Voice of the Silenced

Abortion kills more black Americans than the seven leading causes of death combined

2009-12-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Abortion kills more black Americans than the seven leading causes of death combined, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2005, the latest year for which the abortion numbers are available.

Abortion killed at least 203,991 blacks in the 36 states and two cities (New York City and the District of Columbia) that reported abortions by race in 2005, according to the CDC. During that same year, according to the CDC, a total of 198,385 blacks nationwide died from heart disease, cancer, strokes, accidents, diabetes, homicide, and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined. These were the seven leading causes of death for black Americans that year.

Read the rest HERE

More Evidence That Obama Lied to Pope Benedict

2009-07-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

from Gateway Pundit by Gateway Pundit

President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Pope Benedict XVI stand for a photo with members of the United States delegation, Friday, July 10, 2009, at the Vatican. (AP) A year ago Obama told Pastor Rick Warren that he wasn't sure at what point a baby gets human rights.It was above above his paygrade.But that was last year.A funny thing happened after the election.Obama suddenly figured it out.

Already this year, Barack Obama has signed several pieces of abortion legislation including funding foreign abortions. He also signed legislation to use taxpayer money to kill embryos in research. And, democrats are pushing legislation that will force healthcare providers to perform abortions even if it violates their moral or religious convictions.Barack Obama is the most radical pro-abortion and infanticide president in the last 35 years. Barack Obama even voted 4 times to support infanticide during his political career.But, that didn't stop Barack Obama from promising Pope Benedict last week that he would reduce abortions.Obama lied to the Pope.Life News reported, via Free Republic: read the rest HERE at Gateway Pundit

Taxpayer Funding for Abortion: Another Sleeper Issue in Health Care Reform?

2009-07-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

from The Foundry by Randy Pate

Much of the controversy in President Obama and congressional Democrats’ health care overhaul thus far has focused on the public option and concerns with the budget-busting price tag. But as negotiations in Congress on hundreds of pages of complex legislative text continue to move at break-neck pace, all leading up to floor consideration scheduled in the next few weeks, the issue of taxpayer funding for abortion is threatening to take center stage.

Just before Congress broke for the 4th of July recess, nineteen Democrat members of the House sent a sternly worded letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, warning that “we cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan.” read the rest HERE

New Stanek WND column, "Abortion vs. cat 'murders'"

2009-07-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

By jill stanek

... In April someone began mutilating and killing cats in 2 Miami-Dade neighborhoods. The outcry with demands to make it stop were instant.
Animal cruelty is despicable. Only sick people hurt and kill defenseless animals. That's how Jeffrey Dahmer got his start.

But knowing the same sorts of torturous acts are committed every day against human beings in at least 25 Miami area abortion clinics with no public protest makes me a little crazy. These would include... an abortion survivor who was suffocated in a plastic bag and thrown on the clinic roof for a week until he was so infested by maggots he couldn't be properly autopsied....
Mainstream media accounts attempting to humanize, dramatize and describe the cat killings in contrast to how they attempt to dehumanize, sanitize and obfuscate abortion make me a little crazy. Some excerpts:

"At a news conference... city and county leaders... reassured the community that the 'reign of terror' was over." (CBS)

"... the killing spree..." (KPLG)

"... [M]y heart goes out to those families who have lost their dear kitties 'cause I understand that pet owners feel very strongly about their little family members.... To see them so violated and so mutilated just defies all common sense and is painful for everyone involved. Thankfully... the terror has come to an end. And what of the perpetrator, depraved, demented, twisted." - Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson (CBS) "
... a slew of brutal cat murders and mutilations..." (CBS)...

Continue reading my column today, "Abortion vs. cat 'murders,'" at WorldNetDaily.com.

Assisted Suicide Endangers Allfrom ProLifeBlogs

2009-06-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

By Ken Connor from ProlifeBlogs

Last week in Washington state a 66-year-old woman with terminal cancer made history as the first person to undergo physician-assisted suicide since that state legalized the practice in November of 2008.

Proponents of legalized suicide celebrated Washington's approval of this policy as a victory for the "death with dignity" movement. These suicide advocates, in keeping with the rhetorical tactic of their ideological cousins in the pro-abortion movement, equate "dignity" with "choice." Unfortunately, as with the abortion debate, the "choice" rhetoric of the right-to-die movement eclipses critical moral and ethical questions which ought to be at the forefront of the debate.

Is suicide really a way to honor life and preserve dignity? What are the social and cultural implications of normalizing the "right to die?" Will voluntary physician-assisted suicide give way to involuntary physician-assisted suicide where doctors decide whether their patients would be better off dead? Will the "right" to suicide be transmogrified into a "duty" to commit suicide? Will the elderly who consume more than they produce be deemed "resource hogs" that have a duty to die and get out of the way? In an age of scarce economic resources, will the critically ill or the handicapped or the demented be viewed as expendable by their younger, healthier counterparts? How will the medical profession be transformed if those who are trained to cure are given a license to kill? These and many other questions should be asked and answered before we decide it's okay to encourage terminally-ill persons to choose self-destruction in the name of dignity.

But we won't get answers if we allow this debate to be defined solely in terms of the euphemistic "right to choose." Indeed, these questions won't even be asked.

Dying with dignity does not require suicide. The question, "Do you want to suffer and die or die with dignity?" presents a false choice and assumes that there are only two alternatives at the end of life--pain or death. Properly employed, modern medicine has the tools to mitigate pain. Hospice care, for example, employs a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure that terminally-ill patients endure their final time on earth with dignity--free from pain and nourished physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Hospice care does not seek to stop the dying process. The goal of hospice care is to make a difficult time as comfortable and peaceful as possible for both the patient and their loved ones. The important distinction between palliative care and physician-assisted suicide is that the first respects the inviolability of human life in spite of the difficulties presented by illness while the second rejects the sanctity of life in favor of an expedient escape from pain and fear.

Read the rest HERE

Ken Connor is an attorney and co-author of "Sinful Silence: When Christians Neglect Their Civic Duty" He is also Chairman of the Center for a Just Society. For more articles and resources from Mr. Connor and the Center for a Just Society, go to http://www.centerforajustsociety.org/

New Stanek WND column: "Missing from Tiller's eulogy: The A-word"

2009-06-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

From World Net Daily

Of everything I read about the June 6 funeral of late-term abortionist George Tiller, I thought this was the most telling, from the New York Times:

But for the most part, Dr. Tiller's funeral focused less on his work than on his life with his family and friends. The word abortion was never uttered....

Clearly they all knew: Tiller was murdered for his "life's" work, but the reason was unmentionable? Sad. Even in death George Tiller's "vocation" was anathema....

Conversely, without ever saying the A-word, family and friends implied that if anything would earn Tiller a place in both heaven and history as a martyr it would be the tens of thousands of abortions he committed. From the Associated Press:

"Dear God, get heaven ready, because Mr. Enthusiasm is coming," said Larry Borcherding, of Overland Park, who first met Tiller a half-century ago when both were students at the University of KS. "Heaven will never be the same. It will be a better, better place with George in it."...

But if what Tiller did was so heroic, why not describe it?

"Dear God, get heaven ready, because one of the few who not only stomached but relished aborting late-term babies (We called him 'Mr. Enthusiasm'!) is coming!...

Continue reading my column, "Missing from Tiller's eulogy: The A-word," in today's WorldNetDaily.com.

OFL Leads Campaign Against Sotomayor with Online Petition

2009-06-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

from ProLifeBlogs

Sign the petition opposing Sonia Sotomayor at www.stopsotomayor.com

WASHINGTON, June 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- On May 26, the day that Judge Sotomayor was nominated to the Supreme Court, Organized for Life stepped up as a leading force against President Obama's nominee. Organized for Life's PAC, OFL Action, has opened a petition site at www.stopsotomayor.com to oppose the addition of another pro-abortion justice to the Supreme Court.

Sonia Sotomayor, in these few short weeks since her nomination, has made it clear that she is not with the majority when it comes to the dignity and protection of life. This has become more evident with the news of her involvement as a member of the board of a group that filed six legal briefs in support of abortion rights.

Peter Shinn, national director of Organized for Life, commented that, "Sonia Sotomayor is out of step with the American people. Senators Feinstein, Snowe, and Wyden are confident that Sotomayor will uphold Roe and so are we. The pro-life movement must unite to protect the unborn from another pro-abortion justice."

Ruben Obregon, president of Organized for Life, added, "Sotomayor's involvement as a board member of a group that filed six legal briefs in support of abortion rights and taxpayer funding of abortion is a key indicator of how she will cast her votes on the nation's highest court. The pro-life majority of this country does not want to see another pro-abortion activist justice impose abortion on our society. Pro-life activists, the Davids in this epic battle for life, can only stop the Goliath of the White House by banding together and signing the petition at www.stopsotomayor.com ."

The petition against Sonia Sotomayor be found at www.stopsotomayor.com and will be sent to President Obama and the members of the United States Senate. Let's go out, let's get organized for life, and let's legally protect our children, one Supreme Court justice at a time.

Cutting Through Prochoice Rhetoric

2009-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

By Bekah Ferguson @ Prolife Blogs

I've learned from experience that it can be difficult to get straight answers from prochoice adherents. There is so much rhetoric, douplespeak and catch phrases, it can be like trudging through a swamp to get to the heart of the matter.

So, to help people understand the prochoice perspective better and to recognize common strawmen, I've compiled some of the arguments I hear the most and what they really mean: click here.

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift

2009-05-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

From Reasoned Audacity by Charmaine Yeost

Where might pro-choice and pro-life activists agree?

Answer: Supporting pregnant women -- mothers -- who are in a crisis pregnancy.

But.

The difference, of course, is that pro-lifers run homes for these
moms.

Planned Parenthood does not.

(There is no profit in running homes for women in need...)

This work is left to the saints who run crisis pregnancy centers.

Like The Paul Stefan Foundation . This group has a terrific fund raising
Mother's Day gift.

Go Donate to support this life saving work. We did.

For Immediate Release Contact: Greg Mueller (703.373.0614);
grmueller@hotmail.com

PSF Kicks Off Mother's Day Virtual Baby Bottle Campaign
Donate in your Mother's Name and Send an E-Mother's Day Card to
your Mom letting her know you and she helped a pregnant woman in need.

Fredericksburg, VA -

The Paul Stefan Foundation (PSF) today launched a virtual baby bottle campaign to raise money for homeless, abused and stranded pregnant women in need. The Foundation, which operates two homes for expectant mothers in central Virginia, takes in pregnant women and cares for them before, during and after their pregnancies. In just two years, the Foundation has taken in 36 women and babies.
"We have done a handful of baby bottle campaigns through churches, where you hand out baby bottles one week, people fill them with loose change, and bring them back a few weeks later. These have been tremendously successful in helping us raise the funds to care for and nurture these women and their babies. Now we are taking this baby bottle campaign to the Internet. Those folks contributing a minimum of
$10 will be able to donate in their mother's name and send Mom a Mother's Day e-Card," said Randy James, CEO of the Paul Stefan Foundation.
The Paul Stefan Foundation was the inspiration of a parish priest, Father Stefan Starzynski, who prayed for a mission associated with his parish, and the James family. The James' unborn son was diagnosed with a birth defect of the lungs and died one hour after birth. Through the spiritual guidance and inspiration of Father Starzynski, their parish priest at the time, the James' channeled their pain into forming and operating the Paul Stefan Homes for Expectant Mothers.
"Caring for and nurturing these women and their babies has been a tremendously moving experience. There are so many women out there, pregnant, and looking for a place to turn and find support, care and love. We also hope that this campaign helps to alert pregnant women in need that they can turn to us for help," said Evelyn James, Director of PSF Homes.
For more information about the Paul Stefan Foundation and its Homes
for Expectant Mother's go to http://www.paulstefanhome.org/.

Gregory R. Mueller
CRC Public Relations
2760 Eisenhower Ave, 4th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.683.5004

8 Bad Arguments for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2009-03-17T07:19:00.001-07:00

8 Bad Arguments for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Posted using ShareThis

The 3 Biggest Hurdles for Pro-Lifers Under a "Pro-Choice" President

2009-03-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

By Josh Brahm @rtcc.org

Wherever you stand politically, we can all agree that the sanctity of life is a crucial issue in America. With over 3,000 babies dying every single day, we can’t forget about legal-baby-killing just because the economy is down. While there are some qualities about President-elect Obama that should be admired, the pro-life movement as a whole has many things to be concerned about during the next four to eight years. Here are the three most important things:

#1. The Supreme Court

Most legal scholars agree that Roe vs. Wade was one of the faultiest Supreme Court decisions ever written, and that it will fall. It’s just a matter of time. We have two pro-abortion Supreme Court justices, (Ginsburg and Stevens,) that will either retire soon or die of old age. President Obama has pledged to replace them with young justicies in the same pro-abortion mold, (source and source and source and source) and perhaps have the chance to nominate two more before the end of his term if he’s re-elected. Up until now it’s been 5-4 in favor of Roe vs. Wade. 2-4 more justices against us will probably make overturning Roe a goal that will not be accomplished for several more decades.

#2. The Freedom of Choice Act

According to Obama, his first act as president if he gets the chance will be to sign the “Freedom of Choice Act” into law. The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would literally enshrine abortion into law, nullifying hundreds of state laws that had created even the slightest barrier to abortion. States will no longer require parental involvement for minors who wish to have an abortion, waiting period, informed consent rules, restrictions on tax-payer funding, and it would even re-legalize the barbaric partial-birth abortion procedure, so infants could be once again killed outright just seconds before they would be born! FOCA would also codify Roe vs. Wade, protecting abortion rights for generations to come.

#3. National Health Care

This is what most pro-lifers are not talking about, but they should be. If Obama and the Democratic Party succeeds in passing national health care, it will definitely have abortion so embedded in it that a future pro-life president with a pro-life Congress and Senate would not be able to undo it. Abortion clinics are able to charge women roughly $350 for a 1st-trimester abortion. There have been reports of abortionists that charge insurance or Medicaid from $2,500 to $3,500 for the same procedure! Imagine the abortion industry making 10 times what it makes right now from abortions. Our current David vs. Goliath situation would get much worse, and you would see the abortion rate go up as everyone would be able to get abortions for free.

Should We Give Up?

Absolutely not! This is the time to step up and get ready for this next phase of the battle. Our work here at Right to Life of Central CA will not change. We are focusing on educating the community versus passing legislation. Much of the work we’re doing like the weekly podcast and YouTube videos are not only reaching Central CA, but the rest of the country, and world as well! Training young people to articulately defend their pro-life values to those that don’t agree with them should not stop. In fact we need to learn how to move the dialogue further by finding points of common ground more than ever with pro-choice people in our sphere of influence. Sidewalk counseling and campaigns like 40 Days for Life that have tangible results right here in our Valley should be done more often.

We might not be able to end abortion as fast as we hoped, but we can be stopping abortions every single day. I think we’re called to do both. Please consider supporting us so that we can increase the impact of the projects we are working on that have been proven to be found effective. The fight is not over. We’re not going anywhere.

If you liked this article, you might also like "8 Bad Arguments for Embryonic Stem Cell Research" or "Stem Cell Research - What You Need to Know." Check back soon for more articles!

9 Things the Media Messed Up About the Obama Stem Cell Story

2009-03-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

This article has been shortened and excerpts have been used the original article in its whole entirety can be found at rtlcc.org

By Josh Brahm @ rtlcc.org

The longer I live the less I’m surprised by poor journalism in major media outlets. However, I think the reports about President Obama's recent decision (3/9/09) to force taxpayers to pay for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research (HESCR) takes the cake. After reviewing the articles and videos by major media sources, as well as the local media here in Fresno, I offer this analysis of what you likely either missed or were misinformed about if those were your only sources for information.

#1. Omitting the importance of iPS cells
This discovery is no small thing. In fact, the ability to reprogram cells like iPS cells was named the “biggest scientific breakthrough of 2008” by Science magazine.

#2. Omitting that the diseases everyone is talking about curing (diabetes, Parkinson's, paralysis) have already been treated with adult stem cells.
Naturally we want to see people afflicted with painful diseases treated or even cured, but IF these embryos are individual living human beings, as science says they are, THEN we should not kill them for their body parts. Of course, if it can be proven scientifically that these embryos are not human beings then I will promptly withdraw my objection and put my full support behind this research.

3. Perpetuating the myth that stem cell research will likely cure Alzheimer's disease
According to Wesley Smith, writing in The Weekly Standard,
"Researchers have apparently known for some time that embryonic stem cells will not be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's, because as two researchers told a Senate subcommittee in May, it is a 'whole brain disease,' rather than a cellular disorder (such as Parkinson's). This has generally been kept out of the news. But now, Washington Post correspondent Rick Weiss, has blown the lid off of the scam, reporting that while useful abstract information might be gleaned about Alzheimer's through embryonic stem cell research, 'stem cell experts confess . . . that of all the diseases that may be someday cured by embryonic stem cell treatments, Alzheimer's is among the least likely to benefit.'"

#4. Omitting the dangers of HESCR
Because we just might kill some adult human beings by starting human clinical trials prematurely. See, something interesting happens during about 50% of animal trials with embryonic stem cell research: the stem cells form tumors. (Just what America needs - more cancer.)

Embryonic stem cells have the potential to become anything, but scientists have not yet learned how to harness that power. In other words, although scientists can engineer some ESC's to become a particular cell type, and sometimes the stem cell obeys, and sometimes it doesn’t.

For example, a man in China had embryonic stem cells transplanted into his brain to cure Parkinson’s disease. While some of the stem cells became brain cells like they were supposed to, the others became hair and bone cells! The man died a painful death as bone tissue grew into his brain and killed him.

#5. Confusing or combining reproductive cloning with research cloning
There are two different types of cloning: reproductive cloning, and research cloning. The term "reproductive cloning" has been used to describe when a human clone is implanted and delivered as a full term pregnancy. "Research," "experimental" or "therapeutic cloning" have been the terms used for the other type of cloning. In this, a human embryo is cloned and experimented upon in his or her first few weeks of life and then killed.

#6. Creating a false choice that “leftover” embryos will either be used for research or be killed
Those are not the only choices. Human embryos that are no longer wanted by the family can also be placed for adoption. Organizations like Snowflakes have been helping couples through embryo adoption for years now. President Bush has even flown several of these families to the White House to stand behind him when talking about the issue, pointing to the babies, and remarking that “these boys and girls are not spare parts.”

#7. Dehumanizing human embryos
It’s much easier to pacify our feelings toward human destruction if the people in question are dehumanized. Who would care about a simple “ball of cells?” But embryologists know that there is so much more going on here than a simple clumps of cells.

"In the hours of conception every aspect of the genetic inheritance for a new individual will be determined once and for all: to be a boy or girl, with brown, or with blue eyes, fair or dark, tall or short; all the rich detail of physical attributes from head to toes... The new genetic program is achieved when the two parent pronuclei come to lie side by side within the egg for perhaps a day, as their contents combine in the ultimate biological union of male and female. In the instant when the union is consummated, the whole egg substance divides into two entirely new cells, identical to one another. These are the first two cells of the baby-to-be. So begins the first day of the first nine months of life."
From Beginning Life by Geraldine Lux Flanagan, 1996

#8. Responding to a Strawman argument that pro-lifers are concerned about embryos being misused in laboratories (other than killing them)
According to LogicalFallacies.info, "a straw man argument is one that misrepresents a position in order to make it appear weaker
than it actually is, refutes this misrepresentation of the position, and then concludes that the real position has been refuted. This, of course, is a fallacy, because the position that has been claimed to be refuted is different to that which has actually been refuted; the real target of the argument is untouched by it."

#9. Bush’s policy restricted tax dollars being used on “all” stem cell research
President Bush’s stem cell policy did not restrict tax dollars for stem cell research. It restricted tax dollars to be used to kill more human embryos. It allowed tax dollars to be spent on research using the embryonic stem cell lines that had already been created, as well as funding research with adult stem cells.

On the contrary, President Obama is the one restricting tax dollars for stem cell research. In fact the only type of stem cell research President Obama seems interested in funding is the very type that has consistently failed to produce any positive results.

Another common misnomer is that President Bush outlawed embryonic stem cell research. He didn’t. Scientists have always been able to conduct HESCR, even during every year of President Bush’s term in office; they just had to use private funding to do their research.

Conclusion
To be clear, I'm not offended that major media outlets aren't advocating the pro-life position. They shouldn't advocate for either side. However they should attempt to present the pertinent facts in any given story to help the public gain a well-rounded understanding of the issues at hand. This simply didn't happen in the Obama/stem cell story.

This is not a small news story, ladies and gentlemen. This isn’t like a news channel failing to report that a large freeway is shut down due to an accident, and a bunch of people are late for work. This is a major event with profound moral and societal implications. President Obama left the door open to allowing American scientists to grow human beings for their body parts. This is a major ethical issue, not a trivial question about whether you should go vegan or not, and the mass media decided that it wasn’t important.

We should be ever vigilant keeping our eyes and ears wide open when watching the news, looking out for any bias or obvious ommisions of facts. We can only do that if we are already informed about the issue. Don't depend on major media outlets to educate you. Look for the facts yourself.

P.S. There are some great stem cell research resources on the web, including StemCellAnswers.com, StemCellResearch.org and Wesley Smith's blog.

If you liked this article, you might also like "8 Bad Arguments for Embryonic Stem Cell Research" or "Stem Cell Research - What You Need to Know."

Obama OKs Embyro Research Monday, Bans it Wednesday

Pulling Heartstrings and Straining Credibility: The Media Promote Embryonic Stem Cell

The LA Times Answers Stem Cells FAQs with Frequently Stated Misconceptions

Embryonic Stem Cell Research - It IS about the politics - Science has had complete failure with Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Pomona College Lifts Ban on Pro-Life Students Who Taped Planned Parenthood

2009-03-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Claremont, CA (Life News.com)

Pomona College banned two pro-life students from campus last week after they videotaped the question-and-answer session during a Planned Parenthood representative's talk and asked the representative tough questions about recent Planned Parenthood scandals.

Pomona rescinded its ban this week after facing strong opposition from students, faculty, and alumni. The pro-life students, David Daleiden, 20, and Kyle Kinneberg, 21, are members of the youth-led right-to-life advocacy group Live Action. Daleiden and Kinneberg both attend Claremont McKenna College, part of the Claremont College Consortium together with Pomona and three other undergraduate institutions.

A hand-delivered letter from Pomona's Dean of Women Marcelle Holmes notified the students of the ban, claiming their videotaping had been "against college policy." But Daleiden, President of Live Action's Claremont chapter and Director of Research for the national organization, said Pomona never produced the specific policy they said his group had violated, and that he and Kinneberg were denied their due process rights under the Claremont Colleges' Policy on Demonstrations. "When alumni found out about this Orwellian situation, they were outraged," explained Daleiden.

Read all articles about this story HERE

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“Political retribution”

Human Rights Council Notes Children's Rights, Ignores Abortion Kills Children

2009-03-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Geneva, Switzerland (LifeNews.com)

The Human Rights Council (HRC) marked the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child last week, but a leading pro-life advocate says the human rights group ignored how abortion kills children. HRC supports children after birth but it has a long history of ignoring them beforehand.

Pat Buckley, a lobbyist for the England-based Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, was in Geneva where he was lobbying the HRC to respect the lives of unborn children.

"The HRC panels comprehensively considered all the major issues on the topic of children’s rights except the 'elephant in the room' the abortion question which was studiously ignored by all," he said.

Buckley noted the "bitter irony" of the event was summed up by the contribution of Maud de Boer-Buquichio, Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, who highlighted the Council of Europe's efforts to promote and protect children’s rights.

That's the same Council that, last year, approved a resolution calling on its member nations to legalize abortion or pave the way for more abortions if they've already done so. Pro-life advocates in Ireland, Malta and Poland are concerned the measure will add to pressure to force them to overturn their pro-life laws.

During her talk, de Boer-Buquichio said, “The starting point for our work is in recognizing that children are not mini-persons with mini-human rights –- in fact they need more protection, not less."

"Adults want children to grow up and respect the world they are born in. It is high time that our adult world also respect children's rights," she added.

John Smeaton, the head of SPUC, responded to her comments.

He said that the Convention on the Rights of the Child "recognizes that a child needs appropriate legal protection before, as well as after birth."

"Given that tens of millions of unborn children are denied such legal protection by being dismembered, killed by being sucked through a tube with sharp-edged openings near the tip of the tube, or killed by being prevented from implanting in the lining of the womb by making it unreceptive to the newly-conceived embryo ... on what grounds are these children's rights being totally ignored by the Human Rights Council?" he asked.

"This would be an interesting question for politicians to pursue with their various governments around the world," Smeaton added.

Last April, the HRC pressured Poland to legalize abortions.

Related web sites:SPUC - http://www.spuc.org.uk

Carhart's Late-Term Abortion Business Reopened After Operating Without Permit

2009-03-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Bellevue, NE (LifeNews.com)

The late-term abortion business LeRoy Carhart runs is open again following a mix-up that saw city officials close it down. Carhart re-opened his abortion business following damage in an accidental fire, but it didn't stay open long because repairs on his abortion center hadn't passed a city inspection.

Following an inspective, the city of Bellevue, outside Omaha, would have had to have issued an occupancy permit for him to reopen.

Last week, city officials went by Carhart's abortion center Monday afternoon to close it down, and Carhart appeared to reopen on Wednesday.

Mary Lou Schwope, permit technician for the City of Bellevue, said Carhart had no certificate of occupancy to open the Saturday before last.

She said Steve Carmichael, Bellevue's chief building inspector, closed Carhart’s abortion business on Monday, conducted the inspection and gave him the permit on Tuesday and that Carhart re-opened on Wednesday.

Carhart admitted to the Bellevue Leader newspaper that he operated without a permit for three days.

"We saw all our patients on Saturday, Sunday and Monday," he said.

He also claimed city officials never closed his abortion facility down.

“Maybe in City Hall, the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing,” Carhart said. “They never closed us down on Monday."

Either way, Carhart was apparently illegally operating in his fire-damaged abortion center, known as the Abortion and Contraception Clinic of Nebraska.

Larry Donlan, the director of a local pro-life group known as Rescue the Heartland, who informed the city Carhart was open for business, describes the exterior of the building as dilapidated and says it is surrounded by rusted-out vehicles and other junk.

He says women who get abortions are at risk because Carhart is relying on a generator for power with an electrical cord running outside from the generator to the abortion facility to provide electricity. Should it fail, women could be in medical danger.

Operation Rescue, which has been working with Donlan to expose the problems at Carhart's abortion clinic, chimed in on the latest news.

The pro-life group's president, Troy Newman, said Carhart's flouting of building safety codes is just one example of a widespread mindset amongst abortion practitioners that they are somehow above the law. This mindset is endangering the lives of women, he tells LifeNews.com.

"Can you even imagine what would have happened if that generator had run out of gas? This just goes to show how much contempt Carhart has for the law and for women," Newman said.

"The law is nothing more than words on a paper to him. His belligerent disregard for the law is only surpassed by his disregard for human life," Newman adds.

Newman says the incident goes to show that pro-life advocates must do more to monitor abortion businesses in their back yard.

Donlan says local pro-life advocates are reaching out with help to women who go to Carhart's abortion center and reported one woman on Saturday changed her mind about her scheduled abortion thanks to their help.

Last month, the electrician working on Carhart's fire repairs quit on moral grounds after he was informed by pro-lifers that he was enabling Carhart to continue to do abortions.

The Nebraska-based center is one of the few in the nation to do late-term abortions and Carhart's name became famous when the Supreme Court ruled for him against a partial-birth abortion ban.

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Carhart Abortion Clinic Ordered To Close Immediately For Operating Illegally

Tiller Abortion Patient Transported to Hospital, “No Lights, No Sirens”

Kansas House OKs Pro-Life Bills Limiting Late-Term Abortions, Helping Women

More Oregon Patients Killed Via Assisted Suicide as Activists Infiltrate Hospice

2009-03-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Salem, OR (LifeNews.com)

The number of assisted suicides in Oregon has increased 30 percent in the last two years and euthanasia activists themselves may have provided the reasons why. It appears members of Compassion & Choices have infiltrated the hospice system and are urging patients to kill themselves.

LifeNews.com reported on the increase earlier this month, but a Compassion & Choice press release last week provided an interesting take on the report.

The group said that "nearly 100% of terminally ill individuals using the law in 2008 were enrolled in hospice."

"Hospice enrollment among those using the Act increased to 98%, with 59 of the 60 individuals enrolled. Over the prior ten years of the Act’s existence, 86% of patients using the Act were enrolled in hospice, in itself a very high rate of use," the pro-assisted suicide group added.

“The first thing we ask patients who contact us is, ‘Are you enrolled in hospice?’” said Barbara Coombs Lee, president of the group, said.

Coombs said the assisted suicide law is getting more patients enrolled in hospice, but bioethics watchdog Wesley J. Smith says the pro-euthanasia group "should be ashamed, not proud."

"This press release is essentially an admission that its representatives interfere with the proper provision of hospice care, since an essential service of hospice is suicide prevention," Smith explains.

He says C&C's involvement in hospice is pushing patients into assisted suicide and corrupting the system.

"The published statistics from Oregon, for what they are worth, state that only two of the people about which the press release referred, were directed to a mental health consult, which is not the same thing as treatment," Smith said. "In 2007 there were zero referrals. This indicates that the patients who committed assisted suicide received no formal intervention for suicide prevention."

"How is withholding suicide prevention is any different than providing inadequate pain control?" Smith asks.

He concludes: "Hence, Compassion and Choices undermines and interferes with the application of full and proper hospice care. I don't see any other way of looking at it."

Pro-Life Group Says Planned Parenthood Hurting Women With Home Abortions

2009-03-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

From LifeNews

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new report recently highlighted at LifeNews.com indicates Planned Parenthood is increasingly relying on the dangerous mifepristone (RU 486) abortion drug. Now, a pro-life group is accusing the abortion business of putting women at risk by more frequently employing the drugs.

While Planned Parenthood is cutting its total number of centers, the number of abortion facilities is on the rise -- it jumped to 295 last year from 287 the year prior.

While the number of surgical abortion centers it runs dropped from 179 to 174 during the last year, the number of places with the mifepristone abortion drug rose from 108 to 121.

That means more women are using the dangerous abortion drug that has killed more than a dozen women worldwide and injured more than 1,200 in the United States alone.

Marie Hahnenberg, a researcher for American Life League, tells LifeNews.com that means more women are at risk.

“This new focus shift from surgical to dangerous medical abortions shows Planned Parenthood values profit over the lives of the women,” she said.

Women typically take the first part of the two-part abortion drug at the Planned Parenthood center and then go home, where no medical staff are present, to take the second drug which causes contractions and allow for the delivery of the dead baby.

“Planned Parenthood is giving women poisonous drugs to kill their preborn children and sending them home to finish the abortion – frightened and alone," Hahnenberg says. "Planned Parenthood is raking money in hand over fist at the expense of women poisoned and children killed.”

When used normally, RU 486 involves a two drug combination involves mifepristone, which deprives the developing newborn baby of food and water and essentially starves the child to death. The second drug, misoprostol, causes contractions to force the woman to birth the dead baby.

Hahneberg says a June 2008 University of Michigan study suggests Planned Parenthood is at fault in the deaths of women in the United States from the abortion drug.

Read the rest HERE

Imprisoned believers die in Eritrea

2009-03-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Fron OneNewsNow

This month, two Christians died while being held in government-run prisons. Reports say one of the believers died as a result of ongoing physical torture and complications from an illness.

Jerry Dykstra with Open Doors USA says there are approximately 3,000 Christians being held in Eritrea simply because of their faith in Christ.

"It just seems unfathomable that this little country of about five million people located between Sudan and Ethiopia on the Red Sea, really targets Christians," he contends. "And they've been on our World Watch List with Open Doors, and they're also on the 'Countries of Particular Concern' list issued by the U.S. government."

In 2002, Eritrea's government began a systematic crackdown on Christian activities, churches, and ministries.

A $4 'weapon' suitable for warfare

2009-03-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

From OneNewsNow

An evangelist from Louisiana is trying to get Bibles to 17,000
U.S. troops who have recently been deployed to Afghanistan.

In July 2003, Tim Todd -- president of Revival Fires International -- was asked to help get Bibles to troops fighting in the war on terror. Since then, more than 120,000 Bibles have been sent to U.S. troops overseas through Todd's ministry.

Now the evangelist wants to get Bibles into the hands of all 17,000 troops who are being sent to Afghanistan.

"When they're on the front lines for our country, they experience things like loneliness, separation, and fear -- and especially on foreign soil," says Todd. "Against these kinds of foes, even the most high-tech weapons offer little protection. But the weapon of the Word of God leaves our soldiers fully armed."

Each Bible costs $4 -- a small price to pay, says the evangelist, to get the Word of the Lord into the hands of U.S. troops.

Wife and Children of Chinese Human Rights Attorney Gao Zhisheng Rescued to the U.S. Successfully

2009-03-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

From ChinaAid.org

Gao Family

March 12, USA – ChinaAid confirmed that the three family members of prominent Chinese Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng were rescued to the U.S. successfully, yesterday, March 11. With the help of many people of conscience, including ChinaAid, Mr. Gao’s wife Ms. Geng He, daughter Geng Ge (16) and son Gao Tianyu (5) first escaped from China under the tight surveillance imposed by the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) and other security agencies, then escaped to the U.S., via a third country. Mr. Gao’s family expresses their deep gratitude to ChinaAid and to all involved in their successful rescue. READ MORE

March 6, XINJIANG – ChinaAid just learned that Pastor Lou Yuanqi of Uygur Autonomous Region received a verdict of insufficient evidence and his case was sent back to the Public Security Bureau (PSB) by the prosecutor. The court indicated that the facts used in the case were not clear, the evidence insufficient. During the trial, the prosecutor requested that the prosecution be cancelled due to “changes in facts and evidence.” Despite this ruling, Pastor Lou continues to be imprisoned. READ MORE.

March 6, BEIJING – On March 3, a hearing was held for the Beijing Yitong Law Firm which is being forced to shut down for six months by the Haidian District Judicial Bureau. ChinaAid sources say the reason behind the forced closure is that authorities are punishing the firm because some of its attorneys signed an open letter in August 2008 asking that independent candidates be allowed to run in the election of the leadership of the Beijing Lawyers Association [equivalent to the U.S. Bar Association], and because the firm has provided representation for a number of human rights cases, including cases of persecution against house church Christians. READ MORE.

March 5, USA – Prior to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi’s visit to the U.S. on March 9, 16 members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urging her to make certain her conversations with the Chinese government are consistent with the true state of deteriorating human rights conditions in China. The letter, which had bipartisan support, was issued in response to Secretary Clinton’s controversial remarks before and during her visit to China indicating a retreat on the priority of human rights issues in U.S.-China relations.
READ MORE.

Click here to read the 2008 Persecution Report.

Carhart Abortion Clinic Ordered To Close Immediately For Operating Illegally

2009-03-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

From OperationRescue

Bellevue, NE – Abortionist LeRoy Carhart was ordered to close his Bellevue abortion clinic today until his building passes inspection and he obtains an occupancy permit. Carhart has been illegally operating in his fire-damaged abortion mill since Saturday.

At Operation Rescue’s request, Larry Donlan, Director of Rescue the Heartland, called and reported Carhart to the City of Bellevue this morning. It was confirmed to Donlan that Carhart had no current occupancy permit and that he had been ordered to shut down his abortion business until it would be properly inspected.

Carhart’s abortion clinic was damaged in an accidental fire in January. He reopened on Saturday, with a generator apparently providing electricity for his surgeries.

“Can you even imagine what would have happened if that generator had run out of gas? This just goes to show how much contempt Carhart has for the law and for women,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “The law is nothing more than words on a paper to him. His belligerent disregard for the law is only surpassed by his disregard for human life.”

Carhart’s flouting of building safety codes is just one example of a widespread mindset amongst abortionists that they are somehow above the law. This midset is endangering the lives of women.

“It is obvious that pro-lifers are the best watchdogs of the arrogant and out-of-control abortion industry,” said Newman. “We encourage other pro-lifers around the nation to carefully watch their local abortionists and report illegal activity to the appropriate authorities. We congratulate Mr. Donlan for his vigilance and pray that Carhart’s closure will result in the saving of many innocent human lives.”

Read previous story and view photos

Carhart and his wife, Mary Lou, are pictured here at a private party hosted by KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to honor George Tiller's abortion staff. Carhart is a part-time employee of Tiller's.

Abortion a 'choice,' Steele tells GQ

2009-03-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

From Washington Times

In remarks sure to cause consternation among the pro-life Republican base, party Chairman Michael S. Steele called abortion "an individual choice" during a GQ magazine interview, though he also said the Supreme Court "wrongly decided" the 1973 case that struck down state limits on abortion and made it an individual right.

In an exchange with reporter Lisa de Paulo, transcribed and posted Wednesday night on the GQ Web site, the new Republican National Committee chairman described his background as an adopted child as showing him "the power of life ... and the power of choice."

"The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other," Mr. Steele said.

The exchange then went as follows, starting with GQ: "Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?" "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice." "You do?" "Yeah. Absolutely."

Mr. Steele then elaborated that he thought "Roe v. Wade — as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade was a wrongly decided matter," which prompted Miss DePaulo to ask: "But if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do women have the choice you just said they should have?"

Mr. Steele responded. "The states should make that choice. That's what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide."

Though the former Maryland lieutenant governor always has said he is pro-life and won the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee in his U.S. Senate run in 2006, he often has been viewed with suspicion by pro-life conservatives.

For example, he helped found the Republican Leadership Council with pro-choice Republican Christie Whitman. In a 2006 interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," he said he thought Roe should be followed as settled law and would not say he'd support a constitutional amendment to ban abortion.

In the wide-ranging GQ interview, Mr. Steele expressed appreciation and admiration for Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, and said liberals had no right to criticize the two conservative "bomb-throwers," given some of the people they have in their midst, specifically mentioning U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken of Minnesota and Clinton-era insider James Carville.

"Don't give me, 'Rush is a bad guy, we need to offset him.' You already have. You got Al Franken, for goodness sakes," said Mr. Steele, who started a furor recently by calling Mr. Limbaugh's show "ugly" and "incendiary."

"I think it's precious the way the Democrats react to [Miss Coulter] and many others, like Rush Limbaugh. ... They've become so sanctimonious about her and what she has to say. Yes, she's got an edge to her — and it's great."

Mr. Steele also told GQ of his failed attempts in 2005 to meet with Barack Obama — then a freshman U.S. senator from Illinois. At the time, with no black governors and no other black lieutenant governors or senators, the two men were the nation's highest-ranking black elected officials.

"Noooo. I tried, I tried. When he first came to Washington ... my office called his office several — no, more than several — times, to invite ... for the two of us to sit down and get to know each other," Mr. Steele said. "His office told my staff they didn't see any need for the two of us to meet. So I'm like, 'Oh-kay. All right. I don't know what that's all about, but that's fine.' ... Then, when I ran for the Senate [in 2006], he was the only African-American elected official in the country to come and campaign against me. Nobody else."

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What is the Dickey Amendment and why should I care?

2009-03-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Posted by Rebecca @ ProLifeBlogs

When I talked to my mother today and she had never heard of the Dickey Amendment, I knew we pro-lifers had a huge problem on our hands. If a woman who has been fighting for pro-life issues for nearly four decades did not know what the Dickey Amendment was, I realized there was a lot of work to do getting the word out about this very important piece of legislation.

Let us start with some history. In 2001, President Bush allowed federal funds to be used for research on human embryonic stem cells. These funds were restricted to research on human embryonic stem cell lines created before August of that year. This executive order order did not outlaw embryonic stem cell research nor eliminate funding altogether. It simply meant that from that point forward no federal tax dollars could not be used to fund the research on stem cell lines created by newly destroyed human embryos.

On Monday, President Obama overturned this restriction. Now our tax money can be used to fund research on cell lines created by ripping open human embryos left-over from infertility treatments. Pro-lifers everywhere sent up a collective groan and then probably thought all was lost in the fight on protecting embryonic life. But, Monday's announcement is only a relatively small battle lost in a much bigger war.

President Obama, like President Bush before him, issued an executive order. This means that a future president could put the restrictions on funding back into place. So, senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) have introduced The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009 to Congress which would allow for the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research permanently. It would codify the federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research into law.

Now here is where things get tricky. Obama's executive order and The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009 only allow funding for research on embryonic stem cell lines created from embryos left over from IVF treatments. Federal funds still cannot go to fund research that creates or destroys human embryos thanks to the Dickey Amendment. The Dickey Amendment prohibits federal funds to be used to create or destroy human embryos for research purposes. This Amendment was signed into law by President Clinton. Not even twenty-hours had passed after President Obama lifted the funding restriction, and already lawmakers and scientists were calling for the Dickey Amendment to be overturned. If the Dickey Amendment is overturned our recently unrestricted tax dollars would go to fund embryo farms where human life is created and destroyed as a research tool for scientists. It would also allow the federal government to fund the cloning of human embryos for use in research.

It is important to understand that this fight to protect human embryos is far from over. Please contact your representatives in Congress and President Obama and ask them to uphold the Dickey Amendment. Tell them you do not want your money to fund the creation and destruction of nascent human life.

For those of you who need a push here is the letter I have written:

Dear ..........

I am writing as a concerned citizen about the status of the Dickey Amendment. The Dickey Amendment prohibits the use of my tax dollars for funding research that creates and destroys human embryos. In the wake of the new policies on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, I have read statements by lawmakers and scientists alike that call for the Dickey Amendment to be overturned.

If the Dickey Amendment is overturned my recently unrestricted tax dollars could go to fund embryo farms where human life is created and destroyed as a research tool for scientists. It would also allow the federal government to use my money to fund the cloning of human embryos for use in research. This would be unacceptable to me, my family and millions of other Americans who believe human life at all stages needs to be protected.

Please uphold the Dickey Amendment. Please do not allow hard earned American tax-payer dollars go to fund research on the youngest and most vulnerable of our species, human embryos.
Sincerely,

Rebecca Taylor
-End ProLifeBlogPost

Dickey Amendment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Dickey Amendment is the name of an appropriation's bill rider attached to a bill passed by United States Congress in 1995, and signed by former President Bill Clinton which prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using appropriated funds for the creation of human embryos for research purposes or for research in which human embryos are destroyed. HHS funding includes the funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Technically the Dickey Amendment is a "rider" to other legislation, which amends the original legislation.

The rider receives its name from the name of the Congressman that originally introduced the amendment, Representative Jay Dickey. The Dickey amendment language has been added to each of the Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations acts for FY1997 through FY2004. The original rider can be found in Section 128 of P.L. 104-99. The wording of the rider is generally the same year after year. For FY2005, the wording prohibits HHS from using FY2005 appropriated funds for:

(1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or
(2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under 45 CFR 46.208(a)(2) and Section 498(b) of the Public Health Service Act [1](42 U.S.C. 289g(b)) (Title 42, Section 289g(b), United States Code). For purposes of this section, the term "human embryo or embryos" includes any organism, not protected as a human subject under 45 CFR 46 (the Human Subject Protection regulations) . . . that is derived by fertilization, parthenogenesis, cloning, or any other means from one or more human gametes (sperm or egg) or human diploid cells (cells that have two sets of chromosomes, such as somatic cells).

Abortion Not A Choice But Total Despair So Much For ‘Safe, Legal Abortions’

2009-03-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

From PriestsForLife

An abortionist in Massachusetts will go on trial in September for killing a woman during her abortion. The abortion itself was legal and carried out in a legal facility. However, Laura Smith, age 22, died from the abortion in September of 2007. The abortionist reportedly put her under anesthesia but failed to have other staff members present who had the medical training necessary to monitor Laura’s vital signs during the abortion.

While we should all be outraged, we should not at all be surprised. This kind of negligence and malpractice is rampant in the abortion industry, as the book Lime 5 demonstrates. The abortion industry is the most unregulated, out of control surgical industry in the nation, and it’s time for the story to be told. Obtain the book Lime 5 from Priests for Life.org.

–Fr. Frank

Obama OKs Embyro Research Monday, Bans it Wednesday

2009-03-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief CNSNews

President Barack Obama (AP Photo) (CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama signed a law that explicitly bans federal funding of any “research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death” only two days after he lifted President Bush’s executive order banning federal funding of stem cell research that requires the killing of new human embryos.

The law banning any federal funding of research that kills or risks injury to embryos was included in the language of the $410-billion omnibus appropriation bill that President Obama signed Wednesday. Known as the Dickey-Wicker amendment, the language has been included in the annual appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services every fiscal year since 1996.

Found in Section 509 of the omnibus bill, the federal funding ban not only prohibits the government from providing tax dollars to research that kills or risks injury to a human embryo, it also provides a comprehensive definition of “human embryo” that includes embryos created in a laboratory through cloning, in vitro fertilization and other means.

“For the purposes of this section,” says the law Obama signed, “the term ‘human embryo or embryos’ includes any organism … that is derived by fertilization, parthenogenesis, cloning, or any other means from one or more human gametes or human diploid cells.” (The entire verbatim text of Section 509 of the omnibus spending law is reprinted at the bottom of this article.)

At a widely publicized White House ceremony on Monday, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the executive order that President Bush signed in 2001 that prohibited federal funding of stem cell research that required the killing of new embryos. Bush’s 2001 order allowed federal funding of research involving embryonic stem cell lines that had already been created from embryos that had already been destroyed.

“For the past 8 years, the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to fund and conduct human embryonic stem cell research has been limited by Presidential actions,” said the order that President Obama signed Monday. “The purpose of this order is to remove these limitations on scientific inquiry, to expand NIH support for the exploration of human stem cell research, and in so doing to enhance the contribution of America's scientists to important new discoveries and new therapies for the benefit of humankind.”

The order went on to say: “The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), through the Director of NIH, may support and conduct responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, to the extent permitted by law.”

Close observers of the stem cell issue and congressional advocates of federal funding for the type of stem-cell research that requires destroying human embryos were well aware of the Dickey-Wicker amendment, and understood that it would pose a legal obstacle to federal funding of this research even if President Obama issued an executive order allowing federal funding for such research.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D.-Colo.) sponsored the House version of a bill--vetoed by President Bush--that would have legalized federal funding of stem cell research that destroys so-called “spare” human embryos taken from in vitro fertilization clinics. On Monday, she told The New York Times she had already approached what she called “several pro-life Democrats” about the possibility of repealing Dickey-Wicker.

“Dickey-Wicker is 13 years old now, and I think we need to review these policies,'' The Times quoted DeGette as saying. “I’ve already talked to several pro-life Democrats about Dickey-Wicker, and they seemed open to the concept of reversing the policy if we could show that it was necessary to foster this research.”

Rep. Mike Castle (R.-Del.), who co-sponsored Rep. DeGette’s bill, similarly stated this week that Dickey-Wicker should be revisited.

"Certainly, the Dickey-Wicker amendment . . . is something we need to look at," Castle told Congressional Quarterly Today on Monday. "That was passed in 1996, before we realized the full potential of embryonic stem cell research. Some researchers are telling us now that that needs to be reversed."

Douglas Johnson, spokesman for the National Right to Life Committee, said in a press release Monday that President Obama’s executive order lifting the ban on federal funding for embryo-destroying stem cell research “set the stage” for an effort to repeal Dickey-Wicker.

“This sets the stage for an attack on the Dickey-Wicker law, which since 1995 has been a provision of the annual appropriations bills for federal health programs,” said Johnson. “Any member of Congress who votes for legislation to repeal this law is voting to allow federal funding of human embryo farms, created through the use of human cloning.”

In the remarks he made Monday when announcing the executive order, President Obama said he wanted to close the door to “the use” of cloning for human reproduction but not for other purposes.

“And we will ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction. It is dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society, or any society,” said Obama.

A bill sponsored in the last Congress by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D.-Calif.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R- Utah) would specifically permit human embryos to be cloned and kept alive for no more than 14 days so that their stem cells could be extracted for research. This procedure is currently prohibited by Dickey-Wicker.

On Tuesday morning, The New York Times carried an editorial calling on Congress to repeal Dickey-Wicker.

“Other important embryonic research is still being hobbled by the so-called Dickey-Wicker amendment,” The Times editorialized. “The amendment, which is regularly attached to appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services, prohibits the use of federal funds to support scientific work that involves the destruction of human embryos (as happens when stem cells are extracted) or the creation of embryos for research purposes.”

“Congress should follow Mr. Obama's lead and lift this prohibition so such important work can benefit from an infusion of federal dollars,” The Times said.

Later that day, President Obama signed H.R. 1105, the “Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009,” which includes the Dickey-Wicker language. Unless Congress passes and President Obama signs new legislation to repeal Dickey-Wicker, it will now be the law of the land at least through September 30, when this fiscal year ends.

The text of Section 509 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, reads as follows:

SEC. 509. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for—(1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under 45 CFR 46.204(b) and section 498(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289g(b)). (b) For purposes of this section, the term ‘‘human embryo or embryos’’ includes any organism, not protected as a human subject under 45 CFR 46 as of the date of the enactment of this Act, that is derived by fertilization, parthenogenesis, cloning, or any other means from one or more human gametes or human diploid cells.

Tiller Abortion Patient Transported to Hospital, “No Lights, No Sirens”

2009-03-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

From OperationRescue

Wichita, KS – Just four days before jury selection begins in late-term abortionist George R. Tiller’s criminal trial, a woman was transported to the emergency room by ambulance from Tiller’s abortion clinic, Women’s Health Care Services.

Sedgwick County ambulance number 23 left Tiller’s clinic at approximately 2:15 PM Central Daylight Time and transported a woman to Wesley Medical Center with no lights or sirens running. The patient was rushed into the emergency room with her head covered, leaving witnesses to wonder if she was alive or dead.

Tiller followed the ambulance to Wesley Medical Center and was dropped off by unlicensed “nurse” Cathy Reavis at an entrance on the east side of the building, out of sight from Operation Rescue staffers who were photographing the incident near the Emergency Room entrance.

“Tiller’s abortion clinic operates outside the bounds of the law and moral decency,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who was on the scene at the hospital when the injured woman came in. “How many women must suffer life-threatening injuries or even death until he is jailed and his dangerous abortion business is shut down?”

Operation Rescue renews its plea that Tiller’s abortion clinic be closed down on an emergency basis in the interest of public safety.

View additional photos (Click thumbnails for full photo.)

New Stanek WND column, "Killing Girls"

2009-03-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

From ProLifeBlogs via WorldNetDaily

A documentary about late-term abortions in Russia, 7 years in the making, has just been released. [JLS note: I have been watching for this film for a year.]

Killing Girls has already been nominated for best documentary film in 3 European film festivals and through the wonders of technology isKilling Girls has already been nominated for best documentary film in 3 European film festivals and through the wonders of technology is available to download online for $14.99, which I did last weekend. (DVD is also available for $22.99.) Here's the trailer...

The primary setting of Killing Girls is the Center for Family Planning and Reproduction in St Petersburg, a large, old hospital where babies are delivered on one floor and aborted on the next. Mothers recover together.

Late-term abortions are common in Russia. In a country where the film tells us 80% of women abort an average of two to 10 times, older girls tell younger girls to wait until after 20 weeks to abort because, they say, it is better for the female body to have an induced abortion than surgical abortion. The girls worry about becoming sterile. Very messed up. This despite the fact abortions are free up to 12 weeks.

Killing Girls tracks the labor-induction abortions of several teens. The name of the movie is a play on words, because as Irish director David Kinsella wrote me, "All the girls I filmed gave birth to girls." By "gave birth" Kinsella meant aborting by labor induction, except one who changed her mind and went on to deliver a full-term girl....

Because these were labor-induction abortions, I asked Kinsella if any babies survived....

Breaking: RNC Chairman Michael Steele Says He's Open to Punishing 3 GOP Senate Defectors (Video)

2009-03-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

From GatewayPundit

Yes! RNC Chairman Michael Steele told Neil Cavuto that he is open to cutting GOP funding for the 3 Senate traitors who voted for the Generational Theft Act.

GOP Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Arlen Spector (R-PA), and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) joined with democrats to pass the record Spendulus bill.Steele says he will wait and see what the state

GOP parties decide about the traitors. Senators Specter, Snowe and Collins voted in favor of the trillion dollar pork-bloated bill, the largest spending bill in American history.Michael Steele made the comments today on Your World with Neil Cavuto:

Terrific! The base was waiting for this.Today they got it.

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“They’re nothing more than a baby-killing organization” Orange County supervisors cut funding to PP

2009-03-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

California Catholic Daily by GonzoII

The Orange County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to rescind a contract with Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties because of the organization’s links to abortion. “I don’t believe the county should be funding abortion, and I don’t believe the county really should be involved in funding an organization who performs about 35 percent of the abortions in the country,” said Supervisor Chris Norby, the Orange County Register reported.

The 5-0 vote came on Tuesday, March 10, following a lengthy debate and many comments from the public. Supervisors directed county staff to end funding to Planned Parenthood within 30 days under a $7.5 million contract with the Orange County Coalition of Community Clinics. County health officials should find another member of the community clinics coalition that could use Planned Parenthood’s share of the contract money, supervisors decided.

Altogether, Planned Parenthood had been slated to receive $341,788 under two contracts through the Coalition of Community Clinics – one for $50,000 to provide immunizations and a second for $291,788 to provide teens and pre-teens with sex education, including information on birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.

It was the larger of the two contracts that received the ax from the supervisors. The board also voted to ask county attorneys to look into the legality of their decision and to report back to the supervisors before it takes effect after opponents of the action raised the issue during discussions of the funding cut, the Register said.

(Excerpt) Read more at calcatholic.com ...

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Planned Parenthood leaving Texas - WOO HOO!!

Pulling Heartstrings and Straining Credibility: The Media Promote Embryonic Stem Cell

2009-03-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Exposing Liberal Media Bias by Colleen Raezler
Research from NewsBusters.org

Media outlets preyed upon people's emotions this week in its reporting of President Barack Obama's decision to overturn the Bush Administration ban on federally-funded embryonic stem cell research.

Embryonic stem cell research is a hot topic among pro-life advocates because it involves the destruction of human embryos in order to obtain the stem cells needed.

CBS' Chip Reid said of embryonic stem-cells during the March 6 Evening News "Scientists believe that by turning them into cells damaged by injury or disease, they can treat or even cure everything from spine cord injuries to Alzheimer's disease to diabetes."

Typical of ABC's Lisa Stark's weekend reporting on the issue was her explanation during the March 6 World News with Charles Gibson: "The president's move will free up federal dollars for more widespread research on embryonic stem cells, the so-called master cells of the body. Supporters say it may lead to cures for diseases, such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimers."

What these reports ignore is that embryonic stem cell research has not produced any positive results Daniel S. McConchie, vice-president of government affairs for Americans United for Life, wrote, "Ten years after the first isolation of embryonic stem cells, there is not a single disease that these cells can cure." He adds, "Scientists have been conducting research on mouse embryonic stem cells for over 25 years and are yet unable to cure mice."

Also, reporters didn't mention the report last month that fetal stem cells caused a tumor in an Israeli boy who was given an experimental treatment for a rare brain disease.

But why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

One-Sided Reporting at its Worst

Or a sad story. The networks made sure to feature people who felt that the federal funding ban contributed to their personal tragedies.

CBS' Bill Plante highlighted the story of Henry Stongin-Goldberg during his March 9 report on The Early Show. Stongin-Goldberg died at the age of seven from a rare blood disease that his parents believed could have been cured by embryonic stem-cells. Henry's mother, Lori Strongin, told Plante, "it is too late for us to have helped Henry, obviously, at this point, but it is not too late for us to stand up by the president's side and applaud this incredibly wonderful thing."

Strongin and her husband Allen Goldberg attended the March 9 signing ceremony.

During ABC's March 7 Good Morning America, Kate Snow interviewed journalist David Iverson, who produced the documentary, "My Father, My Brother and Me" about his family's experience with Parkinson's disease. Iverson and his brother currently suffer from the disease and it caused the death of their father. Iverson told Snow that if frozen human embryos "can be used for some benefit, for people with Parkinson's or many other diseases, as your report noted coming into this segment, then, I think you can look at this as actually a pro-life position."

ABC's Stark featured the Ryan family in her March 6 and 7 reports. Tim Ryan and his two children have Type 1 diabetes. Ryan told Stark, "We've lost eight years already. We're just excited to see that the research will finally get a chance to prove itself or not."

Stark also featured Roman Reed, a paralyzed man, on her March 8 World News Sunday segment. Reed stated, "President Obama cares. He's taking a stance on suffering. He's taking a stand for cures." Stark concluded her piece with the emotional appeal of "Roman Reed is convinced, one day, that stem cell research will allow him to walk again. The first step, he says, will come tomorrow at the White House."

None of the reports on ABC or CBS mentioned the fact that researchers have found 73 different diseases that can be helped by adult stem cells, including Type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson's disease. And again, embryonic stem cells haven't produced a single positive result.

Ideology Trumping Objectivity?

The stem cell episode again proves there is no statement Obama can make too outrageous for the media not to swallow and propagate. Along with the executive order, Obama issued a memorandum claiming it was his intent to insulate "scientific decisions across the federal government from political influence," according to the Washinton Post.

With their talking points and their marching orders, media outlets used Obama's decision to once again decry George W. Bush for daring to allow morality to inform public policy. ABC's Diane Sawyer introduced senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper's March 9 Good Morning America segment with, "After eight years of highly inflamed debate as we know in the Bush Administration, President Obama is expected to lift the eight-year-old Bush Administration ban on federal embryonic stem cell research." With Bush and his "politics" out of the way, maybe the debate will only be slightly inflamed. Or just kind of red and sore.

Sawyer perfectly set up Tapper's segment, which devoted more time to discussing opponents to Bush's ban on federal funds for embryonic stem cell research than it did to Obama's new policy. Tapper included a 2004 clip of Nancy Reagan saying, "Congress has presented us with a hope called stem cell research, which may provide our scientists with many answers. I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this."

Tapper also featured a 2006 clip of actor Michael J. Fox saying, "I care deeply about stem cell research."

Sawyer ended the segment with a statement by Fox:

Today is a new day. I'm thrilled to see President Obama has honored his commitment to get politics out of science. The last few years have been incredibly frustrating for patients and researchers who believe that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to bring better treatment to many of the patients. I commend the president for recognizing the inherent value of research freedom and creating an environment in which it can flourish.

ABC also heavily depended on Dr. George Daley of the Children's Hospital Boston for commentary:

March 6, World News with Charles Gibson: "This is one of the fastest moving areas of science and yet we've been restricted. We've been operating with one hand tied behind our back."
March 7, Good Morning America: "It's allowing scientists to use all of the tools available, all of their creativity, to move as quickly as possible towards cures."
March 8, World News Sunday: "The new Obama decision is really putting patients first. It's putting patients over ideology. It's going to allow the science to move forward as quickly as possible."

A March 9 Washington Post headline screamed, "Obama Aims to Shield Science From Politics." Staff writer Rob Stein wrote in the article:

The decision by President George W. Bush to restrict funding for stem cell research has been seen by critics as part of a pattern of allowing political ideology to influence scientific decisions across an array of issues, including climate change, and whether to approve the morning-after pill Plan B for over-the-counter sales.

Harold Varmus, co-chair of Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, told Stein, "We view what happened with stem cell research in the last administration as one manifestation of failure to think carefully about how federal support of science and the use of scientific advice occurs. This is consistent with the president's determination to use sound scientific practice, responsible practice of science and evidence, instead of dogma in developing federal policy."

Stein failed to quote any opponents of embryonic stem-cell research in his article and depended solely upon Melody C. Barnes, director of Obama's Domestic Policy Council and Varmus for commentary. Thank goodness there's no ideology or politics involved.

USA Today's March 9 article, "Obama Links Scientific Research to Protecting ‘Free Thinking'" followed the same track as Stein's, and refused to cite any opposition to the decision.

ABC and CBS did quote Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Center in various reports. However, the quotes they used sounded like so many more shots in the culture wars rather than statements in a reasonable debate about the merits of embryonic stem cell research vs. adult stem cell research.

Far from rejecting stem cell research, Perkins reasonably stated in a March 6 press release, "We should be increasing funding for adult stem cell treatments, which have been used to treat patients for over 70 diseases and conditions, and we should fund the historic achievements in reprogramming ordinary skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells without compromising ethics by destroying life."

Yet, these are the statements used by CBS and ABC:

Reid on the March 6 Evening News: "The Family Research Council, a leading anti-abortion group, released this statement, arguing that "taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for experiments that require the destruction of human life."

Snow on the March 7 Good Morning America: "The Family Research Council last night called this decision, quote, "a slap in the face to Americans who believe in the dignity of human life."

Perkins on the March 9 Good Morning America: "At best it's ethically and morally challenged. And at worst it's a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars in leading America down the wrong path."

Once again, the media painted pro-life conservatives as knee-jerk ideologues that bring nothing to the debate over stem-cell research.

What is it called when people only provide one side to the story in order to play on people's sympathies regarding a particular topic?

Propaganda.

The media has not been reporting this week. It's been pushing liberal propaganda as absolute truth.

Why are they so afraid to report the other side?

The LA Times Answers Stem Cells FAQs with Frequently Stated Misconceptions

2009-03-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

from Red State
Latest entries for Front Page by Mark Impomeni

The Los Angeles Times does a genuine disservice to its readers in its analysis of President Barack Obama’s decision to dramatically expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The analysis purports to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding stem cells in general and the controversy over embryonic stem cells. But what the Times produces instead is not a list of answers, but a recitation of frequently stated misconceptions (FSMs), half-truths, and outright lies about President Bush’s landmark decision to allow funding for the research for the first time, and the impact that Barack Obama’s rescinding of that decision will have on the research going forward.

We’ll take the questions and “answers” one by one below the fold.

First, let’s look at the premise that the article bases itself on.

Obama’s executive order removes funding restrictions put in place by President George W. Bush and fulfills an oft-repeated campaign promise. Scientists, patient advocacy groups and politicians on both sides of the aisle praised the action.

Right off the bat, the Times gets it wrong. President Bush did not place limits on funding for embryonic stem cell research in the way that the Times frames them. President Bush was the first president to authorize federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells. That point bears repeating because it is the most commonly held and erroneous belief in the entire stem cell debate. Put another way: Before President Bush’s August 2001 decision to authorize federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, there was no authorization for such funding.

That he did not go as far as proponents of the research would have liked is not nearly the same thing as placing a restriction on the research. If that were the case, then it could be argued that President Obama restricted federal funds available for economic stimulus programs because he only authorized $787 billion when some Democrats wanted nearly double that figure.

Now, here are some of the questions the Times tried to answer.

What exactly has changed?

Bush was the first to allow scientists to study human embryonic stem cells with federal funds. But he personally opposed the research on moral grounds because the cells can’t be made without dismantling human embryos.

Nice that the Times corrects its error from the opening, but then it goes and gets it wrong again. The canard that President Bush made his decision on stem cells out of some uninformed and misguided personal conviction is nonsense. President Bush had scientific and ethical advisers too, just like President Obama. And not all of them were even ordained ministers!Yes, President Bush was pro-life and so predisposed to making the decision he did. But, Bush’s decision was an informed one based on scientific, ethical, and moral advice informed by his personal convictions. President Obama’s decision is likely based on his personal convictions in favor of abortion. But you would never know it from the pains the Times takes to portray how excited and thrilled scientists are with his actions.

What does this mean for scientists?

Scientists are eager to get their hands on the newer lines, which are healthier and easier to use than the 20 or so that currently qualify for federal funding. Some of the newer lines have genetic fingerprints of particular diseases and could be used to test drugs and other potential therapies.

Scientists have always had access to any kind of stem cell they wished to experiment with. There has been no prohibition on research using embryonic stem cells. Scientists simply had to find other funding sources to use the newer stem cell lines. If scientists have been denied access to the lines, that’s because there has been relatively little state or private money made available for the research. All President Obama’s decision has done is make federal taxpayers foot the bill for research they may find objectionable. It has not made any research possible that was not possible before.

Haven’t scientists made embryonic stem cells without using embryos?

Not exactly. The hottest area of stem cell research involves reprogramming adult cells so they behave almost exactly like embryonic stem cells. But there are still many technical issues to resolve before these cells would be safe to use in patients.

Scientists have actually been able to program adult cells to behave like embryonic stem cells. There are technical issues to be resolved with the procedure, but that is also the case and more with embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cell treatments are working in humans right now, whereas embryonic stem cells have thus far shown nothing practical for their so-called vast potential. President Obama’s decision, however, will drain research dollars from adult stem cells as federal money will be directed toward the favored embryonic stem cell lines. This will have the unfortunate effect of delaying, not hastening, cures.

Worse, however, when he rescinded Bush’s stem cells decision, Obama also rescinded a less publicized Executive Order put in place by President Bush. Executive Order 13435 directed the federal government to find and fund research into ehthical alternatives to embryonic stem cells. Research into treatments based on them will still continue, especially since they have shown actual promise toward developing into cures. But it will be a whole lot more difficult to secure those funds. Under the same reasoning applied to President Bush’s decision, Obama’s action on this order is a restriction placed on adult stem cell research. And it is every bit as based on ideology, Obama’s pro-abortion ideology, as was Bush’s.

The Times mentions none of this.

What sorts of things will the NIH consider?

Scientists are also trying to create stem cells from custom-made embryos that are genetic copies of patients.

They would like to be able to study such cell lines with federal funds.

Why? Because private money for human cloning, which is what this is, is very scarce. So the Obama Administration’s answer is to force the taxpayer to pay for it. Brave new world, indeed.

Isn’t that cloning?

In a way, yes. The embryo is a clone, but it is destroyed long before it has the potential to grow into a baby.

It’s not a clone “in a way,” it is a clone, created for the sole purpose of being harvested for its parts. But the Times goulishly mentions this as reassurance. “Don’t worry, we’re going to kill it before it does any harm to your consicence.” All embryos have “the potential to grow into a baby.” That’s what embryos do unless something, or someone, intervenes. That’s part of the reason why cloning people is so morally wrong.

The Los Angeles Times did nothing to educate its readers by publishing this sorry excuse for answers to questions about stem cells. It glossed over the most controversial aspects of the Obama Administration’s decision, hid the truth about the potential of adult stem cells, and tried to pass off liberal criticisms of President Bush as historical facts. But that is the role the mainstream media has taken for itself these days: apologist for wrongheaded, ideological, and immoral decisions of the Obama Administration.

Giroux: 'Brownback is a coward'; Are graphic abortion images effective?

2009-03-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

By Matt C. Abbott @ RenewAmerica

I received the following (slightly edited) e-mail from Jennifer Giroux, executive director of Women Influencing the Nation, in response to my March 7 column on the Senator Sam Brownback controversy:

'There is so much more behind the compromise of Senator Sam Brownback that it pains me to see people like yourself and Father McCloskey provide political cover to a man who repeatedly betrays the unborn for political expediency and self preservation. Last year Senator Brownback was part of a political hit job on a man named Phill Kline, the former Attorney General of Kansas who is to date the only prosecutor in the nation to ever charge Planned Parenthood with criminal charges.'If he had been able to complete the case and obtain a conviction, Planned Parenthood would have had risked losing their federal funding nationwide — over $350 million dollars.

Words cannot describe the public attacks that Phill Kline endured for taking on the abortion industry for illegal abortion and unreported child rape. When it came time for Phill to run for re-election, word got out that both senators from Kansas were thinking of endorsing the man running against Phill.'Many pro-life leaders from Kansas called to ask Senator Brownback not to do this. We let him know Phill was going to run. In fact, the man Senator Brownback endorsed is a Catholic who isn't even pro-life and had worked for the pro-abortion district attorney for 15 years.

I'll spare you further details because I'm sure you see where I'm headed.'Senator Brownback endorsed the pro-abort, sent massive confusion into the primary, and Phill Kline and the criminal case were thrown under the bus. This was all under the same rationale Father McCloskey used in your column. And it is wrong. At that time, Senator Brownback cut a deal with the moderates under the fear that too many pro-aborts would come out to vote against Phill. Now it's, 'But think of what he can do once he is governor.' Well, I'm thinking of the scandal and the physical damage Governor Sebelius will be doing to the rest of the country — and it will be massive.'I suspect you and Father McCloskey are at a disadvantage in not knowing these details. I have held Father McCloskey in high regard for many years, and still do. However, I'm deeply disappointed he would be quoted with such a line as you headlined.'The bottom line is this: Senator Brownback is a coward. He ran from helping us fight late-term abortionist George Tiller for the last two years; he trashed a courageous man who has suffered greatly for the cause of life (Phill Kline); and now he is paving the way for confirmation without opposition for someone who will be deciding on aspects of all areas of our life for four years. No rationalization can justify this.

'In the big picture, it does not help Senator Brownback one bit for anyone to affirm him in his compromise, because in the end, the only confirmation that matters is judgment day. In the overall view of your article, I'm not sure why you chose the title.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are graphic abortion images effective? Check out this story.
And what about the morality of showing such images?
Click here for Father Frank Pavone's take on the matter.Also,
click here to read about the Pro-Life Action League's recent protest of a Planned Parenthood "party" at Chicago's Ritz-Carlton Hotel;
and click here to find out how you can obtain a free copy of the League's booklet Sharing the Pro-Life Message.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I heard about this story (from January 2009) courtesy of Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics;it's a doozy:

'A 39-year-old Warren [Mich.] woman who helped kidnap an ex-boyfriend in a scheme to obtain money to pay for an abortion has been found guilty of five counts related to the incident.'

The jury deliberated only 20 minutes before finding Holly Patterson guilty of two counts of extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment following a 2-day trial in Macomb County Circuit Court....'

Click here to see the entire article.

Cross Posted at Conservative Women For Truth

Embryonic Stem Cell Research - It IS about the politics - Science has had complete failure with Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2009-03-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

What saddens me the most about the recent Executive order to lift the ban of federal funds on embryonic stem cell research is the lack of public information given to people.

"Embryonic stem cells have cured nothing as of yet as a matter of fact There have been a number of studies, including some from Steven Goldman's lab in Rochester, NY, showing that injecting embryonic stem cell transplants in rats for various neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease can lead to undifferentiated growth, ie tumours."

It therefore came as no surprise to read in PLoS Medicine this morning that an Israeli group has reported a similar finding in a teenager who was treated for ataxia telangiectasia with somatic foetal cells injected in his brain and spinal cord.
(source)

The utter complete failure of embryonic stem cell research evidently is not enough in itself to disuade Obama from signing this ludicrist bill.

“Ten years of research with embryonic stem cells has produced nothing but failure after failure, while research with adult stem cells and reprogrammed cells is finding cures and clinical successes on a regular basis,” Ms. Atteberry continued.

Contrary to success with adult stem cells, extensive research with embryonic stem cells, in America and around the world, for over ten years has not produced one human cure. Development of tumors in test animals has negated any progress made in animal trials. (source)

The other thing that bothers me is the hypocrisy with the "embryonic stem cell research". The Pro-Choice advocates say that the embryo is not a living being its just a clump of useless cells, well if they are such "useless cells" than why do you need them for your research, its just pure blantant hypocrisy!!

Even the Vatican spoke out today;

On Monday the United States' Bishops' Conference described Obama's announcement as ''a sad victory of politics over science and ethics''.

''This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested,'' said Philadelphia Archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali, who heads up the conference's pro-life activities committee. (source)

More and more evidence is piling up that we are not going to get near the results from the unpredictable embryonic stem cells that we are getting from our own cells. Recently reported in Japan
....a team of scientists devised a method of creating stem cells from wisdom teeth that would otherwise have been discarded, enabling them to seek cures to diseases without the controversy inherent in using embryos. (source)

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama liked to bash President Bush during the presidential election for claiming that he was ignoring science. But pro-life groups say Obama's expected decision on Monday to fund embryonic stem cell research ignores science and they say it has yet to help patients.

As LifeNews.com reported, Obama is expected to sign an executive order on Monday that would overturn the limits President Bush put in place to prevent funding the science because it requires the destruction of human life.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council tells LifeNews.com the Obama decision ignores that science is moving away from embryonic stem cell research and towards alternatives that are both morally and ethically stronger.

"President Obama's policy change is especially troubling given the significant adult stem cell advances that are being used to treat patients now without harming or destroying human embryos," he said.

"Despite the significant advances using adult stem cells to treat patients, and new techniques to create stem cells from any patient, President Obama will choose to direct taxpayer's money to experiments that represent the poorest stem cell science," he added.

"We should be increasing funding for adult stem cell treatments, which have been used to treat patients for over 70 diseases and conditions, and we should fund the historic achievements in reprogramming ordinary skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells without compromising ethics by destroying life," Perkins continues.

Perkins called funding adult stem cells and cells made from direct reprogramming "not only to the best science, but also to the surest common ground."

House Republican Leader John Boehner also weighed in on the Obama decision to fund unproven embryonic stem cell research and agreed he is ignoring the science.

“Advancements in science and research have moved faster than the debates among politicians in Washington," he told LifeNews.com. "And breakthroughs announced in recent years confirm that the full potential of stem cell research can be realized without the destruction of living human embryos."

Boehner said Republicans and pro-life advocates have always supported stem cell research and noted the irony is that Obama's decision could move money away from the most promising variety. Read the rest here

Related Posts

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Obama signs Executive order for embryonic stem cell research

2009-03-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Click Image for Video

'Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident,' says the president

WASHINGTON (MSNBC) - President Barack Obama signed an order Monday that allows federal taxpayer dollars to fund expanded embryonic stem cell research, reversing one of his predecessor's policies viewed by many as blocking development of potentially life-saving medical treatment.

The executive order undoes former President George W. Bush's directive that was based on his determination that using embryos to create additional stem cell lines was morally wrong and, therefore, research on those lines should not be funded by the government.

Obama, however, said he was ending what he believed was "a false choice between sound science and moral values."

Read the rest at MSNBC

12-Year-Old's Pro-Life Presentation Saves A Life

2009-03-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Other Related Posts;

Devaluing the Human Life of the Unborn Baby

President Barack Obama's Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation

Press Release: Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Infant Allegedly Born Alive and then Murdered at Abortion Clinic in Florida

Video: Planned Parenthood covers up statutory rape … again

No Choice But Pro-Choice? Planned Parenthood and the ACLU File Lawsuits Seeking to Force Pro-Life Doctors to Perform Abortions Against Their Conscience

Obama's Pro-Abortion News - More Murders on the way

Weekend Headlines

2009-03-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

Weekend Headlines

Pro-family leader denounces stem cell policy change

Illinois AG defends 'Moment of Silence'

The Vatican and evolution: Creationist responds

Brownback 'throwing the unborn under the bus

Obama takes next step to scrap protections for Pro-Life Dr's on Abortion

Radical Pro-Abortion FOCA Bill coming soon, Pro-Life Advocates must prepare

Pro-Life Groups: Obama funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research ignores science

Obama criticized for hiding Pro-Abortion fPro-Abortion,
Stem Cell decision on slow news days

Man Driving to Abortion Clinic Runs Over Pro-Lifer, then Persuaded by Victim's Wife Not to Abort

Archbishop Announces Excommunication of Doctor and Family
Members for Abortion on Nine-Year-Old Girl

Destroying Human Embryos Not Only Unethical, but Unnecessary: Congressmen

Time for the "Abortion President" to Sign Legislation to Use Taxpayer Money to Kill Embryosfrom

2009-03-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

From Gateway Pundit by Gateway Pundit
It's Friday... Time for President Obama to sign some more abortion legislation.

A year ago Obama told Pastor Rick Warren that he wasn't sure at what point a baby gets human rights.
It was above above his paygrade:

But that was last year.
A funny thing happened after the election.
Obama suddenly figured it out.

And, again for those of you who missed it...

One of the most outrageous and dishonest campaign websites this year was Obama's mock "Pro-Life" website paid for by George Soros that suggested Obama was pro-Life.

In reality Obama was the most radical pro-abortion and infanticide candidate in the last 35 years. Barack Obama even voted 4 times to support infanticide.

Already, Obama has signed several major pieces of abortion legislation in his first 50 days in office.
Today it was announced that he will use taxpayer money to kill embryos.FOX News reported:

One of the most outspoken abortion opponents in Congress labeled President Obama the "abortion president" on Friday in response to news that Obama intended to sign an executive order Monday lifting restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., accused Obama of launching two attacks on pro-life measures. In addition to lifting President Bush's stem cell restrictions, Obama intends to lift regulations from the Bush administration that allow health care providers and institutions to refuse to participate in abortions on grounds of conscience.

Smith labeled Obama's stem cell policy an expansion of "human embryo experimentation."

"Why does the president persist in the dehumanizing of nascent human life when better alternatives exist? Human embryo-destroying stem cell research is not only unethical, unworkable and unreliable- it is now, demonstrably unnecessary," Smith said.

...Under President Bush, taxpayer money for that research was limited to a small number of stem cell lines that were created before Aug. 9, 2001, lines that in many cases had some drawbacks that limited their potential usability.

Previously at Gateway Pundit
** One Day After Roe v Wade Anniversary Obama Signs Legislation to Fund Foreign Abortions
** Despite Economic Crisis Senate Votes to Fund Foreign Abortions
** Because 42 Million Global Abortions Are Not Enough... Obama Will Use Taxpayer $$$ to Pay For More
** Vatican Blasts "Arrogant" Obama For Funding International Abortions
** It's Friday... Time For Obama To Free the Terrorists & Kill The Unborn
** It's Friday... Obama Moves to Strike Down Another Bush Abortion Law

Silent No More, 40 Days for Life Team Up to Help Women Suffering From Abortion

2009-03-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) --

Two leading pro-life groups have teamed up to help women suffering from abortions and who regret their abortion decision. Noticing that many women who are still needing help after an abortion are noticing the 40 Days for Life outreach events, the groups are hoping to combine forces to help them.

Shawn Carney, of 40 Days, tells LifeNews.com about the genesis of the new partnership.

"While traveling to 40 Days for Life sites across North America, I frequently hear stories of people who are drawn in by the sight of people praying in front of the abortion centers -- people who've either had abortions themselves, or people who supported others' decisions to abort," he said.

"Many of these people were in anguish for years -- but had not taken the first step to seek Christ's healing until something touched them through 40 Days for Life," he added.

Carney says the Silent No More Awareness Campaign stepped up to the plate to help these people and is calling upon 40 Days participants to stand in unified prayer at as many of the 40 Days for Life vigil sites as possible next Tuesday.

That's the date the pro-abortion activists have set aside to honor abortion practitioners.

"That concept flies in the face of the destruction we know abortion causes," said Carney, "not just for the baby whose life is taken, but for the mother, the father -- and many others including extended family and friends.

Janet Morana, co-founder of Silent No More, talks about the special day.

“We will stand with those in the 40 Days for Life vigils outside abortion businesses to let women know that abortion doesn't end a problem, it creates a lifetime of new ones,” she told LifeNews.com. “We will bear witness that the abortionist’s tools don't just attack an unborn child’s body, they attack a woman’s soul.”

Georgette Forney, another co-founder of the group and a woman who regrets her own abortion decision, says having the joint effort on March 10 provides real help for post-abortive women rather than honoring the abortion practitioners who took their children and injured them.

“The abortion industry says that March 10 is ‘Thank Your Abortion Provider Day,’” she told LifeNews.com. "We will reclaim that day by sending a different message to our abortion providers – stop the lies, put down your killing tools, and seek forgiveness.”

Carney says he appreciates having the post-abortion group involved.

"We are highly encouraged that the Silent No More Awareness Campaign is urging women and men who have found healing in the wake of abortion to stand witness in front of abortion facilities on March 10 in connection with 40 Days for Life," he said. "The message of post- abortion healing plays an important role in the dismantling of the abortion culture and the construction of a new culture of life."

Women who are involved with the campaign will be carrying signs that read, "I regret my abortion," and men will be holding signs with the message, "I regret lost fatherhood."

Carney hopes the outreach will help other women avoid abortions.

"It is our fervent hope that women with abortion appointments on March 10 will see the silent, prayerful witness of others who have walked in their shoes, and avoid making a tragic decision that could haunt them physically, psychologically and spiritually for years and years to come," he said.

This outreach is the product of an effort that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, where two of the local 40 Days for Life campaign leaders are also regional coordinators for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.

One day of last fall's 40 Days for Life vigil was set aside as Silent No More Day, where women and men with abortion experiences were asked to bring their signs and join volunteers for prayer outside the Charlotte abortion facility where the vigil was being held.

Related web sites:
Silent No More Awareness Campaign - http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/
40 Days for Life - http://40daysforlife.com/

Kansas House OKs Pro-Life Bills Limiting Late-Term Abortions, Helping Women

2009-03-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) --

The Kansas state House has approved two pro-life bills including one that would place more limits on late-term abortions and another providing women with more information to help them decide against an abortion. The second bill would allow a woman considering an abortion to see an ultrasound of her unborn baby.

The late-term abortion bill requires abortion practitioners to provide the state health department with detailed information about why the abortion was done.

The bill is needed because late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller has been accused of violating current laws and doing abortions for nonmedical reasons.

When used in pregnancy centers, ultrasounds persuade most women to keep their baby and Rep. Lance Kinzer hopes the same will happen in abortion facilities.

Kinzer introduced the legislation, billed as the “Woman’s Right to Know & See” proposal, in the Kansas state House along with 38 co-sponsors.

It says women must be given information about the ultrasound 24 hours prior to the abortion.

The bill also requires an abortion practitioner to provide the woman with a list of places where she can obtain a free ultrasound and that any ultrasound done at the abortion center must be completed 30 minutes prior to the abortion.

Kinzer, a Republican from Olathe, says the legislation “promotes a woman’s physical and psychological health and advances the state’s important and legitimate interest in protecting fetal life.”

The bill also requires abortion centers to post an “anti-coercion” sign making it clear that women do not have to have an abortion for which they do not consent. The sign is a response to research from the Elliot Institute showing anywhere from 40-60 percent of abortions are done on women who are pressured or coerced by a husband, boyfriend, or someone else.

“Every woman submitting to an abortion should only do so after giving her voluntary and well-informed consent,” Kinzer told the paper.

The bill enjoys the support of Kansans for Life and Kathy Ostrowski, the group's legislative director, told LifeNews.com, "This bill will insure that women in abortion clinics are not denied the modern medical information other women receive in ordinary obstetric settings."

"Abortion is irreversible, with results that can produce a long-lasting, negative impact. Although abortion is an elective procedure, it is too often a coerced, rushed decision," she added.

Some 16 states have enacted similar ultrasound viewing legislation.

Related web sites;
Kansas Legislature - http://www.kslegislature.org/
Kansans for Life - http://www.kfl.org/

Abortion Center Staffer Charged in Florida Case Involving Botched Abortion

2009-03-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

Miami, FL (LifeNews.com) --

An abortion center staffer has finally been charged in a botched abortion case that has drawn national attention. The incident involves the birth of a baby who was born alive on the second day of a two-day abortion procedure, killed, and then hidden from investigating authorities.

The abortion practitioner in the case, Pierre Renelique, saw
the Board of Medicine revoke his medical license last month.

Now, unlicensed abortion center staffer Belkis Gonzalez was arrested on Tuesday and jailed on two felony counts related to the death of a baby, named Shanice, who was born alive after the botched abortion in the 2006 case.

According to the arrest warrant, Gonzalez was charged with the unlicensed practice of a health care profession resulting in serious bodily injury, a second degree felony, and with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a third degree felony.

If convicted of the charges, Gonzalez faces a minimum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Operation Rescue president Tory Newman, who obtained a copy of the arrest warrant, tells LifeNews.com that Gonzalez is held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami on a $50,000 bond.

"For two and a half years we have worked to expose Gonzalez's actions that resulted in the death of Baby Shanice and bring her to justice. Today, we are gratified that Ms. Gonzalez is finally behind bars where she belongs," he said.

"This victory belongs to all who called and wrote asking for justice to be done. There is little doubt this would have been swept under the rug and forgotten if not for the public pressure that was brought to bear," Newman continued.

The charges came after OR and other pro-life groups joined the Florida House of Representatives in asking Florida
State Attorney Katherine Rundle to pursue charges in connection with the botched abortion.

In the botched abortion incident, which took place in 2006, Sycloria Williams went to the GYN Diagnostic Center abortion facility in Hialeah, outside Miami, for an abortion.

She had laminaria inserted and went back the next day for the abortion and gave birth instead to a baby named Shanice. Renelique did not show up for a scheduled abortion, causing Shanice to be born alive.

Gonzalez cut the umbilical cord and placed the baby in a biohazard bag and threw her out with the trash, even though she was breathing at the time. Gonzalez later stashed the baby's body on the abortion clinic roof to hide it from authorities.

The Florida medical board found Renelique guilty of medical malpractice and wrongly delegating a medical responsibility meant for physicians to unlicensed personnel.

Williams has filed a civil lawsuit in the case.

* Photo courtesy Operation Rescue.

New Stanek WND column, "She won't be in Kansas anymore"

2009-03-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

from ProLifeBlogs

... One beneficiary of Kathleen Sebelius' good cheer toward abortionists was Krishna Rajanna, who owned a Topeka chop shop.

After it was discovered he kept a filthy mill with evidentiary photographs of a dead mouse in the hall and aborted babies in the refrigerator, the latter which staffers said
they saw Rajanna eating in soup, legislators introduced clinic regulation legislation. Sebelius vetoed that twice....
All this information and more is waiting in the wings for Sebelius' confirmation hearing, but will it ever see the light of day?
Likely not, thanks to KS Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts....
But here is where Brownback in particular made a common pro-life politician's mistake, which too many pro-lifers accept: Casting dreams for what he could do for us tomorrow, Brownback didn't do the right thing today.

I don't care what pro-life politicians promise they will do for me tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. I only care what they do for me today. In fact, they're only where they are today because they cast dreams in a previous campaign to do something for me today....
Now to the damage abortion loving Sebelius could do as HHS secretary....

Obama’s Radical Appointees Piling Up

2009-03-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

from Stop The ACLU by Warner Todd Huston

We all remember the drubbing that conservatives took during the campaign when they openly worried, and even directly charged, that Barack Obama was a far left radical. Pointing to the racist Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the domestic terrorist William Ayers and wife, and several others of Obama’s close friends and associates conservatives sounded a clarion call to alert the country that we were about to get one of the most extremely leftist presidents ever.

Of course, the so-called rational and presumably non-partisan commentators that abound in the center left of the chattering classes scoffed at what they claimed to be the wild demagogues on the “extreme right” who then said Obama was a radical. They have for the last two years excoriated anyone that worries about how far to the left Obama is, saying that Obama is just an average Democrat that seeks to “bring us together.”

Oh, but were it true that Obama was a centrist at heart. Unfortunately, with each passing week it seems that Barack Obama is looking far more the radical that conservatives charged that he was during the campaign than he is the centrist hands-across-the-aisle sort that the Democrats claim he is. One need only look at many of his appointments to see just how radical Obama is aiming to turn the U.S. government for proof of this fact.

During the campaign and as he planned his transition, Obama repeatedly turned to people whose views were far to the left of the average American’s. For instance, during the campaign and for his transition team, Obama relied on Susan Power for foreign policy advice. Power has for many years advocated that the U.S. give billions to upgrade the armed forces of Hamas and other Palestinian agencies despite the fact that Hamas and the PA have never once renounced the goal of wiping Israel off the face of the Earth.

Similarly, in the field of foreign policy, Obama tapped the services of Robert Malley a man well-known for his close working ties to Hamas and a man that repeatedly met with the terrorist group’s leaders. Obama also hired a woman, Sonal Shah, thought connected to a radical Hindu nationalist group in India to advise him.

In the filed of labor, Obama has sought out as his new chief of labor, one Hilda Solis. Solis has been found to have violated ethics rules by lobbying for a union friendly labor bill while she was both a member of Congress AND a member of the very unions that would benefit from the legislation. For the head of the National Labor Relations Board, Obama has picked Wilma Liebman, a woman that has strongly advocated against the rights of individuals and for collective rights; essentially a communist and virulently unAmerican concept.

Recently Obama appointed Harvard’s Ashton Carter to become the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer (the undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics). However, Carter has been an outspoken critic of weapons of all stripes for years with his chief experience being in eliminating weapons, not funding and creating them. He has been an opponent of the military industrial establishment, not an ally — nor even neutral on the matter. Industry experts are worried that his anti-weapons sentiment will make him an enemy to the very job he is supposed to be filling. In a day when we have to fear terrorism as well as one where new technologies and the advancement of weapons systems to keep up with enemies is vitally important, Obama has picked a nominee that is against everything we need to be exploring to keep this country safe. An anti-weapons advocate for our chief weapons buyer is an amazing contradiction… unless one means to eliminate our weapons systems, not to improve them, naturally.

Now comes word that the Obama administration is looking to elevate Charles Freeman to a role in America’s intelligence establishment. Freeman once helped radical Islamists from Saudi Arabia to peddle an anti-western/anti-Jewish “text book” to kids in this country. Freeman, president of the Middle East Policy Council, a Saudi-funded think tank, was involved in selling the “Arab World Studies Notebook,” a book that for one claimed that Jerusalem is unequivocally an Arab province. The book also claimed that the Koran “synthesizes and perfects earlier revelations.”

So for our intelligence establishment, Barack Obama wants to install a man that agrees with, is funded by, and works with the Islamofascist enemies of the west? A man whose sympathies are against us. A man that has already been intimately involved with pushing Islamist ideals. THIS man is to be in one of OUR top intelligence positions?

Then there is Obama’s pick as head of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice, Dawn Johansen. Johansen, for her part, is well known as a feminist radical that has said in the past that she feels pregnancy equals slavery. Johansen was a top lawyer for the National Abortion Rights Action League, or NARAL, a radical abortion advocacy group when she made this crazy claim in a Supreme Court case she was a part of. In many writings and court cases Johansen has also made the case that all restrictions against abortion should be eliminated and government should be made to pay for abortion.

Johansen has also written against any form of the security measures against terrorists that have thus far been put into motion. She is one of those fabulists that imagines that all terrorists could safely be put into the normal U.S. court system to be tried for their actions and has stood against any efforts to preempt terrorist attacks.

She has also advocated that any past applicants to the DOJ that the Bush administration had discriminated against because of the applicant’s leftist views should now get special consideration for those same views. In other words, she is hypocritically against past discrimination based on leftist personal political views and now wants the solution to be to discriminate against those that hold right leaning political views.

These Obama picks, each and every one, are radical leftists. They hold views that few Americans hold. They are in no way centrists or moderates and are not representative of the largest number of Americans. And these are the sorts of people with which Barack Obama wants to fill key position in our government.

So, tell me again that Barack is not a radical leftist. No, the truth is, Barack Obama is a radical’s radical through and through.

CrossPosted at Conservative Women for Truth and Your Christian Network

The Most Radically Pro-Abortion President in History

2009-03-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

There's no other way to say it!!!

Posted by Mark Impomeni @ RedState

The Obama Administration will announce next week that President Obama has decided to scrap regulations put in place by President Bush designed to protect health care workers from being forced to participate in abortions, sterilizations, and contraceptive procedures on moral grounds.The rules were intended as an enforcement mechanism.

They expanded on existing federal law protecting conscientious doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care workers by requiring hospitals to certify that they comply with the law in order to continue to be eligible for federal funding.

In other words, the rules did nothing new, they simply ensured that the existing law was not ignored.There can be no doubt now that Barack Obama is the most radically pro-abortion president in history, except among the most brain-addled and delusional fever swamps of the left.

This move, together with Obama’s history and two other abortion related decisions in his young Administration proves it. I used the term “pro-abortion” in my story on the abortion rules at AOL’s Political Machine and drew the ire of one liberal commenter, who called it, “symantics gymnastics.”

But why? Liberals believe abortion is a good thing. If Obama is pro-abortion, that just means he is on their side.Furthermore, the left likes to have its positions characterized in a positive light and conservative ones cast negatively. Hence the labels “pro-choice” and “anti-choice.” Since we all know choice equals abortion – it’s the only choice the left supports – let’s have truth in labeling. President Obama is pro-abortion while his conservative opponents are anti-abortion. Works for me.

Read More →

Crossposted at Your Christian Network and Conservative Women for Truth

Obama Moves to Strike Down Another Bush Abortion Law

2009-03-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

from Gateway Pundit by Gateway Pundit

A year ago Obama told Pastor Rick Warren that he wasn't sure at what point a baby gets human rights.It was above above his paygrade:

Not any more.He suddenly figured it out right after he was elected. And, again for those of you who missed it..

.One of the most outrageous and dishonest campaign websites this year was Obama's mock "Pro-Life" website paid for by George Soros.

In reality Obama was the most radical pro-abortion and infanticide candidate in the last 35 years. Barack Obama even voted 4 times to support infanticide.Which brings us to today...

Funny how Obama always seems to sneak his abortion legislation in on a Friday.

Today the Obama administration struck down a Bush policy that lets healthcare workers deny services because of moral beliefs.The Anchoressexplains what this new law will mean to healthcare workers.Hat Tip Larwyn

Crossposted at;
Your Christian Network
Conservative Women For Truth

Holding Plastic Bags Over the Heads of People in Final Exit Network Assisted Suicides

2009-02-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have been following various aspects of the FEN activists' arrests. But this aspect of the story really
caught my attention. SHSers will recall that I mentioned the book A Chosen Death in a previous post, and how its author Lonny Shavelson watched a Hemlock operative kill "Gene" by preventing him from tearing off a plastic bag she had put over his head.

Well now, it appears that the FEN activists may have done the very same thing! From the story:

At the Dawson County residence on Wednesday, [Ted] Goodwin [head of FEN and vice president of the World Federation of the Right to Die Societies] allegedly walked the undercover agent through the steps and demonstrated how he would hold the agent's hands to stop him from removing the exit bag, Bankhead said.

The GBI said that after the death occurs, "all evidence is removed from the scene by the 'guides' and discarded, as evidence indicated happened in the Cumming case."

Can you imagine holding someone down as they suffocate to death?

Man Who Died in Accused Final Exit Network Assisted Suicide Had Beaten Cancer

2009-02-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

by Wesly Smith

Man Who Died in Accused Final Exit Network Assisted Suicide Had Beaten Cancer John Celmer, the man whose death is the subject of the Final Exit Network assisted suicide criminal charges, was not terminally ill. Indeed, he had apparently beaten his cancer.

From the story:

John Celmer was making what his doctor considered a remarkable progress last spring after two surgeries to reconstruct his jaw. The 58-year-old Cumming man faced hip replacement surgery for arthritis, but he appeared to have won a battle against head and neck cancer. Then, he was found dead."His doctor was shocked," said Forsyth County Coroner Lauren McDonald III. "He said he shouldn't have died."

McDonald said an autopsy confirmed that Celmer, who smoke and drank, was cancer-free at death; the man had died from asphyxia suffocation resulting from the inhalation of helium. The death was ruled a homicide.Repeat after me: Assisted suicide is not about terminal illness, it is about near death on demand.

Embryonic Stem Cell Alternative Has Another Advance, IPS Cells Yield Nerve Cells

2009-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor

Los Angeles, CA (LifeNews.com) -- One of the alternatives to the use of embryonic stem cells has made another advance and, this time, induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, have yielded nerve cells. Researchers made a type of nerve cells from the iPS cells, which are embryonic-like cells reverted from their adult state.

The cells are hailed by pro-life groups as an ethical alternative to the use of embryonic stem cells, which can only be obtained by destroying human life.

A team at the University of California Los Angeles was able to make motor neurons out of the induced pluripotent stem cells and the scientists hope to make cells tailored to specific diseases for therapy.

BY converting the iPS cells into motor neurone cells, scientists may be able to better treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

"IPS-derived cells appeared to follow a normal developmental progression associated with motor neuron formation," they wrote in the journal Stem Cells.

The researchers added that the new cells they created look just like embryonic stem cells, yet they didn't have to destroy days-old human embryos, or unique human beings, to get them.
The researchers at UCLA plan to attach the new cells to muscle cells to determine if they will contract and they hope to eventually be able to take a skin cell sample from a patient to generate a tissue transplant or build a stem cell bank for other patients.

Adult stem cells have also been helpful in dealing with ALS.

Last year, a unique pilot study established a safe pathway for using bone-marrow stem cells to slow down and potentially treat Lou Gehrig's disease.

Dr. Neil Cashman, professor of neurology at the University of British Columbia and director of the ALS program at Vancouver Coastal Health and VCH Research Institute, headed the study.
He published the results in the medical journal Muscle & Nerve and he and his colleagues tested the use of a growth factor stimulant in ALS patients and found that bone-marrow stem cells became activated with no adverse effects to patients.

“Our idea was to use a growth factor stimulant to increase the number of circulating stem cells from within the body’s bone marrow where they would have the potential to travel to the site of injury and begin repair, slowing down the progression of ALS,” he said.

FBI Charges Four in Assisted Suicide Ring Final Exit Euthanasia Group Sponsored

2009-02-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor

Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) -- The FBI has charged four people with violating assisted suicide bans in numerous states after a sting operation determined an assisted suicide ring killed one or more people. An undercover FBI agent posed as a member of the Final Exit euthanasia group that is apparently responsible for the deaths.

At least one 58-year-old man is known to have been helped to kill himself and other deaths may come up as the investigation continues.

The probe now involves eight states, all places where assisted suicide is illegal since Oregon is the only state in the nation to allow the grisly practice. Washington will become the second next week and Montana may be officially the third once a state Supreme Court decision is issued on a lower court case legalizing it.

The FBI is also probing Final Exit, the pro-euthanasia group that was apparently involved and whose volunteers in seven states and a group office in Georgia were raided. A company in Montana that made supplies used in the assisted suicides is also under investigation.

Thomas E. Goodwin, listed as the president of the euthanasia group, and Claire Blehr, a member, were both arrested yesterday at a home in northern Georgia, according to FBI statements.
Lawrence D. Egbert, 81, of Baltimore, listed as the group's medical director, was arrested, but Nicholas Alec Sheridan, a Baltimore man who is a regional coordinator for the group, is still at large.

The charges are related to the June 2008 death of John Celmer, a Georgia resident who killed himself using an assisted suicide bag the Montana company manufactured.
Betty Celmer, the man's mother, told news outlets that her son was depressed from having throat cancer.

Another death involving an Arizona woman may have been arranged by the group and deaths in other states could have been as well, though officials are investigating.

The group and its leaders and members claim they are not actually assisting a suicide because they are not actively helping the person take their life but are providing support.

If convicted in Georgia, the Final Exit members could face five years in prison.Wesley J. Smith, an author and attorney who follows euthanasia issues, talked about the case.

"The Final Exit Network is dedicated to assisted suicide. More honestly than some in the euthanasia movement, its members openly acknowledge that the 'ultimate civil liberty' should not be limited to the terminally ill," he said. "It has long been suspected that some members of the FEN are not willing to wait until the law changes to assist in suicides.""I know other cases apparently involving the FEN in which bereaved family members were horrified at what happened and yearned to see justice done," he said.

"I think it is important to understand that people who are this deeply involved in helping make other people dead are what I call 'death fundamentalists,' that is, they are not just selfless altruists, but act on a deep ideological belief and an odd form of twisted desire," Smith explained.
"So, let's see where this case leads. If they did the deed or deeds, I hope the judge throws the book at them. But don't count on serious punishment," he concludes.

Eluana Englaro's Father Could Get Murder Charge in Starvation Euthanasia Death

2009-02-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor

Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) -- Eluana Englaro's father Beppino may be charged with murder in association with the starvation and dehydration euthanasia death of his daughter. After an international debate over whether she should be denied food and water, Beppino used the right he won in court to take his daughter's life.

The disabled woman had been in a minimally conscious state since 1992, when she was involved in an automobile accident.

Englaro ultimately died earlier this month after having part of her food and water denied to her through her feeding tube over a five day period.

Now, pro-life groups in Italy have triggered an investigation into Beppino's actions that could end up with local prosecutors charging him with murder.

Local officials in north-eastern Italy's Udine region named him as one of 14 people they are investigation in relation to the euthanasia death. Other people include Eluana's anesthesiologist, Amato De Monte, and members of the medical team that should have been providing her with proper medical care.

The pro-life group Truth and Life Committee prompted the investigation with the filing of a lawsuit and prosecutors must act on such suits even if they believe there is no evidence of wrongdoing.

Udine Chief Prosecutor Antonio Niancardi told the Italian ANSA news agency that the investigation was ''a due act,'' meaning it was prompted by a complaint filed by a third party.

Mario Palmaro, the head of the pro-life group, told ANSA the 13-page lawsuit "is a very detailed report in which we implicate Beppino Englaro, the doctor and nurses, and the heads of the La Quiete clinic'."

He accused the medical staff or not following the standard practice of care and Italian law, which prohibits euthanasia.

Meanwhile, Englaro family's lawyer, Giuseppe Campeis, said Beppino expected to face an investigation into Englaro's death.

''It was something we'd been expecting, only perhaps it would have been better for it to arrive on the day of her death," he said. ''It doesn't change anything for us. Now we'll have the chance to clear everything up in cross-examination'."

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the health minister for the Vatican, told ANSA he was elated by the news of an investigation.

''If Beppino Englaro killed Eluana then he's a murderer," he said.

Devaluing the Human Life of the Unborn Baby

2009-02-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

By Stand For Life at ProLifeBlogs

If your car starts to break down, do you start it on fire so it will be no use to anybody?

If your house starts to fall in disarray, do you use a bulldozer and totally destroy it?

If your family member is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Lou Gehrig's disease, or terminal cancer, do you make the choice of killing them so they won't have to go through such an ordeal?

If you discover your spouse is having an affair, do you kill him or her, because of how your life will negatively change in the near future?

If your boss embezzles a huge sum from your place of employment that causes your office to close, do you kill the boss, because this will negatively impact your career?

Do you burn down the administration building at your college when they drop your field of study from the curriculum?

If you don't like your car or house, you can basically put them up for adoption, so to speak, by letting someone else have it. If you have problems with your marriage, work, or school, you find a way to get through the problem without physically harming another. After the initial shock of one of these life-changing events, most will attempt to make the best of an undesirable situation.

But our society allows and often promotes the killing of the unborn baby because, if born, this baby will negatively impact somebody's lifestyle. When it comes to making the best of an undesirable situation of a pregnancy, 4,000 people in the Unites States decide daily to kill the baby. It doesn't make any sense unless one puts more value in a car, house, job, or school than they do a fellow human being. This view isn't solely owned by the pregnant woman. The boyfriend, the woman's parents, and her friends often have a similar view and pressure the woman to devalue the baby inside her and have an abortion.

In a way, our society is to blame. If most in our country really decided and acted upon the fact that an unborn baby had more value than an inanimate object or undesirable lifestyle change, then there would be such a tremendous outrage about abortion. The value of a fellow human being would then be positioned at its rightful place of on top of the list. The response of putting a life first must be automatic, and one would think it would be. Unfortunately, the pro-abortion faction of our society has won this part of the debate so far. Instead of putting one's fellow human being first, most have been conditioned to think about the circumstances surrounding the lifestyle change that could occur. The value of this human then drops on the list of important factors involved with the decision to abort. Even when the unborn baby human is considered, it often is followed by "yes, but ..."

The pro-life view needs to be the automatic response when someone is pregnant. No matter what the circumstances, the response should be that we will do whatever we can for this fellow human being to live, period. Once the impact of this lifestyle change has hit, everything should be done to make the best of it, just as if there were any other life-changing event.

Palin offers support of Parental Notification Legislation

2009-02-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor

Juneau, AK (LifeNews.com) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin joined members of the state legislature at a press conference Thursday to call for a bill to allow parents to be notified when their minor daughter is considering an abortion. Parental involvement bills have been approved before but struck down by the state Supreme Court.

Palin joined Representative John Coghill, Senator Donny Olson and other lawmakers to offer her support for new legislation.

"The most important thing at stake is the right of Alaska's children to receive the support and input of their parents as they face a life-changing decision," Governor Palin said.

"Certainly, if we are a society that mandates parental consent before our daughters get their ears pierced, or even take a Tylenol tablet at school, I would think that there would be support both for parents to have to give consent and be informed anyway before such an invasive procedure of an abortion would be performed on our underage daughters," Palin added.

The Alaska House last year approved a parental consent bill that would allow parents to intervene in their teenage daughter having an abortion.

The measure would have revised the parental consent bill the legislature approved in 1997 and that the Alaska Supreme Court eventually declared unconstitutional on a 3-2 vote but it failed in the Senate.

Palin and legislative supporters are optimistic new legislation could survive a legal challenge. That's in part because of a judicial appointment Palin made that could swing the court in favor of the pro-life proposal. She has another pick coming soon.

"Thankfully we know we can think optimistically about a court perhaps changing its mind, changing its opinion. Courts revisit their decisions all the time and if they did not, then we would still be in a society that allows segregated schools," said Palin.

Coghill, along with Sens. Fred Dyson and Gene Therriault introduced companion bills for parental involvement at the beginning of the legislative session.

Planned Parenthood representative Clover Simon told AP her group still opposes a bill to allow parents to know about whether their daughter will have a surgical abortion procedure.

Meanwhile, Sen. Charlie Huggins said pro-life advocates will try to get a parental involvement measure on the state ballot if the legislation fails to reach Palin's desk.

That may be needed because Senate President Gary Stevens has essentially said he doesn't want abortion bills to be considered this legislative session.

And Sen. Hollis French, an Anchorage Democrat, may not allow the bill to get a hearing in his Judiciary Committee. The bill died in his committee last year.

"Wherever you fall on the abortion issue, right or left, this legislation is about family, and it's about parents' rights and protecting our children, and it's supported by legislators on both sides of the aisle," Palin concluded.

According to state statistics, there were 1,759 abortions in Alaska in 2008 and 141 were done on teens under the age of 18. There is no indication of how many were done on 17 year-olds and younger teens.

ACTION: Ask members of the state legislature to support House Bill 85 for parental involvement. Contact them at http://house.legis.state.ak.us/