attacks in the media, and now targeted mail fraud," said Ann Scheidler, vice president of the Pro-Life Action League. "We know we're not alone in experiencing these attacks on our reputation, but there are things organizations such as ours can do in these crises, in both the short- and long-term."
 
Scheidler and the Pro-Life Action League offer the following tips for organizations facing an attack on their name and/or reputation.
 
1. Monitor your reputation. You won't hear what is being said about you if you don't listen. Whether it's using your social networks, staying in touch with friends and supporters, or even keeping tabs on your opponents, it's essential to keep your fingers on the pulse of your reputation.
 
2. Share your own bad news. Don't hide under the covers if your organization has come under attack; keep your friends, fans and followers informed of what is happening. In this case, Scheidler said she hopes getting the word out about the mail fraud will help the Pro-Life Action League determine how many mailings were sent, where they were received, and hopefully lead to a perpetrator.
 
3. Work through the system. Although it often requires paperwork, time, and a lot of patience, go to the authorities where there has been a serious threat to your organization. Filing an official report with the appropriate office can help expedite the process of dealing with the situation, and the authorities can often provide additional resources or third-party assistance. Scheidler notified the Chicago Police Department, the United States Post Office, the Office of the Inspector General at the Post Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
 
4. Get and stay active. Although opponents of your organization may try to use attacks to slow or halt your cause, use it as an impetus to do even more. Scheidler says, "This attack on our organization hasn't slowed us down; it has only reinvigorated our fight to end all types of abortion – even the disgusting, largely illegal 'at-home' kind purported in this bogus advertisement."

Contact: Stephanie Lewis
Source: Pro-Life Action League
Publish Date: April 5, 2010
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Abortion seeker regrets attacking pro-lifer

Abortion seeker regrets attacking pro-lifer

A 26-year-old Duluth, Minnesota, woman has pleaded guilty on a charge of second-degree assault in accosting a pro-life counselor at a local abortion clinic.

 

Leah Winandy of Pro-Life Ministries of Duluth was counseling when Mechelle Hall of Superior started into the clinic for an abortion.

"She came up to me with a knife and held it at my throat, and my first thought was, 'What if she stabs me?' But then I realized that I know where I'm going," Winandy accounts. "I'm going to be with Jesus Christ in heaven, and the Lord gave me this great peace and calmness."

The pro-lifer adds that when Hall entered the building, she yelled out that Winandy was certifiably crazy. Hall was later charged and pleaded guilty. During sentencing, Winandy was able to read a victim impact statement that she had written, expressing gratitude because Hall had decided to keep her baby, "and that I would love to hold her baby sometime if that was possible, and that I forgive her, and that she needs to seek God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ."

Winandy says the incident would in no way deter her from pro-life counseling in the future as she feels that counseling women who seek an abortion is important. She believes the women are stressed and simply need to know there is an alternative. Hall was sentenced to five years' probation and stated in court that she regrets attacking the pro-life counselor.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: April 6, 2010
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Toyota 52 deaths, Gardasil 49. Toyota recalled.

Toyota 52 deaths, Gardasil 49. Toyota recalled.


    Cervical cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths, so it was somewhat surprising when the US Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked approval of Gardasil, a Merck vaccine targeting the human papilloma virus that causes the disease, in 2006.

    As of Jan. 31, 2010, 49 unexplained deaths following Gardasil injections have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. By contrast, 52 deaths are attributed to unintended acceleration in Toyotas, which triggered a $2 billion recall....

    No recall for Gardasil, which is required for 6th-grade girls in DC, MD, VA, and many other states. Parents can opt out, but few know the true risks....

Hollingsworth goes on to describe 2 deaths and a stroke of young women following Gardasil injections. She says pro-abort Sen. Barbara Mikulski has requested an investigation into the death of 21-year-old Emily Tarsell, who lived in Mikulski's home state of MD.



My own congressperson, Debbie Halvorson, pushed mandatory Gardasil vaccinations of pre-adolescent girls in 2007 as an IL state senator, prompting me to write the "Debbie does..." series (I and II)

Here is a glaring example of the rush by pro-abort feminists to try to stave off the consequences of illicit sex, in this case a vaccination against the HPV STD, to the detriment of the health and safety of girls and women.

Meanwhile they disparage the obvious, full proof, free, guaranteed to be safe and healthy answer, which is abstinence and monogamy.

Contact: Barbara Hollingsworth
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: April 6, 2010
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Indiana Right to Life Sets National Precedent with Resolution Denying Democrat Endorsements

Indiana Right to Life Sets National Precedent with Resolution Denying Democrat Endorsements



The Indiana Right to Life Political Action Committee today announced that it has formally adopted a resolution denying endorsements to all Democratic candidates as a direct result of recent passage of the pro-abortion health care reform bill with support from Indiana congressmen Brad Ellsworth, Joe Donnelly, and Baron Hill.

The resolution to be applied in the 2010 election cycle reads:

      "Whereas the Democratic Party officially endorses the right to unrestricted abortion on demand; and

      Whereas Democratic leadership continues aggressively to advance federal policies that undermine the right to life of unborn children; and

      Whereas Congressman Brad Ellsworth, Congressman Baron Hill, and Congressman Joe Donnelly betrayed the trust of pro-life Hoosiers by voting for the pro-abortion federal health care reform bill; and

      Whereas the Democratic caucus in the Indiana House, under the leadership of Speaker Pat Bauer, continues to block all legislation aimed at limiting, restricting, and reducing abortions in the state of Indiana; and

      Whereas candidates of the Democratic Party are responsible for the policies and actions of the party and its leadership;

      Be it resolved that the Indiana Right to Life Political Action Committee will grant no endorsements to any Democratic candidates for any public office."

In 2008, Indiana Right to Life PAC adopted a similar but non-universal policy when it opted to withhold endorsements only from Democratic candidates for Congress or the Indiana House of Representatives. The new resolution extends the no-endorsement policy to all Democratic candidates.

"Our leadership anguished over this decision," notes IRTL-PAC chairman Mike Fichter. "Had Democrats like Brad Ellsworth held firm in opposing federal funding for abortion in the health care bill, we likely would have rewarded such action with a bipartisan endorsement policy. Ellsworth's collapse under pressure from the White House and Speaker Pelosi, as well as the collapse of his colleagues Joe Donnelly and Baron Hill, leaves us with no alternative. Leadership matters, and the reality is that Democratic leaders are advancing an abortion agenda at an alarming rate that will only be checked by a Republican majority."

Fichter adds that Democrats who wish to see a return of a bipartisan endorsement policy must work to change the party's platform on abortion and to change its party leadership. "The ball is the the Democratic Party's court," says Fichter. "As long as it continues to advance an abortion agenda, its candidates will not receive our support."

Contact: Cathie Humbarger
Source: Indiana Right to Life
Publish Date: April 7, 2010
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U.S. Medical Society Sues to Overturn ObamaCare

U.S. Medical Society Sues to Overturn ObamaCare

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has filed a lawsuit against the newly enacted health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), making them the first U.S. medical society to take legal action against the sweeping health care overhaul.

The AAPS filed suit March 26 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

“If the PPACA goes unchallenged, then it spells the end of freedom in medicine as we know it,” said Jane Orient, M.D., the Executive Director of AAPS. “Courts should not allow this massive intrusion into the practice of medicine and the rights of patients.”

“There will be a dire shortage of physicians if the PPACA becomes effective and is not overturned by the courts.”

The PPACA requires most Americans to buy government-approved insurance starting in 2014, or face stiff penalties. Critics say that insurance company executives will be enriched by the requirement, and that it violates the Fifth Amendment protection against the government, forcing one person to pay cash to another.

AAPS also claims the PPACA violates the Tenth Amendment, the Commerce Clause, and Constitutional provisions authorizing taxation. It argues the Constitution’s Taxing and Spending power cannot be invoked since the premiums go to private insurance companies. Also, it says the traditional sovereignty of the States over the practice of medicine is destroyed by the PPACA.

AAPS notes that in scoring the proposal the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was bound by assumptions imposed by Congress, including the ability to “save” $500 billion in Medicare, and to redirect $50 billion from Social Security. HHS Secretary Sebelius stated that PPACA would reduce the federal deficit.

The medical association says it is asking the Court to stop the federal government from promulgating or enforcing insurance mandates and to require HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue to provide the Court with an accounting of Medicare and Social Security solvency.

According to AAPS Congress recognized that PPACA cannot be funded without the mandate for every American to have health insurance, and will become unenforceable without them.

Legal action is necessary “to preserve individual liberty” and “to prevent PPACA from bankrupting the United States generally and Medicare and Social Security specifically,” AAPS stated.

The AAPS complaint and more information about the suit are posted here.

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 7, 2010
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NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY

NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY

Texas Man Threatens Deadly Force to Stop Abortion



A Texas man faces charges after he filed documents in federal court threatening to use deadly force to stop an abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court didn't immediately act to outlaw the practice, federal officials said Monday.
 
Erlyndon Joseph "Joey" Lo, 27, of Plano, filed documents there Friday saying his religious beliefs entitled him to use deadly force to prevent an abortion. He listed the name of a clinic, its address and the time he was going to show up -- noon that day.
 
"I plan on saving at least one human life in Dallas, Texas," Lo wrote.
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New Planned Parenthood Strategy: Skyping Abortions



A number of months ago I saw the movie Up In the Air with George Clooney. While the movie successfully relayed deep truths about the inherent relational nature of human beings, in my opinion it did so in a rather dark and somewhat disturbing way. The major character, Ryan Bingham, played by Clooney, had a chosen profession as a “corporate hired gun,” i.e., he was hired to fire people. At one point in the movie, a young college graduate convinced the company CEO that firing could be much cheaper and efficient via computer, rather than the status quo in-person firing meetings. You might guess that the outcome was disastrous, deadly, in fact, with one person jumping from a bridge after being informed by the new college grad she no longer had a job.

Not an organization to shy away from dark deeds or cost savings, Planned Parenthood is taking the deadly fiction from Up In the Air up a notch in real life. The nation’s largest abortion provider is now administering the dangerous medical abortion regime, RU-486, via Skype, instead of in-person consultations with doctors. Click here to hear a Planned Parenthood employee describe how the “telemed” process works.
here for the entire article.


Sales Rep at Drug Company Novartis Pressured to Get Abortion



A sales rep for Novartis who claims a manager pressured her to get an abortion will be one of the star witnesses in a massive sexual discrimination trial that starts Wednesday. Senior sales
consultant Christine Macarelli is among the first witnesses who hope to show the drug giant treated women as second-glass citizens. "Our goal is to make clear the problems these women experienced are systematic of deep problems across the company," said attorney David Sanford. The class-action suit covers 5,600 Novartis employees who claim the company paid them less than male colleagues and derailed their careers once they became pregnant.
Click here for the entire article.


Atlanta Billboard Vandalized That Educated How Abortion Targets Black Children


     
At least one of the billboards in a campaign across the city of Atlanta to draw attention to the way in which abortion targets black children has been vandalized. The billboards read, "Black children are an endangered species," but one was changed to say, "Black Children Are Beautiful."
 
A CNN viewer on its iReport system noticed the vandalism of the billboard.

The viewer, using the handle caitelle, wrote the billboards have "understandably created a stir on both the local and national level in the past several months."
Click here for the entire article.


Oklahoma Governor Signs 3 Abortion Regulations Into Law



Gov. Brad Henry signed three abortion bills into law Monday. The first measure makes it illegal to have an abortion based on the fetus's sex. The second measure creates a Freedom of Conscience Act, which bans an employer from discriminating against an employee for his or her abortion beliefs. The third measure regulates the prescription of RU-486. All three measures could be challenged in court.
Click here for the entire article.


Woman Forcibly Sterilized By The State Calls Payoff Offer 'An Insult'



According to the Frederick Douglass Foundation of North Carolina, a woman has rejected a recent monetary offer from Governor Perdue and the state government, after she was forcibly sterilized by the State of North Carolina as part of an oft-condemned eugenics program that lasted through the 1970's. Ms. Elaine Riddick appeared publicly for the first time in North Carolina in over two decades as she addressed a crowd at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh on Sunday March 28th. “After a viewing of a documentary at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, Ms. Riddick denounced North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue’s settlement offer after her civil rights were violated by the state,” said the Frederick Douglass Foundation, which says it supports Ms. Riddick’s position.
Click here for the entire article.

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Illinois Federation for Right to Life
2600 State Street, Suite E
Alton, IL 62002
Phone: 618-466-4122
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ObamaCare Lowdown: What Exactly Will the Health Reform Bill Do?

ObamaCare Lowdown: What Exactly Will the Health Reform Bill Do?



Now that President Obama has signed the Senate health care bill into law, pro-lifers and conservatives may still be wondering exactly what this massive piece of legislation will mean, not only for abortion, but other issues such as health care rationing, government expansion, a new health insurance mandate, and heavy taxation, including what amounts to a penalty for married couples. Following is a list of top concerns over the law as it stands.

Abortion Funding:

As compiled and explained by the National Right to Life Committee, several provisions in the bill present a major threat to the unborn through the expansion of funding for abortion.

- Separate funding stream bypasses Hyde amendment protections, Executive Order notwithstanding:

Backers of the Senate health care bill introduced to the House, H.R. 3590, have frequently dismissed pro-lifers' concerns over abortion funding in general. They have insisted that the current Hyde amendment, which bans Health and Human Services (HHS) funding of abortion except in cases of rape or threat to a mother's life, also applies.

Yet the language of the bill, as NRLC legal analysis points out, bypasses Hyde by creating a new direct-appropriation funding pipeline that lies outside of the annual appropriations process for the HHS Department.

Lawmakers' attempts to include explicit Hyde-like bans (Stupak amendment) were shot down repeatedly both in committee and the Senate floor. The Stupak-Pitts amendment sought to prevent federal subsidies from going to health plans that cover abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

Current restrictions in the health care bill say that federal funds cannot be used directly to pay for abortions; however that does not prevent federal dollars from propping up the bottom-line of insurance companies that can re-allocate private dollars to pay for abortions.

Although the Executive Order Obama signed following the bill's passage purports to apply the Hyde amendment to the bill, the White House's Robert Gibbs admitted that the president’s directive, revealingly titled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Consistency with Longstanding Restrictions on the Use of Federal Funds for Abortion," merely "reiterates" what is already in the bill, and does not address its inherent flaws.

- Direct funding of abortion through the Community Health Centers program: The new law directly appropriates $7 billion for Community Health Centers (CHCs) into a separate fund. Since the funding does not fall under annual HHS appropriations, it is therefore unconnected to any restriction on the use of these funds for abortion.

Some backers of H.R. 3590 have asserted that none of the 1,250 federally funded CHCs provide abortions; yet, the website of the Reproductive Health Access Project strongly assures CHC operators that offering abortions is not only possible, but "important for the health of your patient."

The President himself defended “reproductive care” – a term typically used to imply abortion services – as “essential care.” Without a legislative statute to the contrary, it is possible that a court challenge launched by pro-abortion groups could open up CHCs to provide abortion.

- Other direct appropriations not covered by abortion restrictions: The Senate bill contains additional pools of directly appropriated funds that are not covered by any limitations regarding abortion, including $5 billion for a temporary high-risk health insurance pool program (Sec. 1101 on pages 45-52) and $6 billion in grants and loans for health co-ops (Sec. 1322, pp. 169-180). Only bill-wide, permanent language, such as the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, could have ensured that none of these funds are tapped by pro-abortion political appointees and bureaucrats to pay for abortion.

- Federally administered abortion plans: The bill would create a new program under which the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would administer two or more national (“multi-state”) insurance plans. (See Section 1334.)

The bill provides that “at least one” such plan would be subject to limitations on abortion coverage. This implies that other federally administered plans could cover elective abortions, or perhaps even be required to do so by the federal administrator. This is a sharp break from longstanding federal policy, adopted by Congress, under which plans that participate in the OPM-administered Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program are prohibited from covering elective abortions.

Also, even the purported requirement (pages 2087-2088) that the OPM program offer one pro-life plan is rigged to expire each year; this requirement will remain in force only if pro-life forces prevail annually in preserving pro-life language on an unrelated annual appropriations bill.

- The "abortion surcharge": Section 1303, page 2069 of the bill contains the objectionable “Nelson-Boxer language,” under which private plans that cover elective abortion would qualify for the federal subsidy. However each enrollee in those plans that include abortion coverage would have to pay an "abortion surcharge" of at least one dollar per month. These funds would be used to pay for abortions.

This requirement applies to anyone who enrolls – or may have to enroll – in a subsidized plan that covers elective abortions. This will certainly include many people who would learn of the abortion surcharge only after enrolling, but who would also have no choice other than to pay the abortion surcharge, or see their entire health coverage lapse.

- Authorities for pro-abortion mandates: The new law contains a bewildering array of provisions that grant authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and other federal entities to issue binding regulations on various matters.

Some of these provisions could be employed in the future as carte blanche for the HHS to issue pro-abortion mandates, requiring health plans to cover abortion and/or provide expanded access to abortion, unless there is clear language to prevent it. For example, under the Mikulski Amendment (Section 1001, pp. 20-21), the HHS could force every private health plan to cover elective abortions merely by placing abortion on a list of “preventive” services.

While the Senate bill does contain some anti-mandate provisions, NRLC's analysis finds that these clauses are worded in such a way that they control only specific provisions of the bill (e.g., the reference to “essential health benefits” on page 2070), or are ambiguous in their scope.

- Open door to future abortion funding in Indian health programs: The Senate-passed health bill revamps and reauthorizes all Indian health programs. In the House bill, these programs were permanently barred from providing elective abortions by the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. But in the Senate bill, no such prohibition exists, other than a mere policy-neutral clause (Section 10221, pp. 2175-2176) that “punts” the abortion policy, requiring that it be set annually on an appropriations bill.

The Senate omitted the necessary pro-life language even though a permanent Hyde Amendment had won approval by the Senate the last time that the Indian health reauthorization (S. 1200) was on the Senate floor in amendable form. (The House never acted on S. 1200.)

- Missing abortion conscience language: The House-passed bill contained a codification of the “Hyde-Weldon” language (H.R. 3962, Section 259), which would prevent government actors from penalizing health care providers who refuse to participate in providing abortions.

However pro-abortion senators blocked its inclusion in the Senate bill. The so-called conscience protections in H.R. 3590 (e.g., on page 123) are exceedingly narrow.

Other issues:

- Health care rationing: NRLC's health care blog points out that "Section 3209 of the health care bill ... effectively allows federal bureaucrats at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) of the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to bar senior citizens from adding their own money, if they choose, to the government contribution in order to get private-fee-for-service Medicare Advantage (MA) plans less likely to ration life-saving treatment."

What this amounts to, according to NRLC, is that "doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers will be told by Washington just what diagnostic tests and medical care is considered to meet 'quality' and 'efficiency' standards – not only for federally funded health care programs like Medicare, but also for health care paid for by private citizens and their nongovernmental health insurance.”

“Treatment that a doctor and patient in consultation deem needed or advisable to save that patient's life or preserve or improve the patient's health but which the government decides is too costly – even if the patient is willing and able to pay for it – will run afoul of the imposed standards. In effect, there will be one uniform national standard of care, established by Washington bureaucrats and set with a view to limiting what private citizens are allowed to spend on saving their own lives." Read more from the NRLC on health care rationing in H.R. 3590 here.

- Setup for government-run health insurance: The National Review's Veronique de Rugy posits a simple scenario of how the ObamaCare health insurance mandate could quickly dissolve into a single-payer system. Despite repeated denials, Obama declared support for single-payer in a 2003 speech to the AFL-CIO.

De Rugy points out that citizens, faced with a choice between expensive health insurance and a cheaper fine for failing to buy it, will "just get insurance once they need it, since people who are sick can no longer be denied health-care coverage."

Health insurance companies would, in turn, quickly buckle under the weight of the health needs of new customers - revenue would continue to dry up when newly-recovered patients simply drop the insurance again. "In this worst-case scenario, the government will use the opportunity, or as Rahm Emanuel likes to say, won't let the crisis go to waste, and will likely jump in and take over the insurance business," she writes.

- Health insurance mandate: At least 14 state attorneys general have filed suit against the federal government for a provision in the new law that mandates U.S. citizens to buy health insurance – or face a fine. Many believe the provision to be patently unconstitutional, as the Commerce clause in the U.S. Constitution has never been used to regulate “economic inactivity” by forcing people to buy a product. Some analysts say that if that premise is accepted, then Congress can theoretically force individuals to buy other products as well.

- Widescale job loss effective immediately: Several news outlets are already reporting that the new taxes imposed by the health care reform law are forcing companies to slash health care plans or raise premiums on their workers.

According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, many S&P 500 businesses announced this week that health care legislation was forcing them to declare $4.5 billion in lost earnings.

Since taxes kicked in the first quarter, companies have had to adjust revenue earnings in order to pay for the health care bill’s new taxes that go into effect. AT&T reported a $1 billion tax hike, John Deere reported $150 million, and Caterpillar recorded $100 million.

The reason for this is that the government previously offered a tax refund of about $650 per retiree in order to keep Medicare Part D costs down. The new law, while it continues federal subsidies for Part D, does not allow companies to write off the cost as tax free anymore.

- The marriage penalty: A Wall Street Journal column pointed out in January that both the House and Senate versions of the health care reform legislation would force married couples to pay "thousands of dollars more for the same health insurance coverage as unmarried people living together." The penalty results from the fact that guidelines for qualifying for health insurance subsidies rely on federal poverty guidelines; therefore, married couples would be at a disadvantage for receiving subsidies due to their combined income.

In effect, the law helps make pre-marital co-habitation look financially more attractive than marriage.

Contact: Kathleen Gilbert and Peter J. Smith
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: April 1, 2010
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Abortion industry adopts disturbing trend

Abortion industry adopts disturbing trend

RU 486A dangerous, potentially illegal method of abortion has become popular in the Midwest.
 
Operation Rescue has discovered that abortion clinics in some of Iowa's small towns are providing chemical abortions, or RU-486, using what is known as the "telemed abortion." Spokesperson Cheryl Sullinger explains there are a number of problems with this method.

"Twelve clinics in Iowa actually are prescribing dangerous abortion pills without having the patients ever being examined by a licensed physician," she reports. "Instead, the physician appears to women on a teleconferencing hookup on a computer monitor, explains the abortion procedure, then the women are given the pills and sent away."

Cheryl Sullinger (Operation Rescue)Operation Rescue believes the practice is dangerous and perhaps illegal as it is a requirement that abortions in Iowa only be performed by "licensed physicians." According to an undercover phone conversation with a Planned Parenthood worker, only four of the 16 clinics have doctors -- indicating that supposed "nurses" administer the drugs.

"Most of the time we found out that these are just women with no medical training whatsoever, and they don't have any licenses at all," Sullinger points out. "They just refer to them as 'nurses' without them actually being licensed or having any medical training."

She believes administering abortion drugs without a medical examination is potentially deadly. Six women have died nationwide after taking the drugs, and serious complications have been reported in 1,000 cases.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: April 5, 2010
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UN Report Calls for $24 Billion/Year on “Modern Family Planning” including Abortion

UN Report Calls for $24 Billion/Year on "Modern Family Planning" including Abortion



A just-released United Nations (UN) report backed by the world's top population organizations argues that nations should double their investment in family planning and abortion in poor countries for a total of $24 billion a year, claiming this would dramatically reduce maternal and child deaths and solve a host of social ills. 

The report, entitled "Adding it Up: the Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health," makes the claim that if UN member states invest another $12B a year into "modern family planning," the world-wide result will include cost savings for poor countries on health, water, sanitation, and social services, a 2/3 reduction of unintended pregnancies, a 70% drop in maternal deaths, a 44% drop  in newborn deaths, a 73% reduction in "unsafe" abortions, and a 60% reduction of disabilities.

The report argues that, "if all women wanting to avoid a pregnancy used modern contraceptives, the resulting decline in unintended pregnancies would reduce the cost of providing all of these women with the recommended standard of maternal and newborn care by $5.1 billion—from $6.9 billion to $1.8 billion."

Authored and funded by the Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood's research arm, along with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the report received input from leaders of the major population control institutions, including the Population Council, Population Action International, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"Safe" abortion is promoted as a way to improve maternal and newborn health in the report. The authors claim that "in 2003, nearly 20 million abortions worldwide—about 47% of all abortions—were unsafe procedures." To support the claim, the report cites a controversial 2009 Guttmacher paper, written by the same lead author.

Critics argue that the only reason for using maternal and child deaths in the new report stems from the population lobby's need to create a sense of urgency for donor nations to invest in family planning. The report criticizes the fact that "donor assistance dedicated specifically to family planning has dropped dramatically in absolute dollar amounts since the mid-1990s."

According to the report, "Family planning and maternal health services should be viewed as interconnected parts of a continuum of care." As a result, it is unclear how much of the claimed improvements in maternal and child health come from better antenatal care and how much would come from averting births all together through family planning. The authors say, "Compared with contraceptive services, maternal and newborn services are more complex and more difficult to define and measure," and that "Estimating the benefits of maternal and newborn care is difficult because few studies have examined the issue."
 
This is the first time the "Adding it Up" report, first published in 2003, has attempted to use the issue of maternal and child health to justify the need for more funding of global contraceptive and abortion services. According to the report, the analysis was expanded to "include maternal and newborn health care and the synergistic effects of investing simultaneously in this care and family planning."

This article reprinted by LifeSiteNews.com with permission from www.c-fam.org

Contact: Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D.
Source: C-FAM
Publish Date: April 1, 2010
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Abortion's cancer link reaffirmed

Abortion's cancer link reaffirmed

Another study shows a link between abortion and breast cancer.

 

A study of research conducted over several decades shows a direct connection between abortion and breast cancer, especially with a first pregnancy. Even so, many organizations refuse to recognize it.

Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, tells OneNewsNow about additional confirmation.

"This is a study that came out of Northeast China, and they examined reproductive factors that were associated with different subtypes of breast cancer," Malec explains. "And they found that women who have abortions increase their risk of developing breast cancer later on in life by a statistically significant 17 percent."

Last year, a Turkish study reported a statistically significant 66 percent increased risk for women who had an abortion. The Coalition president reports that both studies involve honest research conducted outside the control of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and other Western groups that insist on refuting or ignoring the research.

Malec argues that the studies are even more relevant, considering healthcare reform which will finance abortions, irrespective of President Obama's executive order which bans use of federal tax dollars for abortion. More abortions, she explains, could equate to increased breast cancer cases in the future.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: April 3, 2010
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Obamacare: Supporters Too Touchy About Doctor’s Protest Note

Obamacare: Supporters Too Touchy About Doctor's Protest Note



Oh, the howling. A doctor unhappy with the passage of Obamacare put up a note stating, "If you voted for Obama–seek urological care elsewhere. Changes to your health care begin right now. Not in four years."

Some are outraged, including a demagogue Congressman who once said Republican House Members wanted patients to "die quickly."  From the FNN story:

    An outspoken U.S. congressman is planning to file a complaint against the central Florida urologist who posted a sign on his office door warning supporters of President Obama to find a different doctor.

    A spokesman for Rep. Alan Grayson, who angered Republicans last year when he said they wanted sick Americans to "die quickly," told FoxNews.com that Florida Democrat is helping a constituent who was affected by the sign to file a complaint next week with the proper authorities. Grayson will also file additional complaints with all relevant boards or agencies,  Grayson spokesman Todd Jurkowski said.

Now, if the doctor were really refusing to treat Obama voters, it would be outrageous.  But, of course, he isn't.  From the Orlando Sentinel story:

    Cassell told the Orlando Sentinel that he has not refused to treat any patient for his or her political views and does not quiz patients about their politics, but he also does not plan to take the sign down. "I have plenty of Obama supporters in my patient base and we have a lot of political discussions. I'm not cutting anybody out of their care. I'm not refusing care on the basis of their political beliefs," he reiterated in an exchange with Cavuto. "I hope that more and more Obama supporters come through to find out what all the fuss is about because I think we have to do something about this."

Seems like just a little exercise in the old First Amendment to me.  Those who are screaming and yelling merely gave the doctor's modest individual advocacy a big boost.  They should have ignored it.  By making a federal case out of the note, they just keep Obamacare in the news, and elevate a physician as a key opponent–neither of which is likely to help POTUS's or the law's already poor poll numbers.

Of course, the real problem with Obamacare will not be doctors writing politically provocative notes.  Unless we walk back substantial parts of the new law, it might not just be protest signs on office doors but doctors voting with their feet and either getting out of medicine altogether or transforming to a purely non insurance fee for service practice–the kind of thing we have begun to see already with Medicare and Medicaid.

Contact: Wesley Smith
Source: Secondhand Smoke
Publish Date: April 3, 2010
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