Illinois Right to Life Committee
PRO-LIFE BLOG Normally updated daily. For a voice recording of this information, call 312-422-9303.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 -- Claims of deaths from "unsafe abortions" unfounded International abortion advocates are desperate to get a favorable abortion ruling from the Mexican Supreme Court. Abortion is still illegal in virtually all of South and Central America so "abortion rights" advocates are trying to make a breakthrough in the region. They have pulled out the usual justification that thousands of women are dying annually due to "unsafe abortions". They got the pro-abortion Mexico City government to support this questionable statistic. This claim, however, was shattered by data submitted to the Supreme Court last week, which shows that only eight women died in Mexico City as a result of abortions in 2006, when the procedure was still illegal. The statistics were produced by Mexico City's health department. This same falsified claim was used to make the case for legalizing abortion in the United States. Claims of 5,000 to 10,000 maternal deaths annually from illegal abortions turned out to be 39 deaths in 1972. Dr. Bernard Nathanson revealed the invented origin of this falsehood because he was there when it happened. His later conversion to the Pro-Life cause allowed the truth to gain more prominence, but apparently not enough to prevent abortion advocates from going back to this same lie when they promote abortion anywhere in the world.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 -- Abortion was always seen as a moral evil Abortion advocates want to change both science and church history. First, Barack Obama responded to the question "when does a baby receive human rights?" with the response, "whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity … is above my pay grade.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to expand on Obama's response by claiming, "I don't think anybody can tell you when life begins." She asserted that "over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition." Apparently, when Pelosi described herself "as an ardent, practicing Catholic," that did not reflect any knowledge of the Catholic faith on her part. In response to her inaccurate representation of church teaching, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a statement. The USCCB statement points out that the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law." (No. 2271) Further clarifying the point, the statement observes that over 150 years ago "scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church teaches that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life." Thus, even though the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development, science added more definitive information to support that teaching. Exactly who is out-of-touch with science?
Friday, August 22, 2008 -- Abortionists charged with criminal conduct Abortion advocates never give up repeating the lie that laws against abortion result in many women dying from unsafe illegal abortions. In fact, many women are injured or die at the hands of "legal" abortionists. In early 2007 I compiled a list of ten enforcements actions taken against abortionists in less than seven months, followed by more evidence that legal abortions are not safe later in 2007. Operation Rescue actively tracks the outrageous actions of abortionists across the nation. They just reported that a Michigan District Court has issued a twelve-count warrant against WomanCare, a Detroit area abortion mill owned by Alberto Hodari, for illegal dumping of women's private medical records. Hodari is a troubled abortionist who has been sued 23 times in the past 20 years and was responsible for the botched second-trimester abortion death of a 15-year old girl in 2004. He later shocked a collage campus audience when he told them that he seldom washes his hands between patients to prevent skin chaffing, even though he knew that it increased risks to his patients. He also told the same group that he believes abortionists have a "license to lie." Other abortionists facing criminal prosecutions include Howard Pfupajena of California, who violently attacked a pro-life sidewalk counselor, Rapin Osathanondh of Massachusetts, who is charged with manslaughter for killing Laura Hope Smith during a botched abortion, and Bertha Bugarin of California, who faces 28 felonies for committing abortions without a medical license. Bugarin's associate, Laurence Riech was arrested and charged in February for continuing to do abortions even though his license was revoked after a second conviction of having sexually molested his patients. Two Florida abortion workers, Belkis Gonzales and Siomara Senises were both also charged with practicing medicine without licenses at a Miramar abortion mill. Late-term abortionist George R. Tiller of Kansas faces 19 charges of committing illegal late-term abortions. Given the extra effort required just to get law enforcement interested in investigating violations by abortionists in most jurisdictions, these cases most likely represent only "the tip of the iceberg" in the scope of problems to be discovered in abortion mills around the nation. Legal abortion is not safe!
Thursday, August 21, 2008 -- Warning about euthanasia threats here in Illinois Responding to information offered by IRLC about potential dangers posed by some hospices, I have had an email conversation with an impacted family that wants to warn about the deadly scenarios they encountered here in Illinois. The anti-psychotic, zyprexa is a path to murder for elderly with dementia. The La Bounty family lost a loved one to this anti-psychotic drug, coupled with the "right" to refuse to eat. Mrs. La Bounty stated, "My husband's mother entered long term care with early stage dementia, walking, talking, eating and going to the bathroom by herself. Prior to institutionalization, she ate breakfast out daily with a group of friends. Five weeks later, she was a vegetable having lost 20 pounds and all abilities, including communication of affection. She was ripe for hospice. A "Do Not Resuscitate" had been placed on her illegally along with the administration of the anti-psychotic drug." She added, "Those with court-appointed guardians are most at risk. The federally funded Ombudsman Program would not intervene because in Illinois 'if the guardian is pleased with care', it is fine; despite what federal regulations state. There is no possible intervention in Illinois for a ward assigned a court appointed guardian." Based on this family's experience, please be aware of the serious risks for euthanasia posed by both court-appointed guardians and the anti-psychotic drug zyprexa. This is not the first time I have been told about the willingness of public guardians to deny food and water, with or without an executed living will to justify it.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 -- Distorting his voting record on abortion Barack Obama said that National Right to Life is lying about his position on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act that he opposed while an Illinois Senator. He opposed this Illinois bill in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Why did Obama oppose the bill? In 2001, he spoke against the bill saying it "would essentially bar abortions." Obama now claims he would have supported the Federal bill that passed 98-0 in the U.S. Senate during 2002. So why did he so vigorously oppose the state bill? In 2004 he responded to an open forum question by claiming there was already a law that applied. When reminded about case of the baby Jill Stanek held until it died, he responded, "Jill Stanek works for Alan Keyes." This attempt to connect Stanek to his opponent for U.S. Senate was incorrect, but he evaded the issue, and refused to discuss it further. Later during that campaign Obama began claiming he would have supported the state bill, but it was worded differently than the Federal bill. However, all the evidence now shows the state bill was virtually identical to the Federal bill, undermining any basis for his claim. What next? Oh, the legal situation in Illinois is different so the same wording is not sufficient to protect the right to abortion. No, how about, there was already a law so this bill was unneeded? Does it make any difference to know that then Attorney General Jim Ryan found no existing law had been broken before the Born Alive bill was first introduced? Doesn't the quantity of constantly changing explanations for opposing the Born Alive Infant Protection Act raise some serious concerns about the credibility of these claimed reasons? Will anyone in the "mainstream" media ever admit that Obama's position on abortion is extreme?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 -- Distorting the record on abortion The subject of abortion produces the need by abortion advocates to move from one distortion to another as they promote their agenda with a now skeptical public. During the presidential forum at Saddleback Church in California on August 16th, presidential candidate Barack Obama stated "The fact is that -- although we have a president who is opposed to abortion over the last eight years -- abortions have not gone down." Apparently, his intent was to suggest that a Pro-Life President has no impact on abortion. Such a claim is not supported by the facts. The Guttmacher Institute, affiliate of Planned Parenthood, reported the latest abortion statistics in January 2008. That report indicated just over 1,210,000 abortions in the United States for 2005, down from 1,313,000 they reported for 2000. The same report revealed the abortion rate for 2005 was 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 (down from 21.3 abortions per 1,000 women in 2000, and the lowest rate since 1974).
Monday, August 18, 2008 -- Maryland Truth Tour participants exonerated Truth tours have been held around the Chicago area for years. In some cases police in a few suburbs have attempted to violate the First Amendment rights of participants as they showed pictures of aborted babies along roads. However, the worst result was calling off the display earlier than planned. In Maryland, Jack Ames of Defend Life has been conducting Truth Tours similar to those in Chicago. No major difficulties have occurred in previous years, but the 18 participants at this year's last stop were all arrested without warning. Harford County's State Attorney Joe Cassilly dismissed the charges last week against the eight adults and ten teenagers. While none of those taken into custody were told why they were being arrested, they were later charged with loitering, failure to obey a lawful order, and disorderly conduct. Defend Life Director Jack Ames observed, "This decision by the State of Maryland to drop the charges shows that our side of the story was the true story." A lawsuit against the state troupers who violated the participants First Amendment rights is being considered.
Friday, August 15, 2008 -- 'Brain Death' is not Death - Organ Donors are Alive Have you heard any appeals recently from Secretary of State Jesse White to become an organ donor? If you have already become, or are thinking about being, an organ donor, you may want to reconsider. An article in the August 14, 2008 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) admits that organ donors are alive because 'brain death' is not death. The NEJM article was written by Robert D. Truog, M.D., and Franklin G. Miller, Ph.D. Troug and Miller, after admitting that the scientific literature does not support the criteria for 'brain death' and 'cardiac death' as being real death, suggest instead that ethicists should simply remove the requirement for dead donors. "The uncomfortable conclusion to be drawn from this literature is that although it may be perfectly ethical to remove vital organs for transplantation from patients who satisfy the diagnostic criteria of brain death, the reason it is ethical cannot be that we are convinced they are really dead," they write. Troug and Miller suggest that this inconvenient finding should not inhibit organ donation as long as there is valid consent by the patient or surrogate. Since doctors are already killing people both by organ removal and by ending life support, these decisions have been accepted as ethical. In other words, if doctors decide the patient will die, it is ethical to take actions that help it happen. The following paragraph presents their seriously flawed logic in support of euthanasia as an ethical means to obtain vital organs for transplant: Many will object that transplantation surgeons cannot legally or ethically remove vital organs from patients before death, since doing so will cause their death. However, if the critiques of the current methods of diagnosing death are correct, then such actions are already taking place on a routine basis. Moreover, in modern intensive care units, ethically justified decisions and actions of physicians are already the proximate cause of death for many patients - for instance, when mechanical ventilation is withdrawn. Whether death occurs as the result of ventilator withdrawal or organ procurement, the ethically relevant precondition is valid consent by the patient or surrogate. With such consent, there is no harm or wrong done in retrieving vital organs before death, provided that anesthesia is administered. With proper safeguards, no patient will die from vital organ donation who would not otherwise die as a result of the withdrawal of life support. Tell that to the patients from Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Paris, France who were each declared 'brain dead' over just the last six months. All of them were found to be alive under circumstances that delayed removal of their organs. They all continue living and have each experienced recovery in varying degrees. These patients would all be dead using what Troug and Miller suggest is ethical medical procedure for obtaining donor organs. Obtaining consent and other safeguards can never justify directly taking the life of any human being. Euthanasia is immoral. In his August 29, 2000 address to the 18th International Congress of the Transplantation Society, the late Pope John Paul II stressed: "vital organs which occur singly in the body can be removed only after death, that is from the body of someone who is certainly dead." He would never have accepted the justification of Troug and Miller as ethical. Their admission that organ donors are not dead can only confirm that donation of vital organs is always unethical and immoral.
Thursday, August 14, 2008 -- What is the definition of "wanted"? The American Psychological Association (APA) has published a report this week declaring that "there is no meaningful connection between abortion and subsequent psychological disturbances in women." However, the APA report does concede that a woman can have negative psychological consequences, but only in cases where a "wanted" child was aborted for eugenic reasons. David Reardon of the Elliot Institute has done numerous studies producing data showing the impact of abortion on women. Reardon's research of post-abortion women showed that over 60% of them felt "forced" into unwanted abortions by people or circumstances. Other studies show that 90% of abortions are done to please someone other than the woman. If such a large majority of women who have abortions believe the abortion was not their choice, were those children wanted or unwanted? Why would a woman feel pressured or forced into abortion if she truly considered the baby unwanted? Apparently, when they learn of the pregnancy, many women who have unplanned pregnancies decide they do not want to kill their children. Abortion advocates, including the APA, may describe these children as unwanted, but that conclusion is not correct just because the pregnancies were unplanned. In other words, it is not correct to interchange the words "unplanned" and "unwanted." For example, the APA report states, "Among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion than if they deliver that pregnancy." That statement implies that "unplanned" and "unwanted" are effectively equivalent. This misleading equivalence is further conveyed when the report states "It is when a wanted child is killed or dies that a woman experiences subsequent negative mental consequences." If the APA would recognize that many more babies are wanted, even though unplanned, they would be forced to conclude that many women have negative mental consequences after abortion. Ironically, the report does admit abortion can cause "psychological distribance." The real causes of psychological disturbance surrounding abortion, the report says, involve the "stigma, need for secrecy, and low or anticipated social support for the abortion decision" as well as "a prior history of mental health problems." Apparently, if abortion causes psychological disturbance because of the negative viewpoint others have about abortion, that does not count. Why not? Obviously, the cause of their psychological distribance would not exist if they had delivered that pregnancy.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 -- Living will becomes a license to kill While the Terri Schiavo case was in the news back in 2004, another Florida case got much less publicity. Hanford Pinette had signed both a living will, and a durable power of attorney for health care that designated his wife as agent. When he had congestive heart failure, he needed a ventilator. His doctors insisted he had no hope of recovery so the provisions of his living will should be exercised by removing the ventilator. When his wife Alice refused, hospital officials took the case to court and won. Even though Hanford was still conscious, doctors removed his ventilator and he suffocated within two hours. Today in Rochester, NY local TV news reported on the case of Dorothy Livadas, 97, who lives with the aid of "life support." Though she had signed documents giving her daughter, Ianthe Livadas, the power to make medical, legal, and financial decisions for her, she had also signed a "living will" instructing that she be taken off life support if she lapsed into a state where there was no reasonable expectation of recovery. The dispute over her mother's condition forced Ianthe Livadas into a five-month legal battle against doctors, attorneys, and the Catholic Family Center. "You don't expect a hospital to be threatening you that they're going to put aside your mother's choice of health care proxy and power of attorney, and replace you," Ianthe said. Medical "experts" testified in court that there is no chance Dorothy will awaken or communicate. Livadas’ daughter disagrees. "Just the other day, I saw a sneer on her face when I mentioned someone she doesn't like very well. When you know someone all their life, you can tell what they're thinking by subtle movements in their face that others would miss," she said. However, the courts have ruled that Ianthe Livadas no longer has a say in her mother's care as Justice Harold Galloway awarded custody to Catholic Family Center. He said that Ianthe "fails to appreciate her mother's true medical condition," and that she "lacks the objectivity and insight to make necessary decisions." This is just the latest known case where signing a "living will" allows the medical profession to stop "life support" of a conscious individual because they have "no hope of recovery" even when the agent designated by a durable power of attorney for health care disagrees. The living will simply makes it that much easier for the medical profession to get the agent declared incompetent. The news report did not identify whether "life support" consists simply of a feeding tube or includes a ventilator as well. From past experience, I would be suspicious that use of the generic phrase "life support" would likely indicate that only a feeding tube was involved. If that be true, they plan to starve Dorothy to death because doctors have agreed she has "no reasonable expectation of recovery." That is called euthanasia!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 -- More real world results show birth control failure Abortion advocates continuously claim that abortions would be reduced if only there was better access to birth control and more education of young people on using it. A new report on the abortion rate in New York City shows an extremely high abortion rate despite the ease with which women can get free or low-cost birth control. This result in New York City contradicts the claimed benefit exponded by abortion advocates. Further confirming the point, a few years ago the Guttmacher Institute affiliate of Planned Parenthood recognized positively the access to birth control in places like New York while criticizing access in states like Nebraska. Ironically, Nebraska just released figures showing their abortion rate is the lowest since 1974. How much evidence is needed to demonstrate that ease of birth control access generates a large increase in abortions rather than a reducion in abortions? These facts reconfirm the point made in my August 6th blog.
Monday, August 11, 2008 -- Democratic Party support for abortion softened? Media reports suggest that the draft abortion plank of the 2008 Democratic Party platform "softens" the party's stance on abortion. Here is the new draft language: The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre and post natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs. Compare that text to the 2004 Democratic Party plank on abortion: Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman's right to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay. We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoption incentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. Phrases such as "strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v Wade" and "oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine" suggest to me a stronger statement of support for abortion under any circumstances. Beyond that unequivocal statement, the draft plank also "strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education" and proclaims that "such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions" when there is no legitimate evidence to support such a claim. I do not think that support for taxpayer-funded abortion under any circumstances along with support for teaching casual sex to children so they will get pregnant and need abortions is "softening" support for abortion. Rather, it is unconditional support for the agenda of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Friday, August 8, 2008 -- Infertility treatments found ineffective Would you be concerned to learn that commonly prescribed treatments for infertility accomplish virtually nothing? What if you learned that another method, found to be very effective, was totally ignored, or even rejected, by the medical profession? UK researchers studied 580 women who experienced infertility, dividing them into three groups. One group tried naturally for a pregnancy with no medical interventions; one took oral clomifene citrate (CC) which is believed to correct subtle ovulatory dysfunction; and the other had unstimulated intra-uterine insemination (IUI) of sperm. The researchers found that women who had no interventions had a live birth rate of 17%, the group taking oral CC had a birth rate of 14%, and the group having unstimulated IUI had a birth rate of 23%. The researchers pointed out that to have a statistically meaningful and significant improvement in the live birth rate, the difference in live births between unstimulated IUI and no intervention would have to be much higher than the 6% reported in this trial. In contrast to these long established medical interventions, now shown not to help couples with infertility problems, NaProTechnology has a success rate of 76% in assisting couples to achieve pregnancy when used to treat infertility. Why is only one physician in the entire state of Illinois skilled in using this significantly more effective NaProTechnology treatment?
Thursday, August 7, 2008 -- 40 Days for Life planned for at least 173 locations What is 40 Days for Life? 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evil of abortion through the use of a three-pronged effort: prayer and fasting, constant vigil, and community outreach. 40 Days for Life takes a prayerful, peaceful approach to highlight the consequences of abortion. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for ending abortion in America. Though the registrations are still being processed so all the details are not yet available, 40 Days for Life will occur in at least 173 cities this fall (Sept 24 through Nov 2). These cities are spread over 45 states, the District of Columbia, two Canadian provinces, and one American territory. Two of these cities are Chicago and Aurora, Illinois. The Chicago 40 Days for Life vigil will be held at the notorious Family Planning Associates late-term abortion mill at Elston and Cicero. The Aurora vigil will take place at the Planned Parenthood abortion fortress at New York St and Oakhurst Dr. Day captains are still needed for some of the 40 days. If your church would be willing to get involved, contact Illinois Right to Life at 312-422-9300 for Chicago, or contact Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood at 630-896-1200 for Aurora. Consider teaming with one or more churches in your area to sponsor a day if you are concerned about the scope of this effort for your church alone. Abortion is an evil that only pray and fasting will overcome. 40 Days for Life is one means to come together, encourage, and support each other in prayer and fasting for the end of abortion. Please do not ignore this tremendous opportunity to make a difference.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 -- Does birth control reduce abortions? Planned Parenthood is trying to make "contraceptive freedom" a campaign issue. Two aspects of this propaganda push are insurance coverage of birth control and opposing Bush administration efforts to protect health care workers from violating their conscience or losing their jobs. Of course, Planned Parenthood claims that better access to birth control will reduce the need for abortions. Dr. Michael New, professor of political science at the University of Alabama, is one of the foremost researchers in determining the effect of abortion laws on society. He comments: However, easier access to contraceptives might encourage even more sexual activity among unmarried people. This is especially the case if contraceptives are made available to populations which include a high percentage of sexually inactive people, such as young teens. It would send powerful messages about the sort of sexual behavior that is both expected and acceptable. The increase in sexual activity among teens during the 1960s provides good evidence of this. The birth-control pill was first approved by the FDA in early 1961 and put on the market later that same year. A study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (hardly a pro-life outfit) found that women who turned 15 between the mid-1960s and early 1970s were more likely to engage in sexual activity at a younger age than their counterparts who turned 15 between the mid-1950s and early 1960s. Furthermore, the Guttmacher study partly attributes this increased sexual activity to the availability of the birth-control pill. The widespread use of birth control in the 1960s seems to have shifted the culture in such a way as to hasten rather than delay the liberalization of America’s abortion laws. From the very beginning, Planned Parenthood, through research performed by their Guttmacher affiliate, knew that access to contraceptives increased sexual activity, leading to more unwanted pregnancies, and more abortions. More access to birth control has never reduced abortions!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 -- Another recovery after push for euthanasia rejected What do you think doctors would recommend if you or a relative had a serious auto accident, went into a coma upon impact, and had no measurable brain function for 18 days? They would either declare you "brain dead" and push for organ donation, or claim that you would never be anything but a vegetable and push for "pulling the plug." That is what happened in the case of a 25-year-old Wyoming man, but the doctors were wrong. Kevin Monk is very glad that his parents did not listen to the doctors. Though he has difficulty remembering things and had to relearn virtually everything, even how to walk, he is very thankful to have his life and to have a mission to help others. Kevin does remember one thing clearly. While he was in coma he talked to God who said, "My son, I'm not ready for you yet. You still have many things to do for us down there, and when it's your day, I'll bring you back home, but not yet." Kevin teaches a class at the Sierra Hills Assisted Living Community. But his favorite part is witnessing to the people living there. He doesn't want them to be afraid of death because he knows there is something more. "He brings a lot of comfort to the people at Sierra Hills because he tells them about heaven and how wonderful it is," his mom Janice said. "He's made a big difference in a lot of people's lives." In addition to Kevin Monk's case in Wyoming, other known cases over just the last six months where lives were saved after declaration of "brain death" have been reported from Minnesota, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and even Paris, France.
Monday, August 4, 2008 -- The secret is getting out about how to prevent AIDS Good news is coming from India. A July 31st report indicates India is rejecting the international push for so-called comprehensive sex education. Under the justification of fighting the spread of AIDS, sex-education was introduced into Indian schools that promoted condoms and 'safer sex' techniques. This content had been formulated under the direction of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Discovery that the material included a flipchart with graphic illustrations of the human anatomy was met with a nationwide uproar. In parallel with such offensive sex education material, UNICEF is known for dumping condoms into developing nations as a means of fighting AIDS, despite the absence of meaningful data showing that any nation has ever significantly reduced their AIDS rate using this method. A spokesperson for India's National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) told the media last week that sex-education taught to students will focus on abstinence and fidelity, not condoms and 'safer sex.' Given the experiences of the Philippines and Uganda reported previously, the available evidence indicates that India will effectively address the risk of AIDS by executing this strategy. Pray that India provides even more evidence of the folly of condoms and "safe sex" by reducing AIDS cases through focusing on abstinence and fidelity.
Friday, August 1, 2008 -- Simply outrageous! Second PP porno site giving bad advice Maybe you already know about the Planned Parenthood web site targeting young people called teenwire.com. Anyone who has checked out teenwire.com finds outrageous advice for teens there, offered by Planned Parenthood "experts" who answer questions placed by teens, and offer other unsolicited advice, all aimed at encouraging casual sex among teens to generate business for Planned Parenthood. Commenting on Planned Parenthood's media offerings, STOPP Int'l observes,
"It creates sleazy web sites such as teenwire.com But one outrageous web site was not enough. Planned Parenthood's local affiliate for Oregon and Washington has created a new website, TakeCareDownThere.org. Both STOPP and Family Research Council (FRC) have expressed concern about this site's outrageous material. FRC notes that TakeCareDownThere.org posts a series of videos so revolting that members of the FRC staff were visibly shaken. STOPP notes that the web site is "not appropriate for anyone at any age. Yet, Planned Parenthood feels this site is appropriate for teens." Just awareness that such outrageous material is regularly aimed at teens by Planned Parenthood should be sufficient to recognize they endanger teens by encouraging immoral and risky behavior. If you need more evidence, you will need to check out these web sites, but I am not recommending that you do because I agree the material is not approrpriate for anyone.
Thursday, July 31, 2008 -- Treatment denied, but how about assisted suicide? If you live in Oregon and do not have health insurance, don't get a serious illness that requires expensive treatment. If you seek medical treatment for a life threatening condition without health insurance in Oregon, the state will deny treatment, but will offer you the consolation prize of paying for your assisted suicide. You are probably thinking the people denied treatment are 90-year-olds who want heart bypass surgery. Not quite! The latest case is a 53-year-old male with prostrate cancer. He was denied chemotherapy treatment under the Oregon Health Plan. Another case was a woman with lung cancer whose medication was denied. She was fortunate that the company that manufactures the treatment agreed to give her the medication for free. I certainly hope this news reaches the citizens of the state of Washington. They have a ballot initiative seeking to legalize assisted suicide in that state. Maybe if they learn how Oregon has decided to save health care costs, citizens of Washington state might want to reconsider any thought they had of passing that referendum. Might assisted suicide be a state government plot to resolve Medicaid funding shortfalls by chasing the uninsured out of their state? Was that what right-to-die advocates for legalized assisted suicide had in mind? South Dakota update: The latest information available confirms that no abortions were committed in South Dakota on July 21st. Since the abortionist normally only came on Monday, it is reasonably certain that the entire week was abortion free. The status is less certain for July 28th. Some locals are quoted as saying no abortions were committed then either. Others are quoted as saying it looked like business as usual. Other than on July 21st when they were closed, Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls, SD has been open for other services, if not for abortion.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 -- The contrast between approaches is striking You just saw a headline reading, "President reaffirms support for natural family planning over artificial methods." What's happening here? Did Congress actually defund Planned Parenthood and dump the Title X program besides? Did George W. Bush get more direction during Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit than we thought? Actually, the headline applies to the President of the Philippines. During her July 28th State of the Nation Address, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reaffirmed her support for natural family planning over artificial methods such as condoms and pills, and declared her endorsement of the Catholic Church's position on reproductive health issues. Are Filipino families having 8 or more children? No, in fact, President Macapagal-Arroyo said her administration’s adherence to natural methods had actually trimmed the country’s population growth rate. She denounced the campaign aimed at promoting the use of artificial contraception. She must have been referring to a report from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which funded pro-abortion/contraception population management projects in the Philippines last year. That report criticized the Catholic Church and Mrs. Arroyo for opposition to their plans. What is the basis for the Packard Foundation criticism? Are they against even a small increase in population, or are they just pushing their own agenda? Their criticism is baseless. Use of natural methods has also succeeded in keeping AIDS almost non-existent. Exactly what does the Packard Foundation want to "fix" in the Philippines? Maybe they are just against religion.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 -- Tiller to face charges in Kansas criminal court Operation Rescue reported yesterday that notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller will face criminal charges in court after a ruling that the Kansas law banning post-viability abortions is constitutional. District Court Judge Clark V. Owens released a 35-page opinion on the constitutional challenge to the Kansas post-viability abortion ban, saying that "K.S.A. 65-6703 survives all of the constitutional challenges" presented by Tiller. His motion to dismiss the 19 criminal charges against him was denied. Given the many roadblocks to bringing abortionists to justice in Kansas, this step is a major milestone even though the road to achieving justice is still long and hard. Pray for justice in this case!
Monday, July 28, 2008 -- Human cloning firm near bankruptcy Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) has been seeking for years to successfully achieve human cloning and to pursue embryonic stem cell research. As investors became impatient with lack of progress with embryonic stem cells, venture capital has moved to firms seeking advancements with stem cells from adults and umbilical cord blood. In response, ACT has tried to generate government funding. Once California voted to establish a $3 billion fund for embryonic stem cell research, ACT opened a California office to pursue that funding. ACT's Massachusetts office still pursues such funds from that state. Apparently, ACT has not succeeded in obtaining any major government funding so far. A recent Boston Globe article indicates ACT filed a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicating the company does not have enough cash to continue operating after July 31 without raising significant amounts of money or cutting most of its operations. ACT reported $17 million in liabilities and only $1 million in assets. ACT will likely be forced to file for bankruptcy protection or go out of business. ACT's stock now trades for just 2.5 cents. Earlier the stock shot up to $8 a share following press releases making cloning and stem cell research claims that were not entirely true or overstated. Those shaky announcements plus advances in ethical alternatives may be the undoing of ACT. Bioethics expert Wesley J. Smith commented, "I think what killed ACT was the iPSCs. Once normal skin cells could be turned into pluripotent stem cells, the air began to leak out of the cloning balloon." Discovery of this ethical means to obtain embryonic-like stem cells certainly raised new challenges for firms focused on cloning of human embryos so they could be killed for their stem cells.
Friday, July 25, 2008 -- 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae today What is Humanae Vitae? "Humanae Vitae" ("Of Human Life") is an encyclical on artificial contraception written by Pope Paul VI. This encyclical created major controversy because it upholds the church's long-standing prohibition on artificial contraception. Looking back at the epidemic of teen sex, cohabitation, abortion, STDs, child abuse, divorce and single parenthood that have been fostered by contraception and the casual attitude toward sex that it has encouraged, one is challenged to conclude that Pope Paul VI got the message right. Think about it. Didn't the promoters of contraception claim that it would solve most of these problems relating to children and family life that have gotten far worse? Does anyone really think contraception has achieved the glowing results promised by its advocates? The ignored alternative to contraception is natural family planning (NFP). NFP supports fidelity in marriage and the love shared by husband and wife. Maybe that is why divorce among couples who use NFP is under 5%. Apparently NFP fulfills the broken promises claimed for contraception.
Thursday, July 24, 2008 -- Forcing Clients to View Graphic Photos of Abortion What's this? Anti-abortion radicals forcing people to view graphic photos of abortion? No, the article's headline reads, "Planned Parenthood Forces Clients to View Graphic Photos of Abortion." How can this be? There must be some mistake! Well, I'm sure Planned Parenthood did not intend to force clients to view graphic photos of abortion. However, their attempt to capture a Truth Truck that entered their parking lot, thinking they could get police to impound it or something, produced that result in St. Louis last Saturday. The photos of abortion on the Truth Truck showed Planned Parenthood clients what abortion looks like. Police officers made the Planned Parenthood security guards open the gate and allow the Truth Truck to leave because they did not have signs posted to prohibit the truck.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 -- "Endangered" birth control in the news Abortion proponents are livid. They say that President Bush and presumed Republican Presidential nominee John McCain want to limit access to birth control. Are they so insecure about availability of doctors willing to prescribe birth control that protecting the conscience rights of Pro-Life doctors and nurses will make it difficult to obtain birth control products? If that many doctors and nurses really have concerns about contraceptives, maybe there is reason to be concerned about them! Aren't doctors and nurses supposed to guide their patients to make good health care choices? Abortion proponents presume that directing patients to birth control and abortion is good medicine, but suggesting alternatives is a "radical, ideological agenda to turn the clock back on women's rights," as characterized by Hillary Clinton. Abortion proponents want to keep such decisions "between a woman and her doctor" but get upset if the doctor might suggest an alternative, like the British doctor who was investigated because she counseled patients against abortion. They say that government must not get involved, while trying to get more government funding for abortion and birth control, and demanding that government force health care providers to practice medicine with mandated acceptance of abortion and all birth control products. Support the effort to protect conscience rights of Pro-Life doctors and nurses. Call the Dept of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and White House comment lines and simply state: "Health care professionals have a right to practice medicine without violating conscience. Please issue regulations protecting conscience rights soon." The phone numbers are: DHHS: 202-205-5445 and the White House: 202-456-1111.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 -- Informed consent law closes South Dakota PP We cannot thank the people of South Dakota enough. They have found the means to reduce abortions in their state. On Monday when the new South Dakota informed consent law took effect, Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls stopped doing abortions. Since Planned Parenthood is the only abortionist in South Dakota, no abortions were committed in the state. Dr. Allen Unruh, who works with Alpha Pregnancy Center, commented, "Time will tell if Planned Parenthood plans to re-open it’s doors, but as for now, the regular abortions were canceled today as the abortionist refused to show up." The new law requires that the abortionist provide information that "the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being." The mother must also be informed about her health risks and available pregnancy support. Apparently, these requirements motivated the scheduled abortionist to re-evaluate the risk/ reward ratio and decide to commit abortions in other locales where patients are given only Planned Parenthood's "accurate, unbiased information" and deception remains the law of the land.
Monday, July 21, 2008 -- Using global warming against human life not justified As I reported on July 16th, Optimum Population Trust (OPT) has a solution to global warming. OPT wants to reduce the human population from the current 6.7 billion to around 3 billion people, the level of a "sustainable population" per their "scientific" calculations. Ironically, the July issue of the American Physical Society (APS) Forum on Physics & Society raised some scientific challenges about the source of global warming. One key article published there was a paper by Lord Monckton of Brenchley, who was the science advisor to Britain's Thatcher administration. Monckton, says natural variability is the cause of most of the Earth's recent warming. "In the past 70 years the Sun was more active than at almost any other time in the past 11,400 years ... Mars, Jupiter, Neptune’s largest moon, and Pluto warmed at the same time as Earth." Maybe we should not try to cut the human population in half! Why don't we give human life the benefit of the doubt? Maybe the Bible is right when it quotes God telling us children are a blessing, without making an exception for periods of global warming.
Friday, July 18, 2008 -- The sad reality of "choice" Is it choice when both parents want the baby, but the baby is aborted anyway? Here is the tragic story reported by sidewalk counselors Jennifer McCoy, Mary LaFrancis, and Diana D'Amato: A sixteen year old girl from Andover, Kansas, was brought into Tiller's (George Tiller's Wichita abortion mill) today by her mother, in a car with Butler County, Kansas tags at about 11am. The girl was two months pregnant, and the mother (grandmother) had scheduled an early-term abortion for her daughter. The teenaged daughter did not want the abortion, but her mother was forcing her into it. (Kansas Coalition for Life [KCFL] did not receive actionable evidence that the daughter was being forced to have this abortion, until after the unborn child was killed.) In the early afternoon, in a separate vehicle, the father of the child, a young man named Dillon, also sixteen years old, came into Tiller's parking lot, driving a car with a personalized tag, (tag information is on file) in an attempt to save the life of his child. Dillon came to the gate to get help and advice from the proLife counselors on-site. He told Jennifer that his parents were willing to raise the baby, or adopt the baby, or do whatever they could to help him and his girlfriend. Dillon said that he planned to marry the mother of his baby, as soon as they graduated from high school, and that his parents were supportive of this idea. Dillon said that it was only his girlfriend's mother who wanted her to have the abortion, and that she had threatened to disown his girlfriend if she did not go through with the abortion. Jennifer sent the boy into Tiller's to talk to the girl, to let her know, that all she had to do, was to say that she did not want to have the abortion, and at that point, KCFL could call the police, and that the Police would intervene on her behalf. However, about thirty minutes after going into Tiller's building, both the mother and daughter, and Dillon came to the gate, leaving Tiller's parking lot in their cars. The young girl was crying, but the mother who was driving did not stop at the gate. Dillon stopped at the gate and he was crying too. He said that he had gotten there just a few minutes too late. The baby was already dead when they finally let him talk to his girlfriend. Dillon went from crying to sobbing as he talked to Mary LaFrancis at the gate. Dillon has asked KCFL to dedicate one of the Crosses on-site to his baby, as a memorial. We will do so, when he gets back to us with the name of the baby. The situation was upsetting to all the KCFL volunteers on-site all afternoon. There were tears and prayers all afternoon, because of the mean-spiritedness of this abortion. Unfortunately, in the past KCFL volunteers have witnessed similar variations of this story, at least four times since starting the continuous presence on Mother's Day, 2004.. It is not an uncommon scenario, and most young girls simply do not know their rights in this regard. In this case, Planned Parenthood would side with the parent, claiming this mother knows what is best for her daughter. If this same mother was trying to stop her daughter from getting the abortion, Planned Parenthood would claim the mother was interfering with her daughter's "choice." As always, the only choice presented by an abortionist is abortion.
Thursday, July 17, 2008 -- Pro-abort confirmation that contraceptives are abortifacient Do you think doctors and nurses should have the right of conscience to avoid participation in abortion without discrimination or even losing their job? If so, you agree with new rules proposed by the Bush administration's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The proposed DHHS rules define abortion as “any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.” Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America are claiming this definition would “stop the distribution of birth control or contraception.” Their claims confirm that they know and understand the abortifacient effect of contraceptives, which can prevent implantation of human embryos. Usually, they deny the abortifacient effect as “unproven” or “unscientific,” but now they are forced to admit the truth, even if in an indirect way. Why is their concern so great? Planned Parenthood envisions being forced to accommodate employees who refuse to distribute abortifacient birth control. Otherwise, their Federal funding could be challenged for discriminating against such employees under these proposed rules. Could it really happen? Or, are they just being hysterical as reflected in the LifeSiteNews headline “Planned Parenthood in Hysterics over Bush Memo Defining Abortifacient Contraception as Abortion”? If it can happen, we need to swarm Planned Parenthood offices with Pro-Life applicants for jobs just as soon as these rules are finalized. The only catch will be answering their employment questions seeking to demonstrate that each job candidate is committed to the “pro-choice” perspective. Of course, since we are in favor of offering real choices, maybe answering those questions would not be a problem afterall.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 -- Who are the radicals? Defenders of life are often portrayed as "radicals" or "fundamentalists" by promoters of abortion, family planning, and comprehensive sex education. We are accused of "ignoring science to promote an antiquated agenda." In fact, these criticisms apply to our accusers. The latest example comes from statements made by the Optimum Population Trust, apparently in the context of World Population Day on July 11th. Did you miss celebrating it? If so, you did not miss anything. For years the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been preaching the doom of overpopulation. UNFPA used World Population Day to push for more "family planning" which is translated to mean: plan not to have children. UNFPA will not allow scientific analysis and demographic facts to get in the way of their antiquated agenda. Exactly where is the population crisis when most developed nations are having births at rates well below population replacement level and even "third world" nations have seen huge drops in birth rates? So the real crisis is the implication of falling populations on civilization and culture. A number of governments are actually taking steps to encourage more babies. In case inconvenient facts might make agenda-driven overpopulation activists look foolish, along comes Optimum Population Trust (OPT) to the rescue. They say the solution to global warming, still a very hotly debated issue, is to actually reduce the human population to less than half of the current 6.7 billion. Around 3 billion people fits their calculation of a "sustainable population." Their "experts" have even developed "the ecological footprints and biocapacity of 146 nations" to determine a recommended population for each one. OPT has declared "There is no unlimited right to have children." According to OPT, "human rights theory, legal precedent and national and international practice" do not support the UN's reassertion of its 1968 declaration that individuals "have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and timing of their children." "A voluntary population policy should be incorporated into law," OPT said. Watch out for that word "voluntary." OPT quoted an author who praised the population policies of China, which are certainly not voluntary. Of course, the Chinese government denies their policy includes forced abortions and sterilizations. What is the Chinese word for voluntary? I am sure they call their one child birth policy strictly voluntary, or else!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 -- Tiller loses another second opinion Kansas law requires two physicians to sign off on the need for a late-term abortion. Notorious abortionist George Tiller had apparently violated the law by having a business partner vouch for them, rather than obtaining an independent analysis from another doctor. That impropriety led to charges against Tiller that are still pending. Operation Rescue recently learned that Tiller found doctors willing to provide the needed second opinion. Fortunately, as soon as this information became public, these doctors withdrew their services. What will Tiller do next to try to cover his illegal late-term abortions?
Monday, July 14, 2008 -- Face the Truth Tour comes to downtown Chicago Today the Pro-Life Action League Fact the Truth Tour made three stops in downtown Chicago. I participated in the mid-day stop at Daley Plaza. As many as 50 people were holding signs showing pictures of what abortion is, distributed at streetside along the sidewalks surrounding Daley Plaza. I experienced more positive responses than negative by 4 to 1. About 15-20 young people came from Christian Liberty Academy to particpate. It was great to see their young faces and enthusiasm for the cause of life.
Friday, July 11, 2008 -- Sliding down the slippery slope on euthanasia Not surprisingly, it happened at the same hospice where Terri Schiavo was killed. LifeNews.com reports that a conscious patient died from starvation and dehydration at that hospice. Doctors at Hospice of Florida Suncoast pulled the feeding tube of 26-year-old Bradley Whaley, apparently without any objection from his parents.Wesley Smith, a leading authority on euthanasia issues, expressed serious concerns about this trend. "For more than ten years I have been telling anyone who will listen that unquestionably conscious cognitively disabled patients are being denied sustenance in every state in this country, so long as no family member objects," he stated. Ultimately, Smith says the decision to kill a conscious patient has horrible ramifications for patients nationwide and yields a bias against the disabled. "Now, virtually anyone who needs a feeding tube and can't make their own decisions--conscious or not--can and are being denied food and water," he concluded. Tragically, a similar case to Terri Schiavo is now occurring in Italy. A court there has ruled that a father can have the feeding tube denied to his daughter.
Thursday, July 10, 2008 -- Abortionist claims he is "doing God's work" Arkansas abortionist William Harrison revealed his justification for committing abortions in a letter to the editor that he forwarded to prominent pro-life psychologist Warren Throckmorton. They were emailing each other about the recently upheld South Dakota law that requires abortionists to inform women about the risks of and alternatives to abortion.Harrison stated, "For those girls and women and their families whose circumstances would make their babies 'luckless human souls' I 'cancel' them before they become babies. We who cancel 'luckless human souls' are doing God’s work." Harrison referred to babies who die from spontaneous abortions as "just such luckless human souls" who are "canceled by God." Thus, he justifies abortion as doing what God already practices in the case of miscarriages. I first encountered that justification of abortion when an abortionist, located in Orland Park for a number of years during the 1980's, came out one Saturday to express himself to the vigil participants gathered there. He suggested we should all go home because he was only doing what God did with miscarriages. The only problem is that neither that abortionist, whose name escapes me, nor Harrison is God.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 -- Reality check on Gardasil Yesterday, CBS news reported on serious complications from the Gardasil vaccine. One father who is also a doctor described Gardasil as "an unproven vaccine against a few strains of a nonlethal virus that can be dealt with in many more effective ways." His 18-year-old daughter developed "a horrible autoimmune myofasciitis that is so painful Amanda had to go on morphine for the pain."The CBS report states: One thing that's different about Amanda's case than some of the others is that both of her parents are medical doctors who didn't think twice about having their daughter get the shot – but are now second-guessing themselves. They call their daughter's illness after Gardasil "a very sobering experience." Amanda's dad says, "as the father of three girls, I've had to ask myself why I let my eldest one get an unproven vaccine against a few strains of a nonlethal virus that can be dealt with in many more effective ways. It's not like they are at high risk. It was the regrettable acceptance of the vaccine party line that [mis]led me." In my opinion, it will not be known for many years if Gardasil has any impact on the rate of cervical cancer. However, given that HPV strains that currently are associated with at least 30% of cervical cancer cases are not even claimed to be prevented by Gardasil, any reduction in frequency of Pap smears means the possibility of missing the development of cervical cancer from those other HPV strains. Since Gardasil does not reduce any other medical steps to avoid cervical cancer, taking any risk for minimal gain seems to be highly questionable. Why take such a risk just to be a guinea pig for Merck to see if Gardasil actually accomplishes anything 30-40 years from now?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 -- No choice allowed but abortion? Recently, I have presented evidence that those who call themselves "pro-choice" usually turn out to be very much against choice. For example, the "pro-choice" AMA does not want doctors to have a choice not to perform, or at least refer for, abortions.In England, a doctor who counsels women about alternatives to abortion was investigated, but cleared after complaints from a pro-abortion physician upset by her actions. Apparently, strong "encouragement" that abortion is the right choice is never a problem, but serious discussion of alternatives to abortion is automatically assumed to be an imposition on the will of the patient. Dr. Tammie Downes has practiced medicine for 13 years and says she would readily talk to women about abortion alternatives, including keeping the baby. Through her efforts, she says one-third of her patients in crisis pregnancy situations didn't have an abortion and credits the counseling with saving at least eight babies. Fortunately, the General Medical Council found that Downes did not breach its medical and ethical guidelines with the counseling. That decision prevents Downes from being removed from the medical register of licensed physicians. Even with this good news, just imagine the intimidation factor created in favor of abortion. Any British doctor who presents alternatives to abortion, with some patients choosing those alternatives, may be putting their livelihood as a physician at risk. How many physicians will choose to forget the alternatives because they do not consider it worth the risk to present them?
Monday, July 7, 2008 -- Freedom of speech defended by court ruling Just before the Fourth of July holiday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in favor of freedom of speech. This ruling confirmed the First Amendment protects the right to display pictures of aborted babies on a truck driven near a school. The truck was provided by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and driven around Dodson Middle School in Rancho Palos Verdes 30 minutes before classes began.Although the 7-by-20-foot truck displayed graphic photos of aborted fetuses, the government "cannot silence messages simply because they cause discomfort, fear or even anger," concluded the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco."The Ninth Circuit’s decision affirms that there is no double standard for pro-life speech under our Constitution," stated attorney Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center. "In its ruling, the Court upheld the fundamental principle of the First Amendment that government officials cannot prohibit silent, peaceful, non-obstructive, political speech on the public streets, a traditional public forum, because certain listeners or viewers find the speech offensive," he added. Thursday, July 3, 2008 -- Happy Fourth of July! Tomorrow we celebrate the birthday of our nation. Let us pray that our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness will not be forgotten as we continue defending the first of these rights, the right to life, against those who want to dehumanize people who are inconvenient or powerless to defend themselves. Wednesday, July 2, 2008 -- News blackout of unborn personhood A significant court ruling on June 27th by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit got very little attention from the mainstream media. A June 30th WorldNetDaily headline read, “Court affirms law calling unborn 'living human beings.'” That headline does not immediately reveal that this ruling was a big loss for Planned Parenthood in South Dakota. The Eighth Circuit ruling lifts an injunction obtained by Planned Parenthood to prevent enforcement of a South Dakota law. That law requires abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood to tell women seeking abortions that they may face serious medical conditions and will "terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being." Apparently, Federal court affirmation of children in the womb as human beings is not considered newsworthy. That same day a funeral was held in Detroit, Michigan for seven aborted babies found by defenders of life in the trash behind the Women's Advisory abortion clinic in Livonia, Michigan. Monica Miller comments on the media black out: "So far all secular coverage of the Woman's Advisory clinic ( and the Livonia Observer is no exception) has only focused on the bio-hazard waste issues--despite our enormous efforts to get the media to cover the funeral of the babies. Press releases re the burial were sent to all major media outlets--numerous phone calls were made to reporters and editors--but for some reason when the babies are embraced back into the human family, treated with respect, buried in a funeral Mass attended by 600 people with a bishop presiding THIS IS NOT NEWS! I wish SOMEONE would explain it to me-----!!!!! The Livonia Observer reporter came to the press conference in front of the clinic--but did not report on the burial."These two examples demonstrate the tremendous bias of the mainstream media on life issues.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008 -- New Pro-Life activists Today I met with two recent college graduates who are involved in establishing a Pro-Life network for college students in Illinois, called Students for Life of Illinois. Their mission is to help students to be more effective on their campuses by training them to change the culture.Survery information suggests young people are more Pro-Life, but often become less so during college. An organization like Students for Life of Illinois is needed to help reinforce those Pro-Life convictions of students entering college so they can make a difference by defending human life in the world after graduation.
PRO-LIFE BLOG ARCHIVE June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008
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