Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009  --  IRLC supports personhood amendments

IRLC supports the efforts in many states to pass personhood amendments.   While such an amendment is not likely to be considered in Illinois, the laws of many states allow ballot initiatives after citizens gather the required number of signatures.  In a number of states such initiatives can be used to amend state constitutions.

Establishing that all human beings are persons is intended to give preborn children the rights accorded to persons under state constitutions, ultimately challenging Roe v. Wade.  This approach has raised controversy within the Pro-Life community about whether such an effort will produce positive or negative results.

Opponents say this is the wrong time because of the current vote count on the Supreme Court, other legal complexities, or even criticism of the chosen wording of some proposed amendments.  However, as occurred with partial birth abortion, the educational opportunity is tremendous.  Another big plus is the reaction of abortion advocates.  Their opposition to such initiatives, even trying to keep them off the ballot, allows the public to see how radical they are.

Such a controversy currrently exists in Nevada.  Referring to the lawsuit filed against the sponsors of the Nevada Personhood Amendment initiative by Planned Parenthood (PP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Gualberto Garcia Jones, legal analyst for Personhood USA, pointed out that "Abortion proponents have sued to stop personhood amendments in Colorado, Missouri, and Nevada because they realize that personhood amendments have the power to unravel the web of legal fictions that impose abortion upon America."

Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009  --  Lies and more lies trying to overcome the result

Abortion advocates are trying to reverse the Stupak Amendment that would prevent government funding of abortion under the health care bill passed on November 7th by the House of Representatives.  They have demanded a meeting with President Obama and even made outlandish claims that the Stuapk Amendment would return the nation to "back alley abortions."

Planned Parenthood has gone so far as to say that they will not support a health care bill unless abortion funding is included.  Isn''t that ironic!  While Planned Parenthood likes to manipulate their clinic statistics to claim that abortion is only 3% of their services, they are determined to expand government funding of abortion.  Of course, the fact they like to ignore, while they claim they are trying to reduce abortions, is the fact that they are the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Code words have been chosen by pro-abortion politicians to justify demands to remove the Stupak Amendment.  They claim it does not maintain the "status quo" on abortion funding.  This distortion of the facts suggests that women would not be able to get abortion coverage through any health insurance plan, even when paid with their own money.

This claim ignores two key facts.  First, the vast majority of current insurance plans do not cover abortion.  Second, no restrictions were placed on purchasing abortion coverage with private funds.  As with the earlier claims, made before passage of the Stupak Amendment, that abortion was not covered in the bill, abortion advocates never let the facts get in their way.

Planned Parenthood is using lies to distort the facts so they can justify their continued push for government-funded abortions.  Taking such a stand in spite of strong public opposition to government funding of abortion says a lot about the true focus of their organization.  That strong abortion focus was recently confirmed by Abby Johnson, after she quit as director of the Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood.

Monday, Nov 16, 2009  --  Is the "bubble zone" ordinance unconstitutionally vague?

The ACLU, normally no friend of Pro-Life advocates finds that the Chicago "bubble zone" ordinance is unconstitutionally vague.  The Thomas More Society comes to the same conclusion. With these two organizations in rare agreement, might that suggest serious problems with the bubble zone ordinance?

Does standing still and holding out literature amount to   "approaching a person without permission" within their bubble zone?   How does a person know when permission has been given?  Is silence consent?   These are just a few of the questions that demonstrate the vagueness of the bubble zone ordinance.

A legal challenge to the bubble zone ordinance will be taken to court on November 17th.  Will the judge issue a temporary restraining order like almost always occurs when abortion advocates challenge a law?

On Saturday I attended a seminar that attempted to prepare sidewalk counselors and prayer warriors for complying with the bubble zone ordinance.  Based on the questions raised and the best legal answers that could be given, no assurances can be given about what will be necessary to achieve compliance with this flawed ordinance.  

Friday, Nov 13, 2009  --  Is abortionist Hodari pulling out of Michigan?

Michigan abortionist Albert Hodari has placed for sale signs in front of three of his abortion centers in Livonia, Southgate, and Flint.  Two of these locations were sites of recent 40 Days for Life vigils.  Is this turn of events purely a coincidence?

Hodari has had recurrent legal troubles.  Most recently a lawsuit was filed against him by Caitlin Bruce who says Hodari forced her to have an abotion after she declined.  In June, Hodari was fined $10,000 by a state board in connection with a woman's botched abortion death. One of Hodari's staff did an abortion on Regina Johnson and, afterwards, she suffered respiratory and cardiac arrest. 

Staff at Hodari's abortion center allegedly failed to help her or call for an ambulance and she was deprived of oxygen for an extended time.  She died a short time later at Hodari's Womencare clinic in Lathrup Village.  Johnson's death is one of several women to have reportedly died over the years under Hodari's care.

In 2008 members of Citizens for a Pro-life Society discovered the remains of aborted babies in Womencare clinic trash dumpsters as well as bio-hazard waste and hundreds of patient records. Hodari was investigated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and received a warning from that office.  He was also prosecuted by the Oakland County District Attorney's Office for violating Michigan statutes regarding the improper disposition of patient records.  Hodari pled “no contest “ to the first of 12 counts and is currently on probation in that case.

Judy Climer of Flint Right to Life is concerned that Hodari is selling off his abortion business and valuable personal property in preparation to flee the country to escape his legal problems tied to abortion.  This case sounds like "safe, legal abortion" at its best.

Thursday, Nov 12, 2009  --  Political correctness does not prevent int'l research

Research on the negative consequences of abortion seems to have come to a standstill in the USA.  After the politically correct leadership of medical organizations, both private and in government, concluded that abortion had no serious consequences, few researchers are motivated or able to obtain funding to challenge those faulty conclusions.

Internationally, research continues to confirm that abortion is far from the innocuous procedure that is now the official medical perspective.  Just recently, we have learned of two new studies.  One confirms the dangers of chemical abortions using RU 486.  The other again confirms the increased breast cancer risk that results from abortion. 

Political correctness and profit are producing a serious cover-up of the dangers poised to women by abortion.  Did you see any news about these studies in the news?  Not likely!

Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009  --  Planned Parenthood fails to silence former employee

I reported the good news on November 3rd about Abby Johnson.  Abby quit her job as director of the Planned Parenthood center in Bryan, Texas, home to Texas A&M University.  She was moved to join the sponsors of the 40 Days for Life that was held there.

Then Planned Parenthood sought a restraining order to prevent Abby from discussing her employment experiences.  But, District Judge J.D. Langley issued a ruling yesterday saying Planned Parenthood did not provide sufficient evidence that Johnson breached a confidentiality agreement concerning identity of an abortion practitioner who works at Planned Parenthood.  The  judge also ruled that Planned Parenthood provided no evidence to back up its allegations that Johnson took confidential patient records out of Planned Parenthood on the day she resigned.

This ruling means Abby Johnson can continue to give her testimony about how Planned Parenthood promotes abortion to increase profits.  This testimony confirms the conclusion reached by critics of Planned Parenthood about their abortion agenda.  Claims that they are trying to reduce abortions are patently false, as demonstrated by the mega abortion centers they are building around the nation.

Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009  --  Fallout from excluding abortion funding in health care bill

After the surprising turn of events where Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed a vote on the Stupak amendment that blcoked government funding of abortion under the health care bill then passed by the House of Representatives, fallout began coming from all sides.

Senator Ben Nelson is a Democrat who, like Congressman Bart Stupak, wants to prevent government funding of abortion may take up this cause in the Senate.  While passing this provision may be more difficult in the Senate, having a Senate advocate might be critical for the fight to keep the Stupak amendment in the bill if it would go to a House/Senate conference committee.

Does Senator Nelson have an ally in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid?   Reid has now claimed that there will be no abortion funding in the Senate version of the health care reform bill.  With all the inaccurate claims of excluding abortion that have been made, is this just one more?

President Obama is trying to play the middle ground by suggesting that he wants to keep abortion funding out of the health care bill, but wants to maintain the "status quo."    Obama suggested that the Stupak amendment is too restrictive, but an independent assessment confirms that the amendment does in fact maintain the status quo on government funding of abortion, namely in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother.

Meanwhile, pro-abortion groups are upset by this unexpected result and are trying to re-group.  They promise to press Democrats in the House and Senate to remove the Stupak amendment and claim they will oppose the bill otherwise. 

One side effect is internal finger pointing among abortion advocates.  Criticism of the leadership of Planned Parenthood and NARAL has appeared on liberal Internet blog sites.  Disagreements about strategy were evident among pro-abortion members of the House.

Monday, Nov 9, 2009  --  Victory?  Yes, but the fight is far from over

On November 7th the U.S. House voted 220-215 for H.R. 3962, giving Speaker Nancy Pelosi her goal of passing health care "reform" and putting PelosiCare on its way to the U.S. Senate, where some reports describe it as "dead on arrival."  Whose victory was this? 

To reach her goal, Pelosi was forced to allow a vote on the Stupak amendment that would prevent government funding of abortion under PelosiCare.  The Stupak Amendment passed on a vote of 240-194.  On the issue of abortion, a strong bi-partisan majority in the House has declared that government funding of abortion is not acceptable, agreeing with over 70% of American citizens.

This result has led N.O.W. and Planned Parenthood to declare their opposition to H.R. 3962, while NARAL Pro-Choice America has declared their resolve to "correct" the bill in the U.S. Senate.  As Eric Scheidler points out, the Pro-Life grassroots has achieved a victory over the pro-abortion lobby.

Even if the House bill is "dead on arrival" in the Senate, the Senate is considering its own version of health care "reform" that has many of the same problems found in the House bill.  The abortion lobby will be working hard to maintain government-funded abortion in the Senate bill. 

The outcome of crafting a health care bill in the Senate is still uncertain so Senators need to hear from concerned constituents, even if that seems somewhat fruitless here in Illinois.  Senators need to hear concerns about lack of sufficient conscience protection, health care rationing, forced termination of treatments based on "quality of life" criteria, and even pressure to consider measures that hasten death.

Can we at least get past the deceptive claim that health care "reform" bills never provided government-funding for abortion?  Is not the abortion lobby's response sufficient evidence of the provisions of the bill both before and after the Stupak Amendment?  So if a final bill ever comes out of a Senate / House conference committee without the Stupak Amendment still intact, we need to encourage and count on 240 members of the House to vote it down!

Friday, Nov 6, 2009  --  Keep making those calls in opposition to PelosiCare!

Last week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the vote on H.R. 3962 (PelosiCare) would be taken by November 5th or 6th.  Earlier this week she declared the vote would be taken on Saturday evening.  Now the Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that the scheduled vote on this massive government takeover of health care that includes abortion funding may be delayed because they don't have the votes to pass it.

URGENT: calls to Congress are needed in opposition to H.R. 3962, the health care bill that would fully fund abortion on demand, giving a huge boost to the income of Planned Parenthood and other abortionists.

Find your US Representative  (select "By Zip+4" and enter your 9-digit zip code)

Then call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative's office

Background information:  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops dismissed the House Democrats' plan to try to isolate funding for abortion in the health care bill as a “money-laundering system” and an “abortion surcharge” that would do nothing to stop federal funding of abortion.  The plan, known as the Ellsworth amendment, attempts to serve as a compromise between pro-life Democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich) and the party’s liberal, pro-abortion leadership. 

It should be obvious that if Planned Parenthood does not oppose the amendment (they do not), it does nothing to prevent funding of abortion.  Any claims to the contrary amount to blatant deception.  Be prepared to be told such lies as "the bill does not even mention abortion" but insist that you want your Representative to oppose H.R. 3962 because it does fund abortion.

Thursday, Nov 5, 2009  --  AARP abandons its members to support PelosiCare

I checked the AARP web site today.  They have an image of a big thumbs up for health care "reform" to indicate their decision to support H.R. 3962.  This extremely unwise decision appears to be motivated in part by their support for a companion bill, H.R. 3961, intended to "reform" payments to doctors from Medicare. 

The provisions of H.R. 3961 are likely very similar to those in a bill just rejected by the U.S. Senate because of the costs involved in increasing the payments allowed for doctors.  If AARP leadership puts their trust in Pelosi's assurance of getting both bills enacted into law, they are willing to sacrifice the medical care of seniors based on shaky political promises.

The AARP web site has a page that claims to refute "myths" about health care reform.  That page supports all the deceptions put forth by the leaders of Congress to deny legitimate concerns the bill will produce health care rationing, force the termination of treatments based on "quality of life" criteria, and even pressure patients to consider measures that hasten death, including assisted suicide in states where it has been legalized. 

On August 17th, CBS News reported that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1st, angered over the group's position on health care.   Apparently, such membership loss makes no difference to AARP leadership.

If you are a member of AARP or thinking of becoming one, you may want to reconsider.   Many seniors are switching to the American Seniors Association (ASA), a group that calls itself the conservative alternative to AARP.  ASA opposes the massive government takeover of health care that AARP has decided to support.

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009  --  IL parental notice -- now you see it , now you don't

This morning the Department of Professional Regulation voted to enforce the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act so it went into effect.  This afternoon a Cook County judge issued a temporary restraining order to block enforcement of the law at the request of the ACLU.

This new delay will continue at least until a judicial hearing on the merits of the ACLU case against the law can take place.  The next court date is November 19th, but a quick ruling is not likely so this new delay will probably be a number of months, allowing more young girls to be secretly victimized by abortion providers.

Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009  --  More news about the impact of Fall 2009 40 Days for Life

Another employee has left Planned Parenthood.  This case was known for the past few weeks, but could not be shared until now.  The director of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Bryan/College Station, Texas -- where 40 Days for Life first began in 2004 -- has resigned her job, experienced a profound conversion, and joined the Pro-Life side. 

Abby Johnson worked at Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas for eight years.  Abby was able to look out the window of Planned Parenthood and see 40 Days for Life campaigns on six different occasions -- as well as the regular year-round prayer presence organized by the local Coalition for Life.  For all those years, people outside the clinic prayed for Abby.

And with all those prayers, Abby finally had a change of heart.   She quit her job and went across the street to the headquarters of the Coalition for Life.  She knew it was time to leave after she watched a fetus "crumple" as it was vacuumed out of a patient's uterus in September when she was asked to help the abortionist.

"When I was working at Planned Parenthood I was extremely pro-choice," Johnson told FoxNews.com.  But after seeing the internal workings of the procedure for the first time on an ultrasound monitor, "I would say there was a definite conversion in my heart ... a spiritual conversion."
  
Johnson said she became disillusioned with her job after her bosses pressured her for months to increase profits by performing more and more abortions, which cost patients between $505 and $695.  "Every meeting that we had was, 'We don't have enough money, we don't have enough money — we've got to keep these abortions coming,'" Johnson told FoxNews.com. "It's a very lucrative business and that's why they want to increase numbers."

Monday, Nov 2, 2009  --  Fall 2009 40 Days for Life has ended, but not its impact

The Fall 2009 40 Days for Life, taking place in 212 locations, ended yesterday, but its impact will continue for generations.  The number of babies confirmed as saved from abortion has reached 571 and will likely rise further as final details come in from the 212 locations.  These 571 families will be changed for future generations by these decisions for life.

In all, eight clinic workers left their jobs during this 40 Days for Life campaign -- and with reports still pouring in from participating cities, it could be even more!  The eighth employee to leave was a nurse at a Planned Parenthood location in Houston, Texas.

One of the vigil participants wished her a cheerful "Good morning!" and asked how she was
doing.  The answer was quick and unexpected.  "I need a new job now," she said.  "I went in one of the rooms," the nurse said, "and this is not for me."  Vigil participants suggested a few leads for finding a REAL health care position, and asked if there was anything else she needed.  "Not really," the nurse responded. "I'm going home to hug my children."

Friday, Oct 30, 2009  --  Next week could be critical to stop health care takeover

Yesterday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled the final House version of the health care overhaul, including a "public" option and keeping intact language to immediately initiate government funding for elective abortions.  She plans to push for a vote on this 1,990 page monstrosity by November 5th or 6th.   Some observers noted that the provisions in this bill (H.R. 3962) have made a mockery of the committee process, given the changes introduced in this bill as compared to the three bills that came out of House committees.

In response, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched a bold and sweeping nationwide campaign against the abortion funding mandate included in PelosiCare.   Was this information shared at your church?  Pray that such efforts make a difference and deny Pelosi the votes for passing PelosiCare.

Get more details here  (express concern about the threats to life and freedom in the health care bill, including abortion coverage, rationing, reduced options, and government takeover of health care).

Thursday, Oct 29, 2009  --  Dangerous actions of late-term abortionist documented

Thanks again to the efforts of Operation Rescue, more details are available about the dangerous actions of late-term abortionist Martin Haskell in Ohio.  This web of profit from abortion now implicates a former U.S. Senator as aiding Haskell's endangerment of women by avoiding the requirements of laws intended to protect them.

Judge Algenon Marbley was recommended for the Federal bench by Ohio Senator John Glenn, who boasted a 100% pro-abortion voting record.  Haskell's only favorable court ruling came from Judge Marbley.  After Marbley's decision to exempt Haskell from the requirement of having a transfer agreement with a hospital was overturned, Haskell returned to Marbley, who, in defiance of the intension of the Appellate Court, issued a restraining order preventing the state from enforcing the law. That order is still in place.

How dangerous is late-term abortion?  Even the AMA rejected medical justification for using partial birth abortion, called D&X.  With the passage of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, abortionists like Haskell who used the D&X procedure have shifted to the use of the “Induction Method,” which is virtually identical to the D&X except that before the procedure begins, the baby’s heart is injected with a lethal dose of Digoxin.  The woman is then sent to her hotel room where she experiences labor, and returns to the clinic in time to deliver her dead baby.

Serious abortion complications are not infrequent at Haskell's Kettering clinic, near Dayton, as demonstrated by 9-1-1 calls from that location.  Haskell does not commit abortions there, but he has hired an elderly abortionist and one from Planned Parenthood to staff that clinic.

Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, noted, “The heart of the problem with Haskell is his unwillingness to comply with the law.  If he thinks he doesn’t need a transfer agreement, then maybe he doesn’t have to report all of the abortion injuries, either.  His attitude that rules don’t apply to him makes him dangerous.  The injury rate at Haskell’s Kettering facility alone has been said to account for 53% of all abortion complications in the state.  How many more women have suffered than is being reported?

Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009  --  Time to boycott skin creams using aborted fetal cell lines

Thanks to the work of Children of God for Life, we have just learned that Neocutis, a bio-pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology and skin care, is using aborted fetal cell lines to produce several of their anti-aging skin creams.

Neocutis' key ingredient, known as "Processed Skin Proteins," was developed at the University of Luasanne from the skin tissue of a 14-week gestation electively-aborted male baby donated by the University Hospital in Switzerland.   Subsequently, a working cell bank was established, containing several billion cultured skin cells to produce the human growth factor needed to restore aging skin.

The list of Neocutis products using the cell line include: Bio-Gel, Journee, Bio-Serum, Prevedem, Bio Restorative Skin Cream and Lumiere.  Children of God for Life is calling for a full boycott of all Neocutis products, regardless of their source.  To express your concern, contact Neocutis at: Neocutis Inc., 3053 Fillmore Street, #140, San Francisco CA  94123 or phone them at: 1-866-636-2884.

Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009  --  If you were unaware, ask for a refund!

If you supported the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure without realizing that Komen supports Planned Parenthood, thus encouraging abortion which is a risk factor for breast cancer, you may want to follow the example of some runners in Mississippi.  

After learning that Komen chapters gave more than $700,000 to Planned Parenthood in one year alone, they backed out and asked for a refund of their donations and received it.

Monday, Oct 26, 2009  --  Merck researcher: Gardasil guards against almost nothing 

Joan Robinson of Population Research Institute recently attended a presentation at the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination given by Dr. Diane Harper, the leading international developer of the HPV vaccines.

Though Harper was attempting to sell the benefits of Gardasil, she surprised her audience by stating that the incidence of cervical cancer in the U.S. is so low that “if we get the vaccine and continue PAP screening, we will not lower the rate of cervical cancer in the US.”  She added that “with the use of Gardasil, there will be no decrease in cervical cancer until at least 70% of the population is vaccinated, and in that case, the decrease will be very minimal. The highest amount of minimal decrease will appear in 60 years.”

The authors reporting on Dr. Harper's presentation did some additional research about Gardasil.  They discovered that Dr. Harper dropped a bombshell in an interview with CBS News when she admitted that “The rate of serious adverse events (from Gardasil) is greater than the incidence rate of cervical cancer.”  They then observed, "This being the case, one might want to take one’s chances with cancer, especially because the side effects of the vaccine are immediate, while the possibility of developing cancer is years in the future."

Why would any parent want to subject their daughters to such risks with virtually no benefits to be obtained from the Gardasil vaccine?

Friday, Oct 23, 2009  --  Petition UN to support the unborn child and traditional family

An international coalition of pro-life and pro-family groups has re-launched a petition in support of the unborn child and the traditional family.   The purpose of the petition is to persuade UN member states to begin interpreting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as protecting the unborn child from abortion and also to recognize traditional marriage and the right of parents to educate their children.

Organizers are hoping to gather at least one million signatures.  To sign this petition, click here.

Thursday, Oct 22, 2009  --  Babies saved through 40 Days for Life

40 Days for Life locations around the nation, at the 30 day point, have reported confirmation of 364 babies saved from abortion!  Of course, we know that many more decisions for life have taken place during the last 30 days because some abortion clinics have even closed for some days when they are normally committing abortions. 

Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis, Indiana did no abortions on the designated day for two weeks because they were not able to schedule enough abortions to justify flying in the abortionist.  Planned Parenthood located just blocks from the White House in Washington, DC was reported closed on a recent Saturday, normally their busiest day.

Among confirmed saves, here are a few examples of how mothers are impacted by the prayer and witness of 40 Days for Life participants.  A woman in Fargo, North Dakota was intent on having an abortion.  But when she drove up to the abortion facility and saw "that icky place," she just couldn't bring herself to park her car and walk in.  She said the place "looked awful."  When she called one of the volunteers later, her voice was filled with joy as she is now "so excited about having the baby."

Rosa in Pasadena, California at Planned Parenthood was approached when a woman walked out of the clinic and said she'd changed her mind about having an abortion.   "When I saw you praying out in front, it made me think about what I was planning on doing," the woman said.  "I was inside the center and realized that God has been good to me and that this baby is a blessing.  Please keep up what you are doing. You are making a difference."  She then pointed to a sign reading "Choose Life" and said, "I am choosing life for my baby." She then thanked Rosa and left.

Wednesday, Oct 21, 2009  --  Ohio abortionist: that law does not apply to me!

Ohio abortionist Martin Haskell has two claims to fame in the abortion industry.  He "discovered" and has provided seminars to other abortionists on partial birth abortion.   He calls it "Dilation and Extraction."  That procedure was so revolting that it was finally outlawed by Federal law.

Thanks to the research of Operation Rescue, now we learn that Martin Haskell could give another seminar on how to avoid compliance with a law regulating medical practice.  As 2009 comes to a close, Haskell remains in non-compliance with a 1996 Ohio law requiring that all ambulatory surgical centers must be licensed by the state.

Haskell does not qualify for a license because he fails to meet the requirement that each clinic must have a transfer agreement with a local hospital.   His abortion clinic should have been closed by the Ohio Health Department.   The efforts taken by Haskell to circumvent the law are outrageous.

He appealed the licensing requirement to the medical review board, state court, state appeals court, and then Federal court.  With his first victory there, Ohio took the case to Federal appellate court where that ruling was reversed.

Finally, the Ohio Health Department issued a cease and desist order in 2008 that should have closed Haskell’s clinic.  However, that same day Haskell returned to the only judge to rule favorably on his case and obtained yet another temporary injunction against enforcement of the cease and desist order. 

At that point the Ohio Health Department simply gave up trying to enforce the law, granting Haskell a “variance” that makes him the only doctor in Ohio to be exempt from the 1996 law passed to ensure that clinics meet basic safety standards.

Pray that Operation Rescue's effort to reveal this outrageous situation leads the Ohio Health Department to enforce the law and close down Haskell's abortion mill.  I wonder if he is still using the partial birth abortion procedure, even though it is now illegal.  Would that make any difference to him?  His actions seem to suggest it would not.

Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009  --  Abstinence education and abortion regulations work!

Abortion advocates claim that abortions would be reduced with easier access to birth control and "comprehensive" sex education.  They cite false statistics to claim that pregnancy and abortion rates went up with more abstinence education and state regulations on abortion.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows the number of abortions, the abortion rate and the pregnancy rate all declining for the period from 1990 to 2005.  The report shows that, despite claims by abortion advocates to the contrary, the abortion rate fell during the first five years of the Bush administration while the birth rate began rising towards the end as more women chose to carry their unplanned pregnancies to term.

Did you see any reports on these results in mainstream media reports?   Probably not -- I could not locate any articles on the Internet other than from Pro-Life news organizations.  Since the facts reported by the CDC contradict the agenda and justifications of abortion advocates, they get completely ignored by the media.

Friday, Oct 16, 2009  --  Daley does not need to sign "Bubble Zone" ordinance

I called the Chicago mayor's office today to ask about the status and effective date for the "Bubble Zone" ordinance that was passed 10/7/09 by the Chicago City Council.  I was informed that Mayor Daley does not need to sign it.   If he does not veto it, the law will take effect on November 18th when the City Council meets again.  That is also the last date for the mayor to veto it.

There is no indication that Mayor Daley has signed the "Bubble Zone" ordinance yet.  He may be planning to just let it take effect without "getting any blood on his hands" by just ignoring it.  I can only conclude that calls to the mayor's office at 312-744-3300, asking him to veto the "Bubble Zone" ordinance would still be appropriate.

Thursday, Oct 15, 2009  --  Are they concerned about helping teens or abortion profits?

One week ago I stated, "Count on the ACLU to do everything they can to prevent parents from learning that their teenage daughter is seeking an abortion."   That statement was responding to news that the ACLU was organizing resources to bypass the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

Even that was not sufficient for abortion providers and their advocates.   Now we have learned that the ACLU has filed a lawsuit in state court to challenge the law on state constitutional grounds.  Who are the plaintiffs?  The notorious Hope Clinic in Granite City is one plaintiff and the "reproductive health" center at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is the other.

The lawsuit asks for an injunction to prevent the parental notice law from helping teens and their parents while the lawsuit moves forward in court.  The ACLU claims the law threatens "serious and irreversible harm to teens" and cites examples of "teens whose parents beat them, threw them out of the house, and/or forced them to become a parent against their will when they found out about the pregnancy."

That last one is a real eye opener.  Can you imagine being forced to become a parent?  Do you really think that these abortion providers are concerned about the wellbeing of teenage girls? Rather, isn't this lawsuit solid evidence that abortion providers make big money on teenagers from both Illinois and other states who come to them for secret abortions?

Wednesday, Oct 14, 2009  --  Dubious facts used to justify need for more abortion

Family & Life from Dublin, Ireland issed the following news alert after the Guttmacher Institute issued a report claiming that illegal abortions kill 70,000 women every year.  Of course, Guttmacher's solution is to legalize abortion in those nations where it remains illegal, but such action would ignore the facts reflected here:

The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute (which used to be part of the Planned Parenthood empire) has published a report which claims that 70,000 women worldwide die every year as a result of unsafe abortions. The report estimates that the global abortion rate fell by 25% between 1995 and 2003.

As usual with such claims, the figures are, at best, guesswork. (In many of the countries in question there are no reliable figures available for deaths from whatever cause). In this case they rely heavily on estimates provided by abortion advocates and providers. It has long been a tactic of the abortion industry to propagate wildly exaggerated numbers of women dying from illegal abortions in order to push for legalization.

This happened in England before 1968 and the same tactic was employed in the USA. Bernard Nathanson, co-founder of NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) has since admitted that “I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it. But in the ‘morality’ of our revolution, it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics? The overriding concern was to get the laws eliminated, and anything within reason that had to be done was permissible.”

A few years ago the claimed figure for global maternal deaths from illegal abortions was over 500,000. For some countries the claimed number of maternal deaths from illegal abortion was greater than the total number of deaths among women of child-bearing age! The Guttmacher Institute clearly thinks 70,000 is a figure that sounds plausible enough to get away with.

In many countries with high rates of maternal death this is due to the absence of basic medicines and healthcare facilities. Investment in maternity care would be a much better use of resources than promoting the killing of more unborn babies or trying to control the populations of developing countries. The truth is that the very last thing the Guttmacher Institute and its allies want is to save lives in the developing world.

Dr Sharon Camp, the Director of the Guttmacher Institute, claimed that legal restrictions on abortion do not reduce the numbers. She cited the example of Ireland where women go abroad for abortions. Clearly, Dr Camp has not looked too closely at the figures. Even accepting the highest estimate of abortions carried out on Irish women would give a rate of 4.5 abortions per 1000 women of childbearing age. This compares with a figure of 18.2 for our nearest neighbours in England and Wales. So the legal restrictions on abortion in Ireland help create a culture which values and supports both pregnant women and their unborn children. This does reduce the abortion numbers—to less than a quarter of what they might otherwise be.

Similar observations on the misleading conclusions of the Guttmacher report were reported by LifeNews and LifeSiteNews.   The report was described as anything from a "propaganda piece" to "flatly false."  Abortion advocates never seem to give up the same deceptions that they used back in the 1960s.

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2009  --  Will Mayor Daley sign the bubble zone ordinance or not?

A call today to the Chicago mayor's office to ask if Mayor Richard Daley signed the bubble zone ordinance and when it would take effect did not get answered.   The person who answered the phone immediately went into survey mode on the "bubble zone" ordinance - asking for or against, and stated that they could not answer the questions.

On October 9th the Chicago Tribune quoted Mayor Daley as indicating he would approve the bubble zone ordinance.  Why is he still running a survey?  Is he reconsidering?  Did he speak too soon?  Pray that he reconsiders the implications and rejects the bubble zone ordinance.

Monday, Oct 12, 2009  --  Babies saved through 40 Days for Life

At the halfway point, babies known to be saved at 40 Days for Life locations around the nation reached a total of 219.  One moving example was reported by the McIntyre family in El Paso, Texas -- Mike, Laura and their nine children.  Six of the children took part in the vigil just last week.  Bethani, the 8-year-old, was singing "Jesus Loves Me" as a young woman arrived.  She approached the clinic, but did not go inside. She just sat down for about 15 minutes -- listening, as Bethani sang.

Eventually, the woman got up and walked over to the McIntyres and told them she had decided to keep her baby.  All it took to change her mind was the voice of a young child singing praise to Lord from her heart.  The child had saved the child.  One of the McIntyre children noted, "So this is why we come here!"

Friday, Oct 9, 2009  --  Planned Parenthood finds another source of money

Planned Parenthood (PP) watchdog STOPP International (an American Life League affiliate) warned that PP was looking at new ways of generating funds, never satisfied with their existing revenue stream from the government.  This week STOPP reported their findings, showing involvement of 28 PP affiliates in a total of 33 clinical trials, some government funded, and 10 of which involved young girls.

PP used girls as young as 14 in clinical trials regarding consistency of taking birth control with text message reminders, increasing the use of emergency contraception, and other trials using young girls as guinea pigs for profit.  PP, the nation's largest abortion business, was also involved in trials on medical abortion techniques, birth control techniques, pain reduction during abortion, sterilization, IUD insertion, and a trial assessing the safety and efficacy of a new "emergency contraceptive" known as Ella.

Because "reproductive health care" is covered by medical privacy provisions, using young girls as guinea pigs for profit does not require PP to seek permission from, or even notify, parents of the young girls they get involved in these clinical trials.  Teenage visits to at least PP locations have gotten that much more dangerous than before.

Thursday, Oct 8, 2009  --  ACLU continues trying to bypass IL parental notice law

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been working to prevent the Parental Notice of Abortion Act from becoming law in Illinois.  Now that their delaying tactics have finally failed, they are moving to another phase of circumventing the purpose of the law.  The Illinois ACLU is establishing a hotline to help unqualified teens get secret abortions by abusing the judicial bypass provision of the law.

The judicial bypass provision is supposed to cover the very rare teenagers who face abuse at home if their parents learn they are pregnant.  The Illinois ACLU is putting resources in place to exploit this provision to get abortions for any teenager girl who doesn't want to tell their parents.

The ACLU's Leah Bartelt is among those who have teamed together to form the Illinois Judicial Bypass Coordination Project.  It will provide a telephone hotline, brochures for distribution through physicians, health care providers, school health centers, etc, and even pro-bono attorneys to make judicial bypass readily available to teenage girls.  Count on the ACLU to do everything they can to prevent parents from learning that their teenage daughter is seeking an abortion.

Wednesday, Oct 7, 2009  --  Life Chain: thousands of people, but no news coverage

Per the National Life Chain web site, 93 Life Chains were confirmed to be formed in the state of Illinois on Sunday October 4th with 35 of them in the Chicago area.  Nationally, over 1450 Life Chains were planned.  Did you attend one of them?  Did you see anything on the news about Life Chain?  Not likely -- an Internet search did not find any evidence of news coverage in Illinois.

I was leading the Orland Park Life Chain.  Almost 420 people participated this year, coming from 25 southwest suburban area churches.  Attendance was up almost 120 from last year.  A number of people reported more positive responses from the motorists this year.  I heard that the Joliet Life Chain had about 50 people.  I hope the other 91 Illinois Life Chains were successful as well. 

Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009  --  Remember "Jim from Michigan" Pouillon

I was recently discussing the difference between news coverage of George Tiller's murder compared to that of Pro-Life activist Jim Pouillon.  Jim was murdered while holding a Pro-Life sign outside Owosso High School in the town of Owosso near Lansing, Michigan.

One person made a very good point that Pro-Lifers should be embarrassed that they do not know the name of this Pro-Life martyr.  Of course, one problem is knowing how to pronounce Jim's name and the town's name.  However, maybe there is an easier way. 

I was told by Eric Scheidler of Pro-Life Action League that Jim would call them for advice on occasion.  When they learned of the shooting, they were not immediately certain they knew him.  It turns out he always identified himself as "Jim from Michigan" when he called.  Remember "Jim from Michigan" if you cannot remember Jim Pouillon.

Press coverage of Jim's death has led to a first in news coverage.   The New York Times has included pictures of aborted babies in a news story related to why Pro-Life activists use signs showing aborted babies.  Pray that the visual truth about abortion help overcome this evil.

Monday, Oct 5, 2009  --  Choose Life license plates denied in Illinois (for now)

The near term possibility of putting Choose Life license plates on the road in Illinois was dashed when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take the appeal of the Seventh Circuit ruling that denied issuance of these plates.   For now, the only recourse is to seek approval for Choose Life plates through the Illinois Legislature which has been an unfriendly place of late.

Maybe some day the Supreme Court will accept another case to sort out the inconsistent appeals court rulings on Choose Life plates.  If so, Illinois would likely benefit from that case.  Until then, express the Choose Life message with a license plate holder.

Friday, Oct 2, 2009  --  Poll says 42% of Americans are unaware Obama is pro-abortion!

Were you aware that President Barack Obama has a strong pro-abortion position and record?   If so, you are part of the majority of citizens who have figured that out.   However, LifeNews.com analyzed results of a recent Pew Research poll on abortion.  That survey reveals that even now 42% of Americans are unaware of President Obama's pro-abortion position.

The polling details reveal that even 25% of conservative Republicans do not know Obama is pro-abortion.  This lack of knowledge grows to 36% of moderate Republicans, 42% of independents, and 51% of conservative and moderate Democrats.  Might we surmise that the media has helped to keep people in the dark on the radical nature of Obama's abortion agenda?

Thursday, Oct 1, 2009  --  News report warns of pending enforcement of parental notice!

Most parents just assume they would need to consent before their teenage daughter could obtain an abortion.  Some parents tragically find out only too late that in Illinois not even notification has been required before an abortion is committed on a teenage girl. 

Yesterday, CBS Channel 2 News ran a story about the pending enforcement of the 1995 Parental Notice of Abortion Act.  The story began with a focus on Illinois as a "destination for young girls across the country looking for an abortion" and interviewing a mother who found it "terribly devastating " that her daughter was able to come to Illinois from Arkansas for a secret abortion.

The story got dicey with an interview of Lorie Chaiten of the ACLU who claimed Illinois not enforcing the law was beneficial "for minors that come here for confidential abortion services."  She cited undocumented cases of girls being kicked out of their homes, beaten up, or sexually abused as reason to allow secret abortions to continue.

The story failed to interview someone from the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation to ask them why they have given a 90-day waiver to abortion providers after the law should have taken effect on August 4th.  The story did mention the law could be enforced "come early November."

Peter Breen, attorney from the Thomas More Society who was interviewed, got it right when he described Illinois as "the abortion capitol of the Midwest" while showing a map confirming that Illinois has been the only state without a parental involvement law except those in the northeast and far west.  The story closed by stating "Breen says his organization will sue if the law isn't enforced by November 4th.  I am sure that most parents will be relieved to know that!

Wednesday, Sept 30, 2009  --  Bubble zone to come before Chicago City Council

I attended this morning's hearing before the Human Relations Committee of the Chicago City Council along with some prominent Pro-Life activists.  The committee considered an ordinance amending Disorderly Conduct violations to include "(1) knowingly approaches another person within eight feet of such person, unless such other person consents, for the purpose of passing a leaflet or handbill to, displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education, or counseling with such other person in the public way within a radius of 50 feet from any entrance door to a hospital, medical clinic or healthcare facility or, (2) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, in intimidate or interfere with any person entering or leaving any hospital, medical clinic or healthcare facility."

Testimony was given by Peter Breen, Joe and Ann Scheidler, Corrina Gura, Cathy Meiding, and Lynn Benz explaining why this ordinance was not needed and probably unconstitutional, but this information had no impact on members of the Human Relations committee.  The result of the hearing was approval of the proposed ordinance.

This ordinance will be considered by the full City Council at their October 7th meeting that begins at 10am.  If it were to become law, the danger is that sidewalk counselors will be subject to false charges produced by abortion advocates who try to implicate them in so-called violations of the bubble zone.  The result would be lost opportunities to save mothers and babies from abortion.

Call Mayor Daley's Office at 312-744-3300 to tell them you oppose this unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech.  If you can, join the protest at City Hall Wednesday 10/7/09 at 9 a.m.  Come to 121 N. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago to participate in opposing the bubble zone. Signs will be provided.

Tuesday, Sept 29, 2009  --  Respect Life Sunday coming October 4th

Respect Life Sunday occurs on October 4th.  The life issues are often the subject of homilies at church services that day.  Another prominent feature of Respect Life Sunday is Life Chain.  Over 1300 Life Chains are expected to be formed in communities throughout the nation.  Check here to find the Illinois Life Chain nearest to you and join in.

One unique opportunity is coming at midnight as part of the 40 Days for Life campaign.  At 12am  Sunday morning October 4th (the moment when Saturday ends and Sunday begins), Fr. Jason Malave, pastor of St. Bartholomew Parish in Chicago, will celebrate Mass at Family Planning Associates (FPA) in Chicago, just as Respect Life Sunday begins.  This special Mass will be celebrated outside on the parking lot of the Kananaya Center across the street from the FPA abortuary, located at 5086 N Elston Ave, Chicago (MAP).

If you are close enough, take this opportunity to support 40 Days for Life in this fitting start for Respect Life Sunday, standing in solemn communion with Our Lord outside the abortuary where so many of His brothers and sisters are sacrificed.

Monday, Sept 28, 2009  --  The impact of 40 Days for Life is already coming to light

Right here in Chicago at Family Planning Associates, Elston and Cicero, we have confirmation of four babies saved from abortion last Friday.  Nationally, after six days there are already reports of 38 mothers who changed their minds and chose life.   Those 38 known saves do not include the four from Chicago so the actual total is at least 42.  How many more mothers have reconsidered, but told no one about it as they left? [By Day 20 the total has reached 219 babies saved!]

So far, two abortion clinic employees have quit their jobs.  One of these occurred in California and the other at the notorious Hope Clinic in Granite City IL.  From that location Angela reported the abortion facility nurse came out and hugged her. "Thank you for praying for me," she told Angela. "Your witness has been powerful to me. This is my last day! I'm going off to do what real nurses should be doing." With that, she walked to her car and drove away.

Friday, Sept 25, 2009  --  Planned Parenthood expanding abortion in Illinois to Springfield

Thanks to LifeNews.com we learn today that Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) intends to begin using the abortion drug RU 486 at their office in Springfield.  PPIL's explanation (excuse) is the high birth rate in that county from unintended pregnancies.  Here is the story:

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is bringing the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug, also known as mifepristone, to the state's capital city. A statement from the abortion business says that the abortion drug, which has been responsible for killing 13 women worldwide and has injured more than 1,100 in the United States alone according to the FDA, will be dispensed in Springfield in the "coming months." The pro-abortion group said, "After a careful assessment of the needs of patients and the community, PPIL decided to expand services to include medication abortion so that women will have more choices available to them." Hundreds of women could get abortions with the drug as PPIL says it administered more than 994 pregnancy tests last year and 28 percent of them were positive. "Sangamon County is home to some of the highest birth rates, including teen birth rates, in Illinois. Nearly half of all pregnancies in Illinois are unintended. And many of the women who come to the Springfield Health Center and find out they are pregnant request help in obtaining abortion services," it said. The group says the abortion drug is good news for women who have to drive to the abortion center in Peoria, the two in Champaign or the abortion business in Granite City for a surgical abortion.

Thursday, Sept 24, 2009  --  Lisbon treaty would put Irish Pro-Life laws at risk

Today I received a call from Anne, an IRLC member, who asked for prayer that the people of Ireland again reject the so-called Lisbon Treaty that would expand the authority of the European Union (EU) over Ireland.  The vote will take place on October 2nd.

Per information received about the potential impact of passage of this treaty, "The (Irish) government has said it has received 'guarantees' from the EU on important issues such as abortion.  But the truth is that these so-called guarantees are NOT legally binding in EU law, and will NOT be part of the treaty."

Irish laws on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, same-sex 'marriage' and freedom to teach Catholic morality could be threatened by EU courts and the Charter of Fundamental Rights if the Lisbon Treaty is approved on October 2nd.  Pray that Irish citizens will vote NO.

Wednesday, Sept 23, 2009  --  Should we have any concerns about organ donation?

Today I received a call from David Bosch, Director of Communications for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network.  He had heard the IRLC radio message raising some questions about organ donation and wanted to discuss those concerns.

On the issue of brain death, David indicated that anyone who recovered after a brain death diagnosis was misdiagnosed.  He noted that Gift of Hope performs the tests multiple times to confirm that brain death has occurred.   I do not think he had a good answer for why different hospitals have their own criteria for establishing brain death, but the implication was that the criteria used by Gift of Hope are more reliable.  If they cannot convince all hospitals to adopt their criteria, why should I find that reassuring?

I raised my concern that the Illinois Organ Donor Registry only records positive responses, but not negative ones.  David explained that many people who are willing to be organ donors will say "no" because they are "not willing to put their name on a list."  Thus, Gift of Hope relies on their relatives to know their intent to donate their organs, avoiding any problem caused by conflicting information from recording a "no" that does not reflect their true intent.   Somehow, I think that approach conveniently discriminates against those who really intended to say "no" and allows Gift of Hope a chance to convince their relatives that their organs should be donated anyway. 

David observed that my concerns related to donation process issues, but suggested there can be no debate about organ donation itself being a good thing to do.  That point raises an interesting question.  Is anyone who refuses to become an organ donor just a selfish, self-centered individual because everyone should be willing to be an organ donor?

Providentially, I encountered an article "Law Prof: Pro-Abortion Health Care Overhaul Spells Danger for Catholic Hospitals" shortly after my conversation with David.  That title would not suggest I would find anything there related to answering a question about the assumed goodness of organ donation.

However, the law professor Leonard J. Nelson III, referring to health care legislation in Congress, said the legislation's opposition to Catholic Pro-Life values would have serious implications for Catholic and non-Catholic Americans alike, who face a seismic shift from "a sanctity-of-life ethic in favor of a quality-of-life ethic."

Pro-Life principles demand using a "sanctity-of-life ethic" to recognize the respect due to each human person from conception to natural death.   Many of the issues of concern to Pro-Life each day involve opposition to the devaluing of human life based on judgments about who "cannot contribute to society" -- in other words a "quality-of-life ethic."

When I thought about comparing a "sanctity-of-life ethic" with a "quality-of-life ethic," I questioned whether the process of organ donation, which involves using computerized formulas to find the most suitable candidate for donated organs, actually encourages a "quality-of-life ethic." 

The dynamics of organ donation require rationed care because of the constant shortage of organs.  This fact encourages a perspective at least similar to a "quality-of-life ethic."  What other type of health care is rationed because of a shortage of materials?  At least in the USA as of right now, health care resources are available so that people who need virtually any treatment can obtain it.

The utilitarian approach reflected in the process of distributing donated organs detracts from the concept of gift.  Ironically, those waiting for organs seem to develop an attitude of entitlement and begin to develop a critical attitude about why more people are not donating organs so they can get the ones they need. 

This situation is far different from a case like that of my son's swimming coach.  His girlfriend needed a kidney, and he looked into whether he could donate one to her.  It turned out that he could and so he gave his girlfriend the gift of extending her life.  That was certainly a heroic act.  Sometimes, circumstances occur where a person will donate a kidney to someone they do not know, which seems even more heroic.  

Organ donation raises many challenges.  As I mentioned to David, my hope is for the day when organ donation will become obsolete because failing organs can be repaired using stem cells obtained from ethical sources.  At that point the mindset for rationed care and a "quality-of-life ethic" stimulated by the current organ donation process will hopefully fade away, if we can survive until then without adopting health care "reform" that incorporates these devaluations of human life for all health care.    

Tuesday, Sept 22, 2009  --  Does it matter which one?

The conversation recorded below has been attributed to the wisdom of a doctor.  Whether this conversation did actually take place or not, the message conveyed in favor of giving every human life a chance is unmistakeable, as follows [a web search revealed this was published in a newsletter produced in Pierre SD, but I received it by email from a source in Atlanta GA]:

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'

So the doctor said: 'Ok, and what do you want me to do?' She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.' The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.' She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child! 'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution. The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Monday, Sept 21, 2009  --  Lancet editors: more birth control to solve climate change

The British medical journal Lancet has been cited as one of the most reputable medical journals in the world (September 2, 2008 LifeSiteNews.com).  The Lancet earned this citation by publishing articles that have challenged the politically correct position on various medical topics.

A recent Lancet editorial has countered that pattern in a shocking way.  In this editorial, the publishers of Lancet said contraception should be distributed on a worldwide basis -- specifically in nations in Africa -- to cut back on the population as a solution for so-called climate change.

Lancet editors followed the lead of the London School of Economics in advocating population control as a solution for climate change.  A researcher at that school suggested contraception would be more cost effective in reducing global CO2 emissions than use of green technologies.

Given the collapsing population already occurring in so many nations, the Lancet should reconsider this serious lapse in common sense to jump on the population control bandwagon when doing so courts disasterous consequences for the future of many nations.

Friday, Sept 18, 2009  --  Keep denying reality until people will believe it?

ACORN certainly practices this approach.  President Obama learned the same style from Saul Alinsky, founder of the Industrial Areas Foundation, and one of the earliest "community organizers."  What practice am I referring to?   The end justifies the means--applied as follows:  If you are convinced you know what should be, overcome your opposition by whatever means necessary to win, even serious distortions of the facts.

After the many Pro-Life complaints about misrepresentations regarding health care reform that appeared in President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress on September 9th, the same pattern continued during the weekend talk shows.  Obama again claimed the health care bill did not cover abortion and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, agreed that was correct.

Did neither of them know anything about the health care bill that Senator Max Baucus would reveal three days later on September 16th?  Coverage for abortion in the form of massive abortion subsidies and mandates is found in the Baucus bill.  

Of course, once born, no person would be denied health care through rationing.  Hold on a minute!  The Baucus bill pressures doctors to ration health care via financial incentives. 

How many times will they misrepresent the facts, hoping that the public will fall into line behind their plan for a government takeover of health care, where they get to decide who gets what kind of care and who pays for it?     

Thursday, Sept 17, 2009  --  Planned Parenthood is against any abortion regulation

Planned Parenthood consistently displays an attitude of arrogance.   Just recently Planned Parenthood Arizona filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of every provision regulating abortion in new Arizona law, claiming the law "threatens women’s access to health care in Arizona."  The law might threaten access to shoddy "health care" at Planned Parenthood!

The legislation calls for informed consent before abortions along with a 24-hour waiting period, parental consent requirements, a prohibition on non-doctors doing surgical abortions, and rights of conscience for all health care providers, including pharmacists, on abortion and abortion drugs.  All of these provisions are already in effect in many states and are widely supported by the public.

One of Planned Parenthood's own staff members, Mary Andrews, a nurse practitioner, motivated the Arizona legislature to pass the prohibition on non-doctors doing surgical abortions when she went public that she was performing "aspiration abortions" at the agency's Tucson clinic since 2001.  While they were looking at abortion regulations, they decided to include the other widely supported provisions in the final law they passed.

Planned Parenthood was counting on pro-abortion governor Janet Napolitano to veto such legislation.  They did not have the foresight to know that Obama would pick her for his cabinet and the new governor of Arizona would be Pro-Life.  So now Planned Parenthood is demonstrating their arrogance by using delaying tactics to keep the law from taking effect.

How appropriate it is that so many of the 40 Days for Life locations around the nation beginning next week will be taking place at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics.  Their commitment to defend abortion so vigorously always betrays their words, claiming that abortion is such a minor portion of their business.

Wednesday, Sept 16, 2009  --  40 Days for Life starts next Wednesday Sept 23

Now is the time to access the calendar for the 40 Days for Life nearest you and sign up for an hour (or a few hours) at the on-site vigil.  Get details here:

40 Days for Life (Aurora, Champaign, Chicago, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Granite City, Peoria)
Sign-up for any day from Sept 23 - Nov 1, 2009 or as many days as your schedule allows.

Steps to schedule your 40 Days for Life participation on the day you select:

1) To use the calendar,  go to:  http://www.vigilcalendar.com/chicago/
     (or replace chicago with another location)

2) register using your email address and a password you create

3) click on "Fall 09"

4)  select “view type” of monthly

5) scroll down first so you can scroll to the right to locate the day you select

6) click on sign-up for the hour(s) you can participate

7) click “sign-up once” to confirm

8) logout when completed

9) if you need to make a change, go to “My Account” after logging in and scroll down to see the option to cancel a scheduled hour; then return to the above precess to schedule another hour

Tuesday, Sept 15, 2009  --  Euthanasia whether in hospice or hospital?

Yesterday I received a call from Mississippi.  The callers were brother and sister to a 72-year-old Chicago woman who recently had a stroke.  They were seeking any possible help to prevent their sister from being starved to death in the hospital. 

The doctors said she was in a coma and decided that she could not recover from the stroke so she would become a "vegetable."  First, they pulled the respirator, but she kept breathing.  Then they stopped providing food and water, except for a morphine drip.  That was already 12 days ago, and the woman continues to struggle for her life.

A grandchild and an aunt who have visited the patient have reported interaction with her.  She opened her eyes in response to things they said to her.   At least to them the dire prognosis seems premature, but they were not in a position to affect the treatment decisions already made.

The children of the patient, who are located in Chicago, agreed with the steps taken by the doctors.  That makes things very difficult because the doctors have approval from the nearest relatives to cause this woman's death.  I referred the brother and sister to the Thomas More Society for possible legal intervention, but warned that time would likely be too short.

It seems the son and daughter have a motive to see their mother dead.   She has an estate of $5 million.  She had been living with the daughter and her husband, but they had been abusing her.  She managed to escape with help from her son, who even helped her file a police report about the abuse, but then she had the stroke.  After that, he and his sister apparently found agreement in the prognosis from the doctors to let her die.

Unfortunately, the patient has no advance directive that might dictate more aggressive treatment to see if recovery is possible.  This case points to the need for a life-affirming advanced directive and selection of an agent you can trust to carry it out.  If she had selected her son or daughter as agent for a durable power of attorney for health care, it is questionable whether it would have been carried out appropriately, so she would have needed the foresight to recognize the need to select someone more reliable as her agent.

This is another sad case that reflects the culture of death overtaking the medical profession and the relatives of seriously ill patients.  Since such incidents are already happening all too frequently, how much more easily could they occur under provisions of the health care "reform" being considered in Washington, D.C.?

Monday, Sept 14, 2009  --  Hope you made it to Kiddieland this one last time

The last IRLC Family Fun Night at Kiddieland lived up to its name.   Many families came and they had lots of fun.  IRLC would continue sponsoring this annual event for many more years if we could, but Kiddieland will be closing forever after the last weekend in September.  How sad!

Friday, Sept 11, 2009  --  Pro-Lifer murdered for educating the public on abortion

Early this morning in the small town of Owosso, Michigan the unthinkable happened.   A Pro-Life activist named James Pouilion was murdered in front of students on their way to class at the local high school because he was displaying a picture showing what abortion actually does to a baby.

Harlan Drake of Owosso, the accused gunman, admitted his motivation to police.  Owosso Police Director of Public Safety Michael Compeau stated, “I don’t think he knew him personally.  (Drake) was aware of him, and was offended by the material that Mr. Pouillon carried with him.” 

Drake had a hit list and also murdered a second victim, but was arrested before he was able to reach his potential third victim.  His motivation for attacking the other victims was apparently related to other business dealings and was not related to Pro-Life activity.

There is no reason to suggest this was a conspiracy or that abortion supporters are responsible for this murder.  Of course, the reverse situation when abortionist George Tiller was murdered led to all kinds of accusations that Pro-Lifers were responsible, even though there is no evidence to support such a claim.

Eric Scheidler of Pro-Life Action League knew Jim Pouillon.  He commented, "Jim's murder is deeply disturbing for all of us in the Pro-Life movement, especially activists out on the front lines, publicly fighting against abortion. Not only have we lost a brother activist, but we have to reflect on our own safety out there on the streets. Should we back down from public protest of abortion? I know that Jim would say NO. He had faced verbal attacks and even assault over the years. One time a driver tried to run him down. But Jim stood his ground. And now, he is with the Lord."

Eric continued, "Despite the horror of today's murder of a Pro-Lifer, we must also remember that such violence is extremely rare, and never before has an activist been shot and killed like this. We cannot allow this violent attack to intimidate us. On the contrary, we must honor Jim's memory by recommitting ourselves to actively fight abortion like he did."

Thursday, Sept 10, 2009  --  More distortion of the facts on health care reform

Last night President Obama gave a speech on health care reform to a joint session of Congress.  He made a number of statements that suggested either a change in his position on controversial items, or a claim that opponents of reform had it wrong all along.  Tony Perkins of Family Research Council provided this assessment of the President's claims about health care reform: