Wednesday, October 21, 2009

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report 10/22/09



LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report

Thursday, October 22, 2009

For news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.

Current Headlines

House Democrats: We Have Almost Enough Votes for Pro-Abortion Health Care

Obama Administration's HHS Web Site Promotes Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
Pro-Life Doctors Upset by Harry Reid Pro-Abortion Health Care Quid Pro Quo

Abortion Advocates Complain Obama Should Promote Tax-Funded Abortions More
Sarah Palin Will Do Oprah, Appear at Pro-Life Event as Polling Numbers Falter
Late-Term Abortionist Martin Haskell Allowed to Avoid Ohio Abortion Safety Law
Poll Has Barack Obama's Approval Rating at Second Lowest Point Since January
Pro-Life Advocates Join Together to Request Removing Abortion From Health Care
British Parliament to Vote on Amendment Monday to Allow Assisted Suicide Tourism
Virginia Pro-Life Group Releases New Video on Governor's Race, Polls Positive
Oklahoma Abortion Law Blocked by Court, Misrepresented By Abortion Advocates
North Carolina Teen Shot and Killed After She Refused Abortion, Document Show

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House Democrats: We Have Almost Enough Votes for Pro-Abortion Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- House Democrats said today that they have almost enough votes to get a pro-abortion health care bill through the chamber. The votes they say they have collected include almost enough for the government option, which would expand abortion funding even further. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked her top lieutenants this week to conduct a vote count to determine where members of the party stand on HR 3200, which pro-life groups oppose. Three House committees have approved different versions of the bill, all of which include massive abortion funding and mandates, that Pelosi and top Democrats will meld into one measure. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said today that House Democrats have secured about 210 votes for a bill with the controversial public option. That's just eight votes short of the 218 needed to approve the pro-abortion bill. Grijalva told the pro-abortion Huffington Post web site that 25 of the chamber's 256 Democrats say they will refuse to vote for the bill if the public option is included and that 18 or 19 Democrats will vote against the bill no matter how the measure is combined.
Full story at LifeNews.com


Obama Administration's HHS Web Site Promotes Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- While the administration of President Barack Obama is supportive of the pro-abortion health care bills in Congress, the actual federal government is supposed to remain neutral on legislative matters. However, the Department of Heath and Human Services is getting heat for promoting the pro-abortion health care bills. A web page HHS runs urges visitors to send an email to Obama praising him for his pro-abortion health care plan. According to a Roll Call report, the page is accessed through a "state your support" button featured prominently on the web page that features a disclaimer saying it is maintained by the HHS department. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a pro-life Iowa Republican who is the ranking member on the Senate Finance committee, one of two panels to have approved a pro-abortion health care bill, is not happy. He sent a letter to pro-abortion HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday that said the web site may be violating rules against the federal government promoting legislative policy. Grassley warned that "any possible misuse of appropriated funds by the executive branch to engage in publicity or propaganda in support of an Administration priority is a matter that must be investigated and taken seriously." Full story at LifeNews.com


Pro-Life Doctors Upset by Harry Reid Pro-Abortion Health Care Quid Pro Quo
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life doctors who are leaders of the Christian Medical Association are upset by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's reported offer to get physicians to drop their opposition to the pro-abortion health care bills in Congress in exchange for more money. Reid has reportedly promised national medical groups that the Senate would take up legislation to halt scheduled Medicare cuts in doctor payments over the next 10 years in return for physicians' support for health care "reform" bills that include abortion funding. Dr. David Stevens, the head of the Christian Medical Association, tells LifeNews.com that the report "shows how morally bankrupt this politicization of medicine is becoming." "If professional medical organizations were to play along with Reid's scheme of halting Medicare cuts in exchange for physicians' support of his healthcare bill, they would be selling their birthright," he said. "Such a sellout would be the watershed event that historians would point to as marking the de-professionalization of medicine, when physicians traded convictions for cash,' Stevens continued. "If physicians abandon their professed commitment to the patient's welfare in order to solely pursue financial reward, patients will pay the price--some with their lives." Full story at LifeNews.com


Abortion Advocates Complain Obama Should Promote Tax-Funded Abortions More
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates have been complaining in recent days that President Barack Obama is not doing enough to promote taxpayer funded abortions. Never mind that Obama has promoted abortions financed with tax dollars at every turn since taking over the White House. During his first week in office, Obama overturned the Mexico City Policy to fund Planned Parenthood and its abortions and abortion promotion. He restored funding to the UNFPA, which has worked with Chinese officials who have promoted forced abortions, overturned rules against funding abortions in the nation's capital in his budget, and has done nothing to stop abortion funding in the Congressional health care bills. But, a new article in New York Daily News indicates that abortion advocates "are livid" that the health care reform bills in Congress do not promote abortion funding, even though they do. Abortion advocates appear to want Obama to go further by making the abortion funding more specific or even overturning the Hyde amendment.
Full story at LifeNews.com

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Sarah Palin Will Do Oprah, Appear at Pro-Life Event as Polling Numbers Falter
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With polling numbers showing her now trailing Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney among Republicans, Sarah Palin is striking back. To coincide with the release of her book "Going Rogue," she will do an interview with Oprah Winfrey and appear at a large pro-life event in Wisconsin. Winfrey will interview the former Alaska governor for an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to air Monday, November 16. Winfrey and Palin will meet for the very first time on the episode, which will mark Palin's first interview to discuss her upcoming book, "Going Rogue: An American Life" and her first-ever appearance on the "Oprah" show. The Winfrey show released the following statement: "Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin burst onto the national political scene as running mate for Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Now, following her decision to step down as governor of her home state of Alaska, and on the eve of the release of her first book, Palin will speak first to Oprah in a world exclusive interview." The interview is somewhat controversial given Winfrey's snub of an interview with Palin during the presidential campaign.
Full story at LifeNews.com


Late-Term Abortionist Martin Haskell Allowed to Avoid Ohio Abortion Safety Law
Operation Rescue has obtained two recordings of 9-1-1 calls made within seven days of each other for patients of an Ohio abortion clinic that has been specially exempted from complying with a safety law involving emergency transports. The recordings, made on March 12 and 19, 2009, raise questions about the safety of the clinic and abortions done at Women's Med Center, a Dayton area abortion mill owned and operated by late-term abortionist Martin Haskell. But how is it that, of all the physicians and clinics in Ohio, that Haskell's abortion clinic is the only one that does not have to comport with the law? To answer that question, one must go back to 1996, when the Ohio Legislature passed a law requiring that all ambulatory surgical centers must be licensed by the state. That licensing required that the ambulatory surgical centers meet certain basic health and safety standards, including the requirement that each clinic must have a transfer agreement with a local hospital. Full story at LifeNews.com


Poll Has Barack Obama's Approval Rating at Second Lowest Point Since January
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new Rasmussen poll has pro-abortion President Barack Obama's approval rating at its second lowest point since he took over the White House in January. The poll tracks more than normal approval ratings as it also measures the intensity of the support or opposition. The Rasmussen Reports daily president tracking poll released today finds 27% of the nation's voters strongly approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president while 40 percent strongly disapprove. That yield's Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13, which is just one point higher than the lowest recorded rating of -14. It's also the sixth straight day in negative double digits, matching the longest such streak, Rasmussen noted. Looking at more traditional numbers, 47% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance while 53 percent disapprove. Full story at LifeNews.com


Pro-Life Advocates Join Together to Request Removing Abortion From Health Care
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A coalition of pro-life groups and lawmakers held an afternoon press conference on the grounds of Congress to renew their call for an amendment to remove abortion funding from the health care bills. In both the House and Senate, the five health care reform bills committees passed fund abortions. The press conference saw pro-life advcoates deliver boxes of petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures from pro-life advocates opposing abortion funding in health care. Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said every pro-life amendment offered to fix the legislation has been voted down. "Despite polls showing that 71 percent of Americans don't want public funds to pay for abortion," he said, "there are those in Congress who continue to ignore the men and women they represent. Abortion is not health care. All we ask as pro-life Americans is that our money not be used to violate our morals." Full story at LifeNews.com


British Parliament to Vote on Amendment Monday to Allow Assisted Suicide Tourism
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- Members of the House of Lords are expected to vote again on Monday on an amendment that would promote assisted suicide. The vote comes after the July defeat of another amendment that would have made it easier for Britons to engage in assisted suicide. The British pro-life group SPUC, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, is calling on pro-life advocates to contact members of parliament to oppose the amendment.
"Following the defeat in the summer of Lord Falconer's attempt to widen the law on assisted suicide, Lord Alderdice has re-tabled his amendment to the Coroners and Justice bill," Paul Tully, the SPUC General secretary, told LifeNews.com. "The amendment would allow assisted suicide," he said. "He had tabled the amendment for the bill's committee stage before the summer recess but withdrew it before it was debated." Full story at LifeNews.com


Virginia Pro-Life Group Releases New Video on Governor's Race, Polls Positive
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- A Virginia pro-life group has released a new video on the governor's race that comes to a close next month. The video comes at a time when new polling data shows pro-life candidate Bob McDonnell pulling away from his pro-abortion rival, Creigh Deeds. The PAC of the Virginia Society for Human Life has launched its own You Tube channel with its first video, which deals with the gubernatorial election. Olivia Gans, the president of VSHL, talked with LifeNews.com about the race and said pro-life voters have a clear difference in front of them. "Despite the extremist rhetoric being tossed around by Democrat Creigh Deeds, it is in fact very clear that Bob McDonnell is the candidate that has protected, and will continue to protect, and defend women from the radical pro-abortion agenda in Virginia," she said. Full story at LifeNews.com


Oklahoma Abortion Law Blocked by Court, Misrepresented By Abortion Advocates
Oklahoma City, OK (LifeNews.com) -- An Oklahoma pro-life law that was set to go into effect on Monday has been delayed by a temporary restraining order granted by Oklahoma County District Court Judge Twyla Mason Gray. Meanwhile, abortion advocates are misrepresenting the state law by claiming it would violate privacy protections. The Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act, set to go into effect on November 1, received the support of large majorities of the Oklahoma House and Senate. Governor Brad Henry signed the bill into law in May but it was challenged by the Center for Reproductive Rights, a pro-abortion law firm based in New York City. The law requires a report for each abortion be sent to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The questionnaire gathers demographic information including age, race, marital status and educational level and gathers information on the method of abortion used.
Full story at LifeNews.com


North Carolina Teen Shot and Killed After She Refused Abortion, Document Show
Charlotte, NC (LifeNews.com) -- New documents related to the shooting death of 15-year-old girl Tiffany Wright show that she had been pressured by her adoptive brother to have an abortion. Information released Tuesday accuses Royce Mitchell, 36, of taking his adopted sister, Tiffany, to a Charlotte abortion center. The incident occurred in July and the documents say Wright was refused an abortion because her pregnancy was too far along at the time. The police information also indicates Mitchell wanted to take Wright to an abortion center in Atlanta that does abortions later in pregnancy, but she refused to go. Police say Mitchell is a person of interest in the shooting but they have not charged him yet with any crime.
Full story at LifeNews.com

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