LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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Current Headlines
• White House Health Care Summit Won't Unite Democrats, Republicans on Abortion
• GOP Leader: Invite Pro-Life Democrat Stupak to White House Health Care Summit
• Senate Democrats Favor Health Care Reconciliation, House Cool Due to Abortion
• Obama Administration Proposes Expanding Embryonic Stem Cell Research Further
• Pro-Abortion Democrats Renew Threat: No Health Care Bill With Stupak Amendment
• Woman Draws Pro-Life Shock by Live Blogging Abortion on Twitter, YouTube
• Hillary Clinton Misleads About Home With Mother Teresa to Hide Abortion Record
• Planned Parenthood Responds to Video of Sex Abuse, Abortion Coverup
• NCAA Pulls Post-Tim Tebow Pro-Life Ads From College Basketball Web Site
• Catholic Bishops: White House Health Care Summit Should Promote Pro-Life Ethic
• Oregon Planned Parenthood to Begin Selling Women Dangerous Abortion Drug
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama invited top Republicans and Democrats to the White House for a health care summit tomorrow that is unlikely to produce any results. Democrats see the summit as a way to appear bipartisan and build support for the struggling pro-abortion health care bill that Republicans oppose. Republicans, and polls showing a majority of Americans agree, see the summit as a glorified publicity stunt that won't focus on health care reform that doesn't promote abortion and rationing.
Obama didn't help his cause earlier this week, as he unveiled his plan for changes to the existing Senate health care bill that is the bill Democrats are pushing through Congress. Obama left existing abortion funding in place and expanded it elsewhere.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell talked about that plan this morning on the Senate floor.
Earlier this week, the White House unveiled its latest iteration of the Democrat plan for health care reform --and, to put it quite simply -- it was a major disappointment," he said. It was our hope that when the administration called for a health care summit at the White House it would be an opportunity for both sides to come together and start over. Now it s perfectly clear the administration had something else in mind entirely.
The plan we saw Monday is hardly a starting off point for a bipartisan discussion on common sense reforms. It s really just more of the same: a massive government scheme with all the flaws of the previous proposals that the American people have already seen and rejected," he added.
Democrats on the other hand rejected calls from Republicans to start over with a bill that doesn't fund abortions and has a better shot of getting support from both parties. Full story at LifeNews.com
GOP Leader: Invite Pro-Life Democrat Stupak to White House Health Care Summit
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The top Republican in the House says President Barack Obama should invite the leading pro-life Democrat to tomorrow's White House health care summit. And Rep. Bart Stupak says even more Democrats will oppose the pro-abortion Senate health care bill.
Stupak is the famous pro-life Democrat whose amendment to ban abortion funding in the government-run health care bill bears his name.
He initially said as many as 10-12 Democrats who voted for the House measure would join him in opposing the Senate bill that Democrats are seeking to push through Congress using the controversial reconciliation procedure. Now, he's upped that number to 15-20 Democrats who are willing to say no to the bill -- though not all of them because of the massive abortion funding and other pro-abortion problems it has.
Asked on Fox News today if he thinks the bill will get House approval, Stupak responded, "Despite the abortion language, no, there are other problems with this bill...[I have spoken to] probably about 15 or 20 of them in the last 24 hours -- they've said there are other problems with this bill.
Meanwhile, pro-life House Minority Leader John Boehner sent a letter to Obama today, according to information provided to LifeNews.com by the Susan B. Anthony List, asking him to invite Stupak to the summit.
"I write today to respectfully ask that you invite Rep. Stupak to participate in the February 25 health care summit so that the will of the American people and that of a bipartisan majority in the House on the critical issue of life will be appropriately represented during the discussion," he says. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Democrats Favor Health Care Reconciliation, House Cool Due to Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Leading Democrats in the House and Senate appear bent on pushing through the pro-abortion health care bill via reconciliation, but one chamber appears more likely to support the bill than the other. Senate Democrats are warming up to the idea but there may not be enough votes to move the bill in the House.
As many as 11-13 Democrats have expressed some reluctance to support the controversial reconciliation process in the Senate.
But if new comments are any indication, that is changing.
Obviously, if the minority is just frustrating the process, that argues for taking steps to get the public s business done, said Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, according to Politico. He was formerly one of the top Democrats opposing the idea. At the same time ... Republicans would probably shut the place down, but you could argue they are doing that anyway."
Sen. Mary Landrieu, who faces a tough re-election battle in Louisiana, also appeared more open to railroading the pro-abortion health care bill through the Senate. And Sen. Ben Nelson has opposed reconciliation in the past but now says it may be the only way to get the bill approved.
I'd like to see as many votes as possible, he said. But at the end of the day, with the obstructionism going on at the level that it is, I'm more interested in what s in the package than I am in the process of how many votes it takes to get it through.
Those remarks have a much sunnier disposition than those coming from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who expressed much more skepticism.
"We may not be able to do all. I hope we can do all," he said of pushing the health care bill through the House. "But having said that, if we can't, then you know me - if you can't do a whole, doing part is also good. I mean there are a number of things I think we can agree on." Full story at LifeNews.com
by David Prentice
Last Friday the National Institutes of Health announced that they were proposing a "technical change" in their Guidelines for destruction of human embryos, a.k.a. Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. The change would allow use of younger human embryos in experiments. As published today in the Federal Register, the change in definition for embryonic stem cells would be:
For the purpose of these Guidelines, “human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)” are cells that are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst stage human embryos pluripotent cells that are derived from early stage human embryos, up to and including the blastocyst stage, are capable of dividing without differentiating for a prolonged period in culture, and are known to develop into cells and tissues of the three primary germ layers.
You can submit comments on this proposed change. Note that the deadline for comments is 11:59pm EST on March 24, 2010 (a 30-day comment period.) Apparently NIH doesn’t want to read a lot of critiques–comments are limited to 6,000 characters, including spaces. It remains to be seen whether NIH will ignore the majority of comments as it did for the initial guidelines.
This expands the unethical use of human embryos, and creates additional incentives to cannibalize more embryos. Stating that the guidelines are "ethical" simply puts a veneer on unethical practices; they are simply providing a recipe for human embryo destruction so that taxpayers funds can be used to reward the scientists. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Abortion Democrats Renew Threat: No Health Care Bill With Stupak Amendment
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As the next chapter of the debate over the pro-abortion health care bill begins, pro-abortion House Democrats are renewing their pledge not to support any bill with the Stupak amendment. That's the amendment originally added to the House bill that ban all abortion funding.
The Senate did not attach the Stupak amendment to its version of the government-run health care bill and, instead included massive abortion funding and other pro-abortion problems.
With the reconciliation push on for the bill, there is likely no method pro-life lawmakers can use to add the Stupak amendment to the Senate health care bill -- which is what the White House and Democratic leaders are pushing through Congress.
But that hasn't stopped the most prominent pro-abortion activists from promising not to vote for the bill if the amendment is included.
Appearing on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show last night, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat, spoke for dozens of her hardcore pro-abortion colleagues.
"It was at the last minute that Bart Stupak lined up enough Democrats and Republicans by saying that his amendment really was the status quo -- it really was not; this went way past the current law,'' she claimed. "The pro-choice members, 42 of us who signed a letter saying we want to maintain the status quo, will not vote for the bill if it includes the Stupak language," she added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Woman Draws Pro-Life Shock by Live Blogging Abortion on Twitter, YouTube
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A woman who calls herself Angie the Atheist is prompting shock from pro-life advocates for live-blogging her drug-induced abortion and putting update on Twitter as she goes through the process. Angie recounts the process in graphic terms and displays a hatred for pro-life detractors.
"I'm an atheist, children s rights activist, and happy momma of a 4-year-old boy who makes my world go round. But this week, I've been getting called a 'killer' a whole lot," Angie writes.
She found out she is pregnant on February 13 despite using two forms of the kinds of birth control Planned Parenthood and abortion advocates say reduce abortions.
"It turned out the birth control I thought I was using didn't quite work as planned (my IUD had apparently come out and we weren't using condoms as regularly as I was pretending to myself we were)," Angie writes. "You can imagine how romantic our Valentine s conversation was. (I think what I said was, 'Let's go for a twofer -- I'll get an abortion and you get a vasectomy.')"
Angie says she was sexually abused as a child and claims she doesn't want children again because of a difficult first pregnancy that saw her having problems gaining enough weight to support the baby. Full story at LifeNews.com
Hillary Clinton Misleads About Home With Mother Teresa to Hide Abortion Record
by Paul Kengor
A few years ago, I wrote a book on the faith of Hillary Clinton. Released in 2007, the book flopped, dismissed by conservatives who didn't believe Hillary believed in God and liberals who didn't care that Hillary believed in God.
I felt compelled to insert a word of caution in the book s preface: I noted that the Clintons are like a hurricane to those who come near them. I hoped this wasn't likewise true for their biographers, leaving us, too, in their wreckage of misleading information.
Lo and behold, a case in point is provided by reporter Emily Belz in World magazine, in a story getting coverage from only a handful of sources. Belz caught Secretary of State Hillary Clinton s keynote at the National Prayer Breakfast, where Clinton extolled the common ground she once found with Mother Teresa. The two had come together to open an adoption center, the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children, near the northwest section of Washington, D.C. In a 30-minute address, Clinton devoted five minutes to the home.
I certainly wasn't surprised by the reference. The home is a warm example of Hillary Clinton and Mother Teresa rabid abortion advocate and abortion opponent joining in a wonderful cause. Mrs. Clinton touts it whenever she can.
Belz, however, had a thought: Why not call the home to see how things are going? She did just that, only to find it closed for almost 10 years now. Hmmm, Clinton and her spokespersons never mentioned that. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood Responds to Video of Sex Abuse, Abortion Coverup
by Kristan Hawkins
Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood officials are responding to the latest video showing the nation's largest abortion business covering up a potential case of statutory rape and urging a teenage girl to violate the state's parental involvement law. The video is the tenth showing a Planned Parenthood center engaged in such activities.
The video shows a Planned Parenthood counselor telling a purportedly 14-year-old girl to not divulge how a 31-year-old man impregnated her.
Teri Huyck, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, disputed the video yesterday and said the agency take laws requiring it to report cases of sexual abuse very seriously.
Huyck, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, claims the video is inaccurate because only part of it has been released to the public. She promised an internal review of the video if Live Action president Lila Rose, who posed as the teenager in question, would release it.
Rose told the newspaper her group typically releases the full videos to state officials for their own investigation and that she would release it to local authorities in a few days. Full story at LifeNews.com
 Got $1? Help a pro-life activist take on a pro-choice Blue-Dog! Scott Folkens is a pro-life activist! Pregnancy Center Board Chairman, local coordinator for Life Chain and 40 Days for Life events and coordinator for Roe v. Wade Prayer vigil. Box 2102 San Bernardino, CA 92406. http://www.folkens4congress.com |
NCAA Pulls Post-Tim Tebow Pro-Life Ads From College Basketball Web Site
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Fresh from its successful Super Bowl television commercials featuring Tim Tebow and his mother Pam celebrating life, Focus on the Family sought to air a set of web ads on the NCAA web site. However, after some college athletic directors cried foul, the NCAA pulled the ads.
The pro-life group had a hit with the ads featuring Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and it received more than $10 million in free publicity before the Super Bowl ads aired in front of 106 million views.
Two weeks after CBS and the National Football League were the subject of criticism from pro-abortion groups, now the NCAA is the source of controversy.
The national college sports group on Tuesday dropped web banner advertisements from Focus on the Family from its championships web site NCAA.com. The ads had been included on several CBS-managed Web sites as part of the package deal Focus purchased that included the Super Bowl ad.
The decision came after abortion advocates complained that Focus on the Family's pro-life mission is inconsistent with the NCAA's stated nondiscrimination policy. Full story at LifeNews.com
ACTION: Contact the NCAA here. Or email pmr@ncaa.org, Call the NCAA Public Relations at 317-917-6762 or call the NCAA Main Number 317-917-6222.
Catholic Bishops: White House Health Care Summit Should Promote Pro-Life Ethic
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- If there is anything President Barack Obama and top Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree on at the White House health care summit, it should be that any health care reform bill shouldn't fund abortions. That's the message the nation's Catholic bishops have for the key political leaders.
On the eve of the summit, the bishops urged Congressional leaders to commit themselves to enacting genuine health care reform that will protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all.
The bishops urged the House and Senate to adopt legislation that ensures access to quality, affordable, life-giving health care for all.
But, they said any bill must keep the pro-life ethic that retains longstanding requirements that federal funds not be used for elective abortions or plans that include them and protects conscience rights.
We hope and pray that the Congress and the country will come together around genuine health care reform that protects the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, they wrote today.
Meanwhile, Catholic Advocate president Deal Hudson says he has one simple question for the political leaders meeting at the White House: "Who will stand up when the cameras are on and oppose abortion funding?" Full story at LifeNews.com
Oregon Planned Parenthood to Begin Selling Women Dangerous Abortion Drug
Eugene, OR (LifeNews.com) -- A Planned Parenthood affiliate in southwestern Oregon will begin selling the dangerous abortion drug to women that has already claimed the lives of more than 13 women worldwide and injured thousands more. Planned Parenthood of Southwest Oregon will sell the mifepristone drug to women starting next month.
A study last year found 20 percent of women using the abortion drug face medical complications.
Planned Parenthood CEO Cynthia Pappas informed media outlets the abortion business will sell the abortion drug to women whose pregnancies are not yet at the ninth week.
Pappas said the coming retirement of more abortion practitioners makes it so Planned Parenthood needs to look more closely at increasing access to the dangerous abortion drug. She also indicated the decision makes abortion more available to rural women.
The Register Guard newspaper also indicates Pappas said nurse practitioners working at Planned Parenthood centers will be able to dispense the abortion drug even though the FDA recommends that it be given out under the supervision of a licensed physician.
With 28,000 customers and eight centers from Eugene to Ashland, Pappas will likely sell a large number of the abortion drugs, which come in a two part process that first starves the unborn child to death and then expels the body of the dead baby. Full story at LifeNews.com
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