Illinois Right to Life Committee
PRO-LIFE BLOG Normally updated daily. For a voice recording of this information, call 312-422-9303.
Friday, Feb 5, 2010 -- Super Bowl ad sheds light on life, and its opponents Do not ignore the commercials during the Super Bowl on Sunday February 7th or you might miss the Pro-Life commercial featuring football star Tim Tebow and his mother. Even without seeing the ad, abortion advocates have been going bonkers, demanding that CBS cancel the ad. The theme of the ad is "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life", but based on the Focus on the Family origin of the ad, NOW ("National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time" -- per Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post) has labeled it "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning." Even people who call themselves "pro-choice" have become critical of the effort to get the ad cancelled, recognizing that choosing life over abortion under difficult circumstances is a positive choice.Feminist attorney Gloria Allred called the ad "misleading advertising" and threatened a lawsuit, based on the fact that abortion is illegal in the Philippines, and her assumption that no doctor would recommend an abortion. Then Kim Gandy of Feminist Majority Foundation claimed, "The implicit suggestion that pregnant women whose health is at risk shouldn't worry because nothing bad will happen is downright dangerous, even if the story is true." Thus, the advocates for "choice" think an unseen ad is "offensive and demeaning to women" (because it might suggest that life is a better choice than abortion), "misleading" (because the mother was "forced" by law to carry the pregnancy to term), and "dangerous" (because fighting for the life of your baby is a health risk to be avoided). Somehow, trying to sell these radical ideas to the general public seems to be a losing proposition, but this ad has motivated abortion advocates to put all their cards on the table. It appears they have a losing hand, as their strategy is backfiring tremendously, giving the ad a huge amount of extra publicity that it would never have received if they had just ignored it. In this case, abortion advocates did not get the cooperation they counted on from the media to cover up their losing hand one more time. This time the message that choosing life, even under dire circumstances, is more noble than sacrificing your child to abortion, will be aired for all to see, and even without mentioning the word abortion, everyone will know the issue that is being addressed. That is what is driving abortion advocates bonkers. The truth hurts those who are living a lie!
Thursday, Feb 4, 2010 -- Abortions increasing around the world British-based Marie Stopes International (MSI) just announced that it committed 920,000 abortions in 43 nations in 2009. MSI cited its largest annual growth in the organization's 33-year history. The 920,000 medical and surgical abortions represented a 56% increase over the previous year. MSI revealed that most of its locations are in developing countries and in rural areas or urban slums, where it claims the "need" for abortion is greatest. Whille there is no direct correlation between this huge increase in abortions committed by MSI and funding from the U.S. government, there certainly seems to be a connection between this infliction of more abortions on poor people and the efforts of the Obama administration to expand support for international abortions. MSI is the second major international abortion provider to announce a huge increase in business. Just one month ago International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) revealed a major increase in their "abortion services" in their annual report for 2008-2009. IPPF provided 1,134,549 “abortion services” compared with 652,010 in the previous year -- an even more rapid increase than MSI.
Wednesday, Feb 3, 2010 -- Proposed budget has record deficits, but funds abortion The recently proposed Federal budget for Fiscal Year 2011 projects record deficits because of its expansion of so many gaovernment programs. Included there are provisions to directly fund abortion in a number of ways. These pro-abortion provisions cover public funding of abortions in the District of Columbia, allow the Legal Services Corporation (financed by tax dollars) to file lawsuits against Pro-Life legislation, provide more money for Planned Parenthood, and reinstate funding for the United Nations Population Fund, which has supported China’s one-child policy. The campaign rhetoric of wanting to take steps to reduce abortion always seems to get translated into steps that will increase abortions. That result is certainly consistent with the business plan of Planned Parenthood, as revealed by Abby Johnson, the former director of a Texas Planned Parenthood. She summarized that business plan while attending the March for Life on January 22, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, Feb 2, 2010 -- Who condones violence? When Scott Roeder murdered late-term abortionist George Tiller last May, Pro-Life organizations all condemned the violence, even though Scott Roeder was not affiliated with any Pro-Life group. In contrast, when Harlan Drake murdered Pro-Life activist James Pouillon, abortion advocates raised hardly a peep. Of course, Drake was not affiliated with abortion advocates either. That pattern of silent acceptance of pro-abortion violence has been repeated, but this time much closer to home. A uniformed Planned Parenthood escort, Gerard Nordley, confronted Pro-Life advocate Lila Rose in December, eventually striking her on the hand, knocking her literature to the ground. Planned Parenthood made no statement about this violence, offered no apology to Lila Rose for the actions of their agent, and has failed to respond to inquiries about the incident. Pro-Life blogger Cassy Fiano has called Planned Parenthood's public relations department repeatedly for over a month, but without any response. Fiano stated, "I genuinely wanted to know their side of the story. Have they done their own investigation into this? Is the escort, Gerard Nordley, still working with Planned Parenthood? Do they have a statement? Will they issue an apology?" As usual, the rules Planned Parenthood expects to apply to others never seem to apply to them.
Monday, Feb 1, 2010 -- Abstinence education is thrown out of Wisconsin schools Logic and common sense have now been through out of schools in Wisconsin. The state legislature has passed a bill mandating that all sexual education classes in public schools teach about contraception. The timing could not be more ironic. At almost the same time a study was published that again shows teaching abstinence produces results while so-called comprehensive sex education does not. Another irony observed by a critic of the Wisconsin bill was its justification. Proponents used Milwaukee’s atrocious teen pregnancy and STD rates to push for this bill, but this style of comprehensive sex education is what has been taught in the Milwaukee Public School system for well over a decade, and look where it has gotten them. Of course, when politicians listen to the likes of Planned Parenthood, logic takes a back seat to their political agenda. The mystery is why anyone actually considers their "solution" as viable when it nevers works except to generat more abortion business for them.
Friday, Jan 29, 2010 -- Hospice hastening death in Eastern Iowa I received a call from a nurse in Iowa. She explained that she had experienced some "suspicious" care decisions in her dealings with a hospice there. Her own mother was under the care of this hospice when she recognized that a prescription for morphine was dangerously high. She was forced to argue about this dosage and eventually moved her mother to another hospice. Meanwhile, another patient she knew well that was under this hospice's care was similarly prescribed a high dosage of morphine. She intervened to help prevent this dosage from being given to that patient. The patient is still alive five months later because the morphine has been rejected, as the patient was not in pain anyway. The caller explained how she took these situations to the management of the hospice, but only received evasive answers and attempted justifications. Unfortunately, this situation suggests another hospice that is failing to carry out the hospice mission to never hasten death. It is fortunate that a better hospice is available in that area. Use the IRLC Hospice Checklist to assess a hospice before making any commitments to use its services.
Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 -- Latest deception based on teen pregnancy statistics The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion group formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, recently released a report showing that teen pregnancy rates increased for the first time in more than a decade. Of course, they immediately blamed abstinence programs. A more thoughtful analysis of the timing and implications was provided by American Life League: • Prior to 1990, teen pregnancy rates were increasing just about
every year, as Planned Parenthood’s sex-ed programs dominated public and private
school sex-education courses.
Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 -- Abortion advocates going ballistic as losses mount The nightmare for abortion advocates actually began when polling data showed U.S. citizens are becoming more Pro-Life. They really took notice with the loss of a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. Now they are very concerned that they are losing government-funded abortion coverage, even though many pro-abortion members of Congress are still claiming that abortion is not funded under the health care bill. When Planned Parenhood rallies their supporters to demand action on health care because "too many lawmakers seem ready to give up on reform" and "we've never had a better chance to expand access to" abortion, what does that tell you about abortion coverage in the health care bill? As usual when they are losing support, abortion advocates always look for new ways to attack their opposition. In Virginia and Washington state bills have been introduced to attack pregnancy centers, trying to put them out of business. Fortunately, the Virgina bills were quickly defeated in subcommittee so the lies about pregnancy care centers received no support there. Some abortion advocates are using the trial of Scott Roeder, accused of murdering late-term abortionist George Tiller, to again ask the Obama administration to investigate Pro-Life organizations by claiming Pro-Life groups are fostering a climate of violence that motivated Scott Roeder to kill, even though he was not affiliated with any Pro-Life group. Abortion advocates cannot stomach the possibility of a positive Pro-Life message reaching the public during the February 7th Super Bowl. They are attacking the CBS-approved 30-second ad featuring University of Florida football star Tim Tebow, demanding that CBS cancel it. Of course, the leaders of this anti-life campaign have not even seen the ad, but since Focus on the Family is sponsoring it, it must be a terrible threat to abortion "rights". In fact, their diatribe is giving the ad and Pro-Lifers free publicity. Last night, Chicago CBS Channel 2 did a long story on the controversy. Does anyone think that a call for censorship will be viewed positively by the general public? After not getting even a second of coverage for the March for Life, this unexpected publicity can only be beneficial to the Pro-Life cause. The recent Supreme Court decision that rejected certain restrictions on corporate advertising as unconstitutional violations of First Amendment rights has abortion advocates nervous. The ruling rejected some long-standing precedents, suggesting a possible line of reasoning to throw out Roe v. Wade. Just when they thought everything was lined up to move rapidly in their favor, abortion advocates are finding roadblocks developing in their path. Pray that these trends continue and lead to significant Pro-Life victories.
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010 -- Mixed messages on the direction of health care "reform" Maybe Democratic leaders who are pushing the government takeover of health care have decided "if you can't convince them, confuse them." After signals suggesting the need to create a scaled-back health care bill in response to Scott Brown's Senate win in Massachusetts, the hard line push seems to have returned, given the message from President Obama's advisors on the weekend television shows, but the strategy will be worked out behind closed doors as usual. While President Obama will apparently downplay health care in favor of focusing on job creation and control of government spending during his State of the Union address tomorrow, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now plans to try talking House members into approving the Senate's pro-abortion health care bill with some changes, and then having the Senate use the controversial reconciliation process to affirm those changes. The Senate would vote on the House changes to its health care bill using the reconciliation process normally reserved for budget items. This move would allow the Democratic majority to pass the changes with 51 votes instead of needing 60 votes to end a filibuster, which can't be stopped now that Scott Brown of Massachusetts gives the Republicans 41 votes. Pelosi plans to flesh out the potential changes that could get enough votes in the House when Democrats hold party caucus meetings this week. Her strategy could be short lived if House members have too many objections to various provisions in the Senate bill. Pray, and call your Congressman, to encourage House members to have more than enough objections that cannot be resolved. Be sure to remind them there is an election in November.
Monday, Jan 25, 2010 -- Abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty as life issues As has been done for a number of years, my church observed a memorial for the 51 million babies lost to abortion since 1973. Positive feedback was received about the video played for this memorial, but suggestions were also made to include other life issues. In considering videos for next year's memorial for babies lost to abortion, finding material that would cover Down syndrome babies, and possibly those with other disabilities, who are aborted so frequently would be consistent with a memorial for babies lost to abortion. An image of Terri Schiavo did appear in this year's video so euthanasia was subtlely addressed. To address it more as part of a memorial for babies lost to abortion, one approach would be a video that portrayed the slippery slope from abortion to euthanasia. It might be difficult to cover such concepts in a 3-4 minute video. Might it be possible to schedule playing another video on euthanasia some other time of year? The annual memorial for Terri Schiavo (Terri's Day) is March 31, the day she died from starvation and dehydration. With both abortion and euthanasia, people may encounter friends, relatives, or neighbors who are or know someone who is considering abortion, or people who are struggling with pressure to take steps that will hasten the death of an ailing relative. Offering a memorial for aborted babies helps to encourage a change in perspective and the possibility of taking action that may save a life. If an appropriate time could be determined to focus on euthanasia, this information could have a similar direct effect. Addressing the death penalty is much more remote. No one in a church congregation is likely to have any means to deal with carrying out or blocking use of the death penalty. Making this issue even more remote in Illinois, there is a moratorium on use of the death penalty so it has not been used even once since at least 2002. When there were 47,717 abortions in Illinois in 2008, and 25,529 of those occurred in Cook County, and both cultural attitudes and outside pressure on families are encouraging more frequent use of actions or inactions that hasten death, it seems that the emphasis needs to be placed on these issues that can potentially have a direct bearing on saving lives.
Friday, Jan 22, 2010 -- Spelling the beans on Planned Parenthood's real agenda While I listened to the brief, but inspiring, talks of religious and political figures at the Rally for Life that preceeded the 2010 March for Life, EWTN broke away at one point to interview Abby Johnson, the former director of a Texas Planned Parenthood. Abby was attending her first March for Life, as a recent convert to the cause. Abby very quickly revealed some key points about the agenda of Planned Parenthood. Their goal is to "make every family planning center into an abortion center" by dispensing the abortion drug RU-486. They are "abortion minded all the time." Abortion will make them money and "that is what Planned Parenthood is about." "Planned Parenthood plans to open super-centers. All of them will be late-term abortion facilities, up to 24-25 weeks." Remember this testimony from an insider the next time you hear Planned Parenthood claim that "they prevent more abortions daily than pro-lifers ever do" as they tout their birth control distribution as a means to reduce unwanted pregnancy and abortion. They must know the reverse effect in fact occurs. Otherwise, they would be totally violating their own business objectives.
Thursday, Jan 21, 2010 -- 40 Days for Life coming to 4 Illinois cities, 156 nationally The locations of the Lenten
40 Days for Life vigils (from Feb 17th to Mar 28th) have been announced. Four of
these vigils will take place in Illinois. The Illinois locations are: If you are able to attend 40 Days for Life at any of these locations, allow some time on your calendar now to help maintian this 40-day vigil. Whether you can participate at the vigil or not, plan to pray and fast for the success of 40 Days for Life. May more babies be saved, more abortion industry employees converted, and more abortion locations closed.
Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010 -- Can the health care bill survive after the MA election? I don't see how. The election of Republican Scott Brown to take the seat previously held by Edward Kennedy's has changed the dynamics in Washington, D.C. Per Gary Bauer of Campaign for Working Families, it appears members of Congress do not see how either. He reports, "Even Barney Frank is in full retreat, saying today: '…there is now no bill that I believe can pass or should pass.' Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was even more frank, saying, 'If there isn’t any recognition that we got the message and we are trying to recalibrate and do things differently, we are not only going to risk looking ignorant but arrogant.'" Bauer further observed, "Late yesterday evening, Democrats huddled in Speaker Pelosi’s office to commiserate after the people of Massachusetts drove a stake through the heart of the trillion-dollar, pro-abortion, Big Government, socialized medicine monstrosity. Speaker Pelosi kept a stiff upper lip as she quietly left Capitol Hill just before midnight after a contentious caucus meeting. Fear and panic is spreading among the rank and file. Democrats are in total disarray today." Lifenews quotes Bart Stupak saying, "The Senate bill, and I know leadership has flowed with the idea over the weekend that let's just take the Senate bill and just vote on it in the House floor. I bet it wouldn't get a hundred votes." It looks like the idea of avoiding any more Senate votes is not going anywhere either.
Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010 -- Planned Parenthood is shrinking while awaiting a gov't bailout I recently checked to confirm the closure of Planned Parenthood Express in Schaumburg. That location has disappeared from locations listed for Illinois, but the count dropped by two. What other Planned Parenthood location was closed? After checking further, I was able to determine that their location in Clinton, IL was also closed recently. Planned Parenthood of Illinois now has 18 locations statewide, down from 25 just a few years ago. Their count shows 22, but they double count each of the four locations that commit abortions. Are they trying to cover up their shrinking presence in Illinois? Nationally, at the end of 2009 Planned Parenthood had 817 locations (down from 844 at the end of 2008), including 797 clinics and 20 "express" sites. Express sites dropped from 31 to 20 in just one year, suggesting that they have not found this approach effective. Just a few years ago, over 50 express sites existed. The health care bill in Congress must be stopped or Planned Parenthood will get a huge govenment bailout and their downward trend will be turned around.
Monday, Jan 18, 2010 -- On MLK Day, where is the outrage about black genocide? On a day when Americans across the country celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his desire to regard all people as Americans worthy of equal treatment, his niece, Dr. Alveda King, says King's dream, if announced today, would also include protecting unborn children from abortion. She said he would agree that, when it comes to treating all people with respect, that he would include babies before birth. Where are President Obama, Jesse Jackson, and the Congressional Black Caucus? Unfortunately, they all support "a woman's right to choose" even though this choice represents the genocide of future generations of African-Americans, with Planned Parenthood ready and willing to carry it out. In observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Arizona Congressman Trent Franks noted, "An astonishing 50% of African-American babies are killed by abortion, and nearly 80% of abortion clinics are deliberately located in or near predominantly minority neighborhoods." When will African-American leadership finally recognize the serious impact of the "right to choose" that they support?
Friday, Jan 15, 2010 -- 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade one week away Do you know the #1 killer in our nation? It's not cancer. It's not heart disease. It is abortion! And it is curable! Abstinence and adoption are the two recommended treatments. Abortion does not happen by chance or heredity like cancer. It is a chosen decision. Choose life! January 22, 2010 is the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion nationwide for all nine months of pregnancy under any circumstances. After Roe v Wade in 1973, the annual abortion rate climbed almost every year through 1990, peaking with over 1.6 million abortions. Pregnancy care centers, informed consent and parental notice laws, etc. cut annual abortions to 1.2 million 15 years later in 2005. In the last few years, annual abortions have continued to decline slowly, but remain well over one million per year. The adverse impact of Roe v Wade is visible throughout our society. The legal system has established inconsistent, unsound, and unjust legal principles. Respect for and treatment of women has been damaged by focusing so much on abortion at the expense of other women’s issues. The medical profession has moved toward viewing death as a solution. The Roe v. Wade ruling has circumvented the political and legislative environment by restricting political and legislative action on abortion. During these 37 years over 51 million babies have died when their mothers were victimized by the lie that abortion will solve their "problem". Pray for an end to this American holocaust. If you (or a person you know) needs to talk to someone to seek reconciliation and healing from an abortion, people are available who are ready to help you. Please call Rachels Vineyard at 877-HOPE4ME or your local pregnancy care center (see “abortion alternatives” in the Yellow Pages).
Thursday, Jan 14, 2010 -- Preview of heavy hand of government in health care? LifeSiteNews reports that Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine was denied Title X “family planning” funds from the Federal government on the basis that offering “emergency contraception” at the school’s health-clinic was a necessary prerequisite. The school board approved plans to offer contraception to students and screen for sexually transmitted diseases, but had blocked distributing abortifacient “emergency contraception,” called the “morning after pill.” Although the school’s health-center secured $18,000 in state funds, the school was denied matching funds from the Federal government for that reason. IRLC would be opposed to any high school offering any contraception to students, but this situation demonstrates what happens when Federal funding is involved in health care. Local decisions get overruled by Federal policies. Just imagine how such policies will control individual health care decisions if the current health care "reform" would get approved!
Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 -- PP director promotes natural family planning There must be a misprint! How can the executive director of a Planned Parenthood affiliate want to publicize natural family planning? Laura Wershler, executive director for Sexual Health Access Alberta (SHAA, formerly known as Planned Parenthood Alberta), has criticized the medical establishment for its pill-focused approach to contraception. I know what you think -- the new name indicates this organization is no longer affiliated with Planned Parenthood. Not correct! SHAA is affilated with the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (CFSH, formerly Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada), and CFSH is shown as the Canadian member of International Planned Parenthood Federation. What could motivate Laura Wershler to advocate natural methods of birth regulation that involve awareness about the woman’s reproductive cycle? It seems that health concerns and environmental factors are motivating some women to “ditch” the pill. Wershler observed, "What's happening is we're not developing support, programs and advocacy for women looking for non-hormonal methods." Does she represent a new insight that will move Planned Parenthood away from pushing hormonal contraceptives, or simply an anomaly that will quickly disappear?
Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010 -- More attempts to paint Pro-Lifers as domestic terrorists [Update: On 01/20/10 Erroll Southers withdrew his name from consideration as TSA nominee.] Will prominent Pro-Life leaders begin appearing on the no-fly list? Since Transportation Security Administration (TSA) nominee Erroll Southers classifies Pro-Life advocates among home-grown terrorist groups, how long might it take after he is confirmed? A recently revealed documentary asked Southers, "Which home-grown terrorist groups pose the greatest danger to the U.S." Southers explained, "Most of the domestic groups that we pay attention to here are white supremacist groups. They're anti-government, in most cases anti-abortion, they are usually survivalist type in nature, identity oriented." Fortunately, Senator Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, put a hold on the nomination of Southers to head the TSA, and the new video is likely to expand opposition to his nomination. This video is the latest reminder of the 2009 report by the Department of Homeland Security that was sent out to law enforcement around the nation, saying Pro-Life advocates were right-wing extremists. That report was later rescinded, but apparently the concept was just put on the back burner until another approach might be tried later.
Monday, Jan 11, 2010 -- Do private insurers like paying for abortion? David Whelan, a staff writer at Forbes, published an article (ObamaCare: Why Private Insurers Like Paying for Abortion) on January 7th that establishes the premise that most private insurance companies pay for abortions and find it financially rewarding to do so. It appears to me that this Forbes article claiming health insurance covers abortion because it saves the insurance companies money is either poorly researched, or intended to mislead by attempting to convince people that it is not reasonable to prevent abortion funding under the insurance exchanges created by the current health care bill. Since the only reference cited in the article is John Nugent, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, I think that the article is guilty on both counts. In August 2009 statistics became available from Michigan about funding sources for abortions in that state, as covered by LifeNews. Only 1.8% of abortions were paid for with insurance while 98.1% were paid for "out-of-pocket." So I looked at pro-abortion web sites to see what they had posted about state restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion. I found Guttmacher statistics showing states that restrict abortion coverage in health care insurance. But Michigan was not listed as a state where abortion coverage was restricted by state law. So, given that only 1.8% of Michigan abortions are covered by insurance without having a state law restricting such coverage, how can anyone conclude that insurance companies favor abortion for financial reasons?
Friday, Jan 8, 2010 -- Everyone is NOT doing it! Parents are familiar with their children's attempts to get permission for something by saying "everyone is doing it." The media, entertainment industry, and advocates of "comprehensive" sex education are all telling us that among teenagers, "everyone is doing it" with regard to sexual activity and that "abstinence does not work." On 1/6/10 the Chicago Tribune published an article "Checking America's Pulse." Included was a chart showing the results toward achieving national health goals set 10 years ago by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Categories ranged from strokes and heart disease to fruit and vegetable consumption. Did you know that DHHS set a goal that condom usage among sexually active 9-12th graders (ages 15-17) reach 49% for girls and 79% for boys? Would you be happy to know that they consider the goal achieved because their statistics show that sexually active girls went from 39% usage in 1995 to 56% in 2002 while boys went from 70% usage in 1995 to 84% in 2002? Apparently teenagers are having sex and more of them are "taking precautions" consistent with the message of "comprehensive" sex ed. But wait a minute! Another goal was that 75% of 9-12th grade students (both boys and girls ages 15-17) are not sexually active. What kind of results were achieved on that goal? Not a chance, right? Don't you recall hearing often that nearly half (or more) of teenagers are sexually active? Well, it is true that the 75% goal was not achieved. However, DHHS statistics show that 9-12th grade girls who are NOT sexually active moved from 62% in 1995 to 70% in 2002, while 9-12th grade boys who are NOT sexually active moved from 57% to 68% in that period of time. Thus, a solid majority of both male and female high school students are practicing abstinence, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers this is a healthy practice, and set a goal for even more students to join them. Still, something does not seem right! If NOT being sexually active is officially recognized as healthy for teenagers, why is teaching abstinence considered out-of-touch, as labeled by the current politically correct urgency to teach "comprehensive" sex ed? Where do these statistics that nearly half (or more) of teenagers are sexually active originate from? Have we discovered another case where the proponents of "science" and "medical accuracy" are conveniently lying with statistics? Let's consider two examples. Fifty-two percent (52%) of teens report that they have sexually active friends. Since many students could know the same person who is sexually active, this statistic is meaningless in determining sexual activity rates. Currently 46.8% of all high school students report they have had sexual intercourse. Again, this statistic does not reflect ongoing sexual activity. If the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics have any merit, the difference must mean that a significant number of teenagers found casual sex undesirable and chose abstinence instead. Everyone is NOT doing it!
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 -- Value of life experienced through tragic circumstances Doesn't everyone praise people when they hear their stories of overcoming tragic circumstances? People who struggle with disabilities are the most common case. Their achievements and determination are praised and recognized. Anyone who might discriminate against them is insensitive or worse. How many of those same people are willing to write off unborn children with disabilies under the logic "they would be better off dead" or "they would suffer too much"? Where do they think the people who they were just praising came from? It's like the right brain is disconnected from the left brain. Recognizing the value of life must begin at the beginning. People who will face challenges must be allowed to live or they will never have the opportunity to overcome those challenges. Sometimes other circumstances raise awareness of the value of life as well. LifeSiteNews has reported on Cathie Doroshenko, who died in her home, 3 ½ years after giving birth to her daughter Victoria Faith. Victoria was saved from premature death only through her mother's stubborn refusal to get an abortion, over and against medical advice to the contrary. In 2003, when Cathie was 11 weeks pregnant, she was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. After being advised by doctors at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York that it would be in her "best interest to abort her fetus" before beginning treatment for cancer, she told her husband Peter that she was not going to give up on herself or her child because of the cancer. Steps were taken to protect Victoria from those cancer treatments that were started before her birth, and she was born healthy. Cathie battled the cancer for 3 ½ more years while cherishing motherhood with her new daughter and her husband. Mike Hermanstorfer thought he had lost everything when his wife apparently died in childbirth. Neither the medical steps taken to save her nor the caesarean section to save their baby appeared to be successful. After a few agonizing minutes of doctors trying to revive the baby, the father says he saw his son begin to stir in his arms, and soon learned that his wife had also miraculously revived. "I had everything in the world taken from me, and in an hour and a half I had everything given to me." Both of these families understand the value of human life. May others gain such insight without needing to experience such tragic circumstances. It is time to connect the recognition of the achievements of those who must overcome obstacles with the origin of those obstacles, so the lives of all unborn children are respected and given this chance to succeed.
Wednesday, Jan 6, 2010 -- Health care provider or abortionist? Planned Parenthood claims they are a vital health care provider, including the claim that they reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions. If you have seen my previous commentary, you are already aware that I am not buying such claims. New evidence confirms my conclusion with an exclamation point! On January 18th, Planned Parenthood is planning to open its largest abortion business in the nation -- 78,000 square feet in Houston, Texas. This new abortion center dwarfs new ones in Denver (50,000 sf) and Aurora, IL (22,000 sf). Exactly why would you build such large facilities if you were sincerely working to reduce abortions? The testimony of Abby Johnson, the former director of a Planned Parenthood facility in nearby Bryan-College Station, has already confirmed that their employees are expected to work to increase Planned Parenthood's high profit abortion business. Isn't that internal confirmation that they know wider distribution of birth control leads to more abortions, not less? Since Planned Parenthood has an international branch, what does their recent annual report for 2008-2009 tell us? International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) boasts of increased activity across all of its lines of work, including condom distribution, advocacy and abortion services. IPPF’s abortion business boomed. The organization provided 1,134,549 “abortion services” compared with 652,010 in the previous year -- almost double in just one year. Despite this huge increase in abortion services, IPPF remains unsatisfied with the figure, arguing that "in comparison to other types of services provided by IPPF Member Associations, these figures remain low and indicate that much needs to be done in terms of future investment in this area if IPPF is to meet its objectives of providing women with the choice and right to safe abortion when faced with an unwanted pregnancy." Again, within their own materials, Planned Parenthood reveals their agenda is to increase abortions. Why did they not suggest the need to expand distribution of birth control as a means to prevent unwanted pregnancy? Could it be they are fully aware they have already flooded most third world nations with birth control supplies, making them much easier to find than other critical medical supplies? All the evidence reveals that Planned Parenthood is primarily an abortion provider. All other health care services are incidental as a means to both locate and generate abortion business. With their mission of population control, more abortions helps achieve that mission. If some mothers become infertile after unsafe abortions, and some even die, this mission is advanced further. No wonder they focus on minority populations that are considered less desirable.
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2010 -- Another case of using morphine to hasten death Today I had a long conversation with a woman who is haunted by images of witnessing her father succumb to a combination of morphine and Ativan. Her father's doctor on a number of occasions would blatantly say, "It's time. It will only take a day." But this caller and her mother rejected the idea that it was time to hasten her father's death. After a number of such occasions over six months, the doctor managed to achieve his goal by introducing morphine when the patient was brought to the hospital for a blood transfusion. This supposedly easy exit actually extended over four days. During that time this daughter stayed with her father and witnessed him going through agitated states of screaming and wild movements that required three people to hold him down until he was calmed down. Circumstances prevented her from getting this course of treatment reversed, but she is convinced that her father was killed prematurely. She is bothered by this unethical termination, but also by witnessing the lack of peace that her father experienced as he neared death. Unfortunately, too many medical professionals consider this approach of hastening death as compassionate care. These agents of death might be encountered in hospitals, nursing homes, or hospice care. Do not accept such an approach as compassionate or justified, even for patients who have serious breathing problems or other adverse conditions. This case is another example showing that hastening death is not the right solution.
Monday, Jan 4, 2010 -- There was actually some good news in 2009 American Life League's STOPP Report for 12/30/09 includes some good news on life issues. Planned Parenthood clinic locations in the USA have continued to decrease, from 813 in 2008 to 797 now. These numbers do not include so-called express clinics, but those numbers have also been decreasing, including the January 14, 2010 closure of the Schaumburg express location. The number of Planned Parenthood non-express clinics has fallen from a high of 938 in 1995 to 797. Express locations peeked at around 50 just a few years ago and have dropped back to 30. It would be tragic if this trend was reversed in 2010 because of increased government funding for Planned Parenthood under the health care bill. Reality is finally catching up with Planned Parenthood. 2009 saw Planned Parenthood endure its worst nightmare -- a director of one of its abortion facilities left, became pro-life, and is now telling the world how abortion is the most profitable single procedure at Planned Parenthood and how Planned Parenthood is actively trying to increase the number of abortions at its facilities to increase its income and profits. You can watch this former PP employee, Abby Johnson, being interviewed by Bill O’Reilly. Read more good news stories for 2009 compiled by LifeSiteNews.
Wednesday, Dec 30, 2009 -- Adult stem cell treatments still the source of results As we near the end of 2009 we find the Federal government funding embryonic stem cell research under a directive from the President. Reality still confirms that no such research has yet achieved any treatments for human patients. Len Zon, a stem cell researcher at Children's Hospital in Boston, admits that any hope of treating patients with embryonic stem cells is not forthcoming. "I think that's still a ways off," Zon said. Meanwhile LifeNews.com reports another success using adult stem cells. A man who was partially blinded when ammonia was squirted in his eye during an attack 15 years ago has regained his sight after receiving a pioneering stem cell treatment, according to a London Guardian report. Russell Turnbull, 38, suffered massive damage to his right eye when he was caught in a scuffle after a night out in Newcastle in 1994. On the bus home, Turnbull had tried to intervene in a fight between two men but was injured when one of them began squirting passengers with ammonia. The chemical severely scarred Turnbull's cornea, the clear membrane that covers the front of the eye, and destroyed stem cells that usually help keep the cornea healthy. Turnbull was left with "limbal stem cell deficiency" (LSCD), a condition that seriously impairs sight, and was in pain every time he blinked or saw bright lights. In an experimental treatment devised by doctors at the North East England Stem Cell Institute in Newcastle, stem cells were taken from Turnbull's healthy eye and grown on a layer of amniotic tissue, which is routinely used as a burn dressing. When the cells had covered the membrane, a piece the size of a postage stamp was transplanted onto Turnbull's damaged eye. Two months later the membrane had broken down, leaving his damaged eye with a fresh supply of healthy stem cells, which repaired the cornea. Eye tests six months after surgery showed that Turnbull's vision was nearly as good as it had been before the attack.
Tuesday, Dec 29, 2009 -- Is the health care bill becoming law inevitable now? Now that the U.S. Senate has passed a version of health care "reform" that includes government funding of abortion, some commentators are giving the impression that final passage of the bill is inevitable. However, such a conclusion ignores many challenges that must be faced to resolve the major differences between the bills passed by the House and the Senate. Because the Senate bill provides for government funding of abortion, it is in direct conflict with the Stupak Amendment. The House bill would not have passed without approval of the Stupak Amendment to prevent government funding of abortion. The Stupak Amendment received 240 votes while the House health care bill received 220 votes, just two more than the 218 needed for passage when all 435 members voted. In contrast to the Senate, where the focus turned out to be one holdout (Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska) claiming to demand exclusion of abortion funding (before caving for other benefits obtained for his home state), the House has a good number of Pro-Life Democrats who can hold together for morale support. Could enough of them be "bought off" to allow passage of a bill that would provide government funding of abortion? Would the Senate accept a bill that contained the Stupak Amendment after rejecting an equivalent amendment earlier? Criticism of the deals made to get the votes of those last few Senate Democrats needed to achieve passage of the Senate bill is already leading to fallout that could mean removing those deals from the final bill. With that visibility, could new deals be made to get House member votes? Even the presence (House bill) or absence (Senate bill) of the so-called public option that would allow the Federal govenment to offer health insurance in competition with insurance companies appears to be an issue that could lose critical votes in either the House or Senate for a final bill, depending on how that difference was resolved.
Monday, Dec 28, 2009 -- Senate passed health care bill on 12/24 with abortion funding Following the pattern of voting when few people are paying any attention, the Senate voted early on the morning of Christmas Eve to pass a health care bill that includes abortion funding. The vote was 60-39 with all Democrats voting YES and all Rrepublicans voting NO, except one who did not vote. Pro-Life leaders unanimously criticized this result, even though some news reports inaccurately claimed that abortion funding was excluded from the bill. Passing this pro-abortion monstrosity at the same time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus makes it that much more outrageous. This vote merits the same condemnation given to the actions of King Herod when he ordered young boys killed in an attempt to kill Jesus, whom he viewed as a threat to his throne. These first martyrs are recognized on December 28th, the Feast of the Holy Innocents.
Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009 -- Stupak reveals pressure from the White House Already the anti-life leadership in Washington, D.C. is going after Pro-Life members of the House of Representatives to attempt to sell them the "compromise" that led to Senator Ben Nelson caving on the abortion issue. Yesterday, Representative Bart Stupak told CNSNews, “They think I shouldn't be expressing my views on this bill until they get a chance to try to sell me the language.” “Well, I don't need anyone to sell me the language. I can read it. I've seen it. I've worked with it. I know what it says. I don't need to have a conference with the White House. I have the legislation in front of me here," Stupak said defiantly. Will this resolve hold in the face of increased pressure from the White House and Congressional leadership? Will enough members of the House stand with Representative Stupak to defeat any health care bill that does not include his amendment? Make your voice heard to kill any health care bill that funds abortion.
Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 -- Poll shows nation opposes abortion funding in health care bill As the U.S. Senate moves toward passage of a health care bill that would provide significant government funding of abortion, a new poll shows 72% of Americans oppose paying for abortions with their tax dollars. This result is up from 61% in another poll only one month ago. It would appear that public opinion is of no consequence to the Congressional leadership that is intent on funding abortion under any health care "reform" bill that would ultimately be adopted. We must pray that members of the U.S. House led by Rep. Bart Stupak will continue to insist that government funding of abortion is not acceptable. Call your member of Congress to encourage a vote against any final bill that does not include the Stupak amendment. If you need contact information, go here: Find your US Representative (select "By Zip+4" and enter your 9-digit zip code).
Monday, Dec 21, 2009 -- No historic holdout after all: Senator Ben Nelson caves Another late night weekend deal has ended Senator Ben Nelson's resolve to prevent government funding of abortion in the Senate health care bill. Senator Nelson thus became the 60th vote at 1:00am today to end debate on the health care bill and move forward to ultimate passage of the bill by the Senate. Senator Nelson claims he achieved his goal to prevent government funding of abortion, but outside analysis of the "compromise" that he accepted shows thata goal was definitely not achieved. This betrayal has Nelson's Pro-Life supporters baffled. Jill Stanek attempts to sort out the intrigue.
Friday, Dec 18, 2009 -- Hiding the Senate health care bill even from the Senators Yesterday, news appeared about the secretive approach being taken by Sen. Harry Reid to construct the "compromises" he needs as he tries to round up 60 votes to end debate on the bill so it can be passed in the Senate. This news was not "newsworthy" for the mainstream media. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued a release expressing outrage about the approach being used by Democratic leadership to construct Sen. Harry Reid's massive manager's amendment to the health care bill behind closed doors. The leader of Senate Republicans slammed the Democrats for planning to hold a vote on a bill no one has seen yet. "Here's the most outrageous part: at the end of this rush, they want us to vote on a bill that no one outside the Majority Leader's conference room has even seen," stated Senator McConnell. "That's right. The final bill we'll vote on isn't even the one we've had on the floor. It's the deal Democrat leaders have been trying to work out in private." Where is the transparency in government that was promised? Even Illinois Senator Dick Durbin was recently quoted as saying he had not seen the bill, and he is the second highest ranking Senator! Here is another case where the vote will likely be taken without any time to even read the bill before voting.
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 -- Drama in Washington, D.C. over health care "reform" The Senate leadership is getting desperate to find 60 votes to end debate so they can pass health care "reform" before Christmas. Why the rush? They know the longer they wait the less likely they will be able to get the votes, as more citizens learn how many serious issues are created by this attempted govenment control of heath care. Last night a WGN TV (Channel 9) poll during the newscast found 78% agreeing with "abandon the current bill and start over." We may be witnessing an historic holdout of one brave Senator, Ben Nelson of Nebraska. He made it clear he could not support the bill without an amendment to prevent government funding of abortion. His amendment was tabled. Another so-called compromise was developed, but Nelson has rejected it as insufficient. While it seems that everything now rests on Nelson as the 60th vote to end debate so a vote can be taken on the bill, Illinois Senator Roland Burris was quoted as opposing the bill because the "public option" was dropped to obtain support of Senator Joe Lieberman. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expressing support for government funding of abortion in the Senate bill. She wants that provsion to override the Stupak Amendment, preventing government funding of abortion, that was added to the House bill so Pelosi could find the votes to get it passed. She now claims she has the votes to pass a pro-abortion bill, but Senator Stupak says she does not have the votes. The drama continues for now. Pray that this current misguided attempt at health care reform is rejected.
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 -- Where does "comprehensive" sex education lead to? The advocates of "comprehensive" sex education are the same people who claim to support "reproductive rights" and "choice." What happens when they get established within the school system, beyond the tragic consequences of increases in casual sex, untimely pregnancies, and abortions? Well, in Germany parents who try to prevent their children from attending immoral comprehensive sex education programs receive heavy fines and ultimately go to jail. As usual, choice is a one-way street where those who oppose such practices as immoral are persecuted when they try to exercise their choice not to participate. The Senate health care "reform" bill provides for $75 million to fund operation of a national teen pregnancy prevention resource center. Based on the qualifications described, the only organization likely to qualify will be Planned Parenthood. The result of this provision of the bill would allow Planned Parenthood to assume the position of a quasi-government agency with quasi-governmental powers to engage the nation’s youth on matters of sex, birth control and abortion. Since the stated purpose of this provision is initiating "Personal Responsibility Education for Adulthood Training" programs "in order to prevent unintended teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections," how long do you think it would take before such programs were deemed mandatory?
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 -- Hyde Amendment "abortion neutral" and "settled law"? The debate about whether government funding of abortion is included in the health care bills in Congress has raged for months. While Congressional leaders and President Obama have continually claimed abortion was not funded, passage of the Stupak Amendment in the House proved them to be misrepresenting the facts. Prior to this point where the truth finally caught up with them, one strategy members of Congress, and Obama's press secretary, had been using was to claim that the health care bill did not fund abortion because the Hyde Amendment prevented such funding. They claimed that efforts to amend the bill would go beyond Hyde and introduce new restrictions on abortion. For example, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, said "we're not doing anything in this [bill] to change the Hyde law. The law, as it stands right now, says no federal money for abortions. I think most of the Senators are comfortable with that. The Stupak amendment goes farther and the Nelson amendment goes farther." Jill Stanek, a pro-life blogger and nurse, recently noted a commentary by abortion advocate Frederick Clarkson about the implications of this strategy. He stated, But a creeping Washington consensus emerged during the current debate on health care reform that took many by surprise: The Hyde Amendment is now seen as a moderate, "abortion-neutral" position that neither advances nor restricts abortion. The gradual adoption of the principles of the most significant anti-abortion legislation in history as a moderate compromise constitutes a stunning shift in American political and religious life.... Stanek observed, "I think Clarkson is absolutely right. In the thick of the battle, we didn't see this concession. Although I've read recent calls from the abortion industry to rescind Hyde, which is imperilized every year, it will be that much more difficult here on out, since so many pro-aborts, most importantly Obama, have labeled it abortion-neutral." Are abortion advocates getting tripped up in their own lies? LifeNews.com reports: The pro-abortion National Organization for Women may still be opposing the Senate health care bill, even though senators defeated the Nelson amendment to prohibit taxpayer funds of abortions in it. Terry O’Neill, president of the so-called women's group bases its potential opposition on an incorrect assumption that the bill certifies the Hyde amendment, which prohibits abortion funding under Medicaid -- even though Hyde does not apply to the bill. "There are still anti-abortion provisions in this bill that are damaging to women," she told Raw Story. "The base legislation in the Senate essentially codifies the Hyde Amendment and that is a huge, huge problem for women." "With all due respect to our pro-choice friends in elected office who say the Hyde Amendment is settled law, a codification of Hyde is a basic health care statute -- it's not federal law," O'Neill added. "And even if it were, it's very wrong settled law."
Monday, Dec 14, 2009 -- Has the push for a vaccine against pregnancy ended? Based on a report of Human Life International from its observers at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, I became aware of an agenda to develop a vaccine against pregnancy that was supported by Planned Parenthood and other international anti-life organizations. I had never seen any more information on what might be happening, until this month. One medical researcher recently abandoned thirty years of contraceptive vaccine research. What Dr. Bonnie Dunbar had hoped to develop was a vaccine that would trick the female immune system into fighting reproductive cells as if they were a virus, thus triggering the body to treat pregnancy as a disease. Dunbar tested her vaccine on several animal models, including primates, and found in all cases that the vaccine caused permanent autoimmune failure of the ovaries. After viewing slides of these blasted ovaries, Dr. Dunbar decided to oppose any further development of this vaccine for humans. Now this former contraceptive vaccine is being developed as a possible non-surgical sterilizing agent for dogs and cats. Might someone else be able to continue Dunbar's work anyway, still trying to create this dangerous vaccine? Is there someone else out there right now trying to create such a vaccine using some other approach? What if some government decided to use this new non-surgical sterilizing agent, not for dogs and cats, but instead for people they thought should be sterilized? I just discovered that such concerns were expressed in 1996. That analysis was a comprehensive attempt to make the case for ending such research permanently. I suspect this 1996 report did not receive nearly enough distribution or publicity, but the threats documented there are serious.
Friday, Dec 11, 2009 -- Real doctors take Planned Parenthood "health care" to task Based on the videotape mentioned yesterday, two physicians have come forward in response to the video to (as they say) correct the "absurd and scientifically erroneous" information Planned Parenthood presented to the women at their Appleton, Wisconsin facility. The physicians are embryologist Dianne Irving, Ph.D, a former bench research biochemist with the National Institutes of Health and a Professor of Medical Ethics at Georgetown University, and Ward Kischer, Ph.D., Professor emeritus of Cell Biology and Anatomy specializing in embryology at the University Arizona. Irving and Kischer conclude that the Appleton Planned Parenthood counseling practices "would violate legally valid 'informed consent' on both the 'information' level and on the 'consent without duress or pressure' level," and call for the parties involved to "be held accountable for their inherently unethical and destructive lies and procedures." It appears that Planned Parenthood's version of what constitutes health care is seriously deficient. The evidence keeps mounting on how outrageous it is for Planned Parenthood to receive over $350 million in government funding and still be looking for more. When it comes to Planned Parenthood, count on government to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result. It is time to replace Congress with members who will do something different (e.g. abstinence program funding) to begin undoing the serious damage done by Planned Parenthood.
Thursday, Dec 10, 2009 -- Planned Parenthood has been caught lying again Planned Parenthood will never let the truth get in the way of selling an abortion. That makes it inconvenient in states like Wisconsin that have informed consent laws requiring that women receive medically accurate information before undergoing an abortion. Of course, Planned Parenthood will just ignore those laws in the same way they place themselves above parental involvement and mandatory reporting laws. Under the direction of UCLA student Lila Rose, Live Action films has taken the role of David against this Planned Parenthood Goliath. Live Action efforts have already implicated a significant number of Planned Parenthood locations around the nation with serious violations of mandatory reporting laws. Live Action videos reveal that when underage girls seek abortions, they are usually told to lie about their boyfriend's age. Now Live Action films has released a new video featuring Planned Parenthood employees lying about pre-natal development and encouraging a young woman to obtain an abortion because "women die having babies." In an undercover video, filmed in an Appleton, WI, Planned Parenthood abortion facility, a counselor says that a 10-week old unborn child has no heart beat, only "heart tones," which she says begin at 7 weeks. In fact, heartbeats begin at roughly 3 weeks. As the former director of the Bryan Texas Planned Parenthood reveals, their goal is to sell abortions because of the high profit margin. Abby Johnson, who has resigned and converted to defending life, has revealed the pressure placed on employees to increase abortion sales. This evidence confirms that Planned Parenthood is never serious about reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions, as they claim in their efforts to gain the public's trust. Deception is standard operating procedure for Planned Parenthood.
Wednesday, Dec 9, 2009 -- Just say NO to current health care reform bills After the rejection yesterday of the Nelson/Hatch Amendment to prevent government funding of abortion under the U.S. Senate version of health care "reform", most Pro-Life and other traditional values organizations declared that it is time to reject these bills as beyond repair. Without the Nelson/Hatch Amendment the Senate bill represents the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. Beyond that major issue, the bill provides additional funding for Planned Parenthood to provide "comprehensive" sex education, open health clinics at schools, and distribute more birth control to teenagers. Additional serious concerns include drastic Medicare funding cuts that will create rationed health care for seniors and the disabled, subtle provisions to push assisted suicide and even euthanasia, and threats to the conscience rights of health care professionals. Maintaining vocal opposition to health care "reform" legislation is critical to encourage enough Senators to filibuster the bill, and enough House members to be consistent with their previous votes to block abortion funding, thus killing any fiinal bill that is missing such a provision.
Tuesday, Dec 8, 2009 -- Some churches demand government funding of abortion Even as we approach Christmas, some churches have denied salvation to the unborn at government expense by signing onto a letter sent to the U.S. Senate opposing the Nelson/Hatch amendment the would prevent government funding of abortion under the health care "reform" bill. The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church are the four mainline protestant denominations to sign the letter. The letter takes the position that there is a "social and moral obligation to ensure access to" abortions "at every stage in an individual’s life." Going even further, these religious groups wrote, "Reforming the health care system in a way that guarantees affordable and accessible [abortion] for all is not simply a good idea—it is necessary for the well-being of all people in our nation." How can churches that claim to be Christian take a position that easy access to abortion is a moral obligation necessary for the well-being of all people in our nation? For anyone who is truly Pro-Life who is still remaining in the pews of such a church, it must be time to hit the eject button! While abortion is destroying the well-being of mothers and their families, these churches have the audacity to declare government-funded access to abortion as vital for everyone! They must have replaced the Bible with a Planned Parenthood "comprehensive" sex education manual, reflecting the philosophy that sex under any circumstance is always good as long both parties consent, and even young children are able to consent. Of course, Planned Parenthood is ready and willing to provide the abortions that follow, and collect payment from the govenment for murdering the "unwanted" children from all these casual sexual encounters. The churches that have endorsed this outrageous philosophy are leading their members down the road to disaster!
Monday, Dec 7, 2009 -- Abortions jump in Illinois, especially in Chicago area While no one was watching, the Illinois Department of Public Health posted the latest abortion statistics for the year of 2008. Sadly, the numbers establish an upward trend for Illinois abortions since the low point of 2003, thus discounting the slight drop in 2007. A total of 47,717 abortions were committed in Illinois in 2008, up 5.3% from 45,298 in 2007. Abortions for Chicago area residents jumped at a much higher rate, accounting for more than the statewide increase. Cook County abortions jumped by 3233 (14.5%) to a total of 25,529. Abortions in some of the counties surrounding Cook, though much lower totals, jumped by even higher percentages as follows: Kane County -- up 38% -- from 832 to 1145 In contrast, abortions held steady in three other Chicago area counties: DuPage (-22), Lake (+8), and McHenry (-2). For the four counties with substantial increases in abortions, the total increase reaches 3836 more abortions. For the entire state, abortions increased by 2419. Thus, abortions throughout all of Illinois outside of those four counties actually fell by 2.9%. What might account for this rather localized increase in abortions. Could this primarily be the impact of Planned Parenthood's huge abortion fortress in Aurora? What actions spared DuPage, Lake, and McHenry counties from participating in these large abortion increases? About the only good news from the 2008 statistics was the drop from 4042 to 3903 for abortions committed on out-of-state residents. Interestingly, the number of abortions on women of unknown residency dropped from 1965 to 1111. Since some of these cases could also have been out-of-state residents, the drop might be even larger. Even so, these numbers still represent many underage girls who enter Illinois to avoid parental involvement laws in other states. The unknown residency statistic jumped from only 114 in 2004 to 1683 in 2005, and peaked at 2115 in 2006, possibly reflecting concern about potential enforcement of parental notification. Is the 2008 drop an indication abortion providers have become convinced it will never be enforced?
Friday, Dec 4, 2009 -- Abortion providers have decided to "claim" religious concepts Did you know that "abortion is a God-given right"? During a poorly attended rally of a few hundred people at the U.S. Capitol to oppose the Stupak Amendment (which would prevent govenment funding of abortion), Rev. Carlton Veazy told the small gathering of hardcore activists that abortion is a "God-given right." Veazy is the head of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, so it is unclear from which god he gets his marching orders. Not to be outdone in abusing religious concepts in an attempt to cover up the outrage of abortion, an abortion provider is Michigan has used a religious message in their advertising. Northland "Family Planning Centers" of Michigan are now advertising their services with a video calling abortion "sacred work." The narrator speaks of a sign hanging at the Northland abortion facility that reads: "We do sacred work that honors women and the circle of life and death. When you come here, bring only love." Set to soft, upbeat piano music and themed with pink pastel shades, the recently uploaded video entitled "Every Day, Good Woman Choose Abortion," assures prospective customers that deciding "to have an abortion is a normal experience," and that the decision is a good decision. The video's spokeswoman continues: "Goodness is courage, honesty, wisdom, risking for what you believe is right for you, making choices that are good for yourself." Now you know that being selfish by killing your inconvenient child in the womb is your god-given right to make choices that are good for yourself. Apparently, the abortionists overlook the part about "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Thursday, Dec 3, 2009 -- Will defeat of Chicago bubble zone get aid from Mass. case? If the U.S. Supreme Court would agree to hear the case, that case against a Massachusetts law that limits the free speech rights of pro-life advocates could affect the Chicago bubble zone ordinance. The Life Legal Defense Foundation filed an amicus brief on 12/1/09 urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case of a Massachusetts law severely restricting pro-life speech activity. In McCullen v. Coakley, the Pro-Life law firm is challenging the constitutionality of a 2007 law making it a crime to "enter or remain" on public sidewalks within 35 feet of abortion facilities. As reported by Pro-Life Action League, Chicago police are currently enforcing the Chicago bubble zone ordinance as a requirement to remain at least 50 feet from the entrance of an abortion facility. Pray that the Supreme Court accepts the Massachusetts case and decides that Pro-Life citizens have the same First Amendment rights as other citizens.
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2009 -- Planned Parenthood closing Schaumburg location 1/14/2010 STOPP, Intl has reported their discovery that Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) will be closing their 'express" office located in Schaumburg, IL. Today I found no information about this imminent closure yet appears on the PPIL web site, but a recorded message can be heard when calling the Schaumburg office phone number (847-839-1600). The recorded message indicates the Schaumburg office will be closing January 14, 2010, after six years in business. The message continues, “Closing this facility was a difficult decision, but one we had to make to ensure we are able to serve the needs of all patients in the Chicagoland area.” Steve Trombley, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, is quoted saying the organization posted annual revenues of $24 million and a net loss of $2.5 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2009. That fact must have contributed to the difficult decision to close an office.
Tuesday, Dec 1, 2009 -- Political action taken against abortion in Mexico and Korea LifeNews.com has reported encouraging news about political action last week against abortion in both Mexico and Korea. In Mexico the state of Veracruz became the 17th of the nation's 32 states to enact a law defining human life beginning at conception. Each of those state actions came in response after the Mexico City legislature legalized abortion in the nation's capital city for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Veracruz lawmakers also adopted a proposal requiring the Mexican Congress to consider a constitutional amendment to prohibit abortion that could trump the Mexico City law. Mexico allows any of its state legislatures to propose a constitutional amendment. If the bicameral Congress and a majority of states support the measure, the amendment is added to the national constitution. Even abortion supporters think the amendment stands a good chance of passing. South Korean officials may begin to enforce the nation's ban on abortions thanks to a significant population decline taking place there. Korea posted the second-lowest fertility rate in the world, according to the 2009 report by the United Nations Population Fund. The rate was 1.22, far below replacement level of 2.1. The Korean Presidential Council for Future and Vision announced new efforts to increase births. "We have been a society that promoted abortion," Kwak Seung-jun of the Presidential Council said. "There are few people who realize abortion is illegal. We must work to create a mood where abortion is discouraged."
Monday, Nov 30, 2009 -- Sidewalk counseling above and beyond the call of duty Most people who consider themselves Pro-Life still find it difficult to take that position to the street as a prayer warrior or even sidewalk counselor in front to an abortion center. Leah Winandy and her mother did not have any such reservations outside an abortion center in Duluth, Minnesota. If someone displayed a knife as they approached, would you still try to discourage them from getting an abortion? Leah described the circumstances. "Before I could talk to her or approach her with literature, she snapped open a knife. She waved the point at me saying, 'Don't come near me.' I stayed where I was and said, 'Please don't kill your baby, fear God.'" Leah continued, "She walked past into the courtyard, so I moved to the fence corner to continue counseling. She then turned around, came up to me and held the point of the knife at my throat." A witness called the police and seven squad cars eventually showed up on the scene. Several policemen went into the building, and shortly came out with the women in handcuffs. Leah stated, "They interviewed us, had us write reports, and told us that this is a felony offence." I would not recommend trying this counseling approach, but it does raise an interesting question about the Chicago bubble zone ordinance. Does a bubble zone protect the counselor also? The Duluth police should be commended for taking this crime seriously.
Friday, Nov 27, 2009 -- Trying to distort the reality of consciousness after 23 years A few days ago we learned about Rom Houben. He is now able to communicate his thoughts via computer after suffering with locked-in syndrome for over 20 years. Now skeptics and euthanasia advocates are attempting to discredit the story, but the facts are not on their side. The Chicago Tribune carried an 11/25/09 article quoting Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Caplan called it "facilitated communication" and stated, "It's been discredited time and time again." The Huffington Post’s resident utilitarian bioethicist, Jacob Appel, contends that Houben can't really be communicating and suggests a test to smoke out the supposed chicanery. Apparently, that test has been done. The Associated Press indicates the team of British neurological expert Dr. Steven Laureys showed Houben an object while his aide was not present, and he was able to write it down correctly. Normally, Houben communicates with the assistance of a speech therapist holding his hand. American bioethicist Wesley J. Smith observed, "The Houben case unquestionably gets in the way of the utilitarian agenda to rid us of burdensome cognitively and neurologically disabled people and/or to gain a license to use them as natural resources in organ harvesting or experimentation."
Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009 -- The health care debate will begin in the U.S. Senate What does it mean that key votes on health care "reform" occur on Saturday evenings? Might one think that Congress is trying to hide something from as many people as possible? If so, they must be confirming that they know citizens oppose their health care "reforms" but they are determined to insist that they know better. On Saturday Nov 21st the Senate voted to allow debate on Harry Reid's back room version of health care "reform." That debate is expected to begin during the week of Nov 30th. If you do not think these "reforms" are an improvement in health care, you need to let our two Senators from Illinois know your opinion. What might be of concern? Reid's bill establishes massive government funding of abortion. Further analysis reveals that health care rationing is a guaranteed result. Procedures to encourage seniors and the disabled to decline treatments are intertwined into the bureaucracy established by this bill. Apparently quite a few people must be upset since the phone system (Capitol switchboard at 1-202-224-3121) in Washington, D.C. seems to be jammed most of the time. If you cannot get through to Washington, D.C., you might just call their offices in Illinois. Call Senator Roland Burris at (312) 886-3506 and Senator Richard Durbin at (312) 353-4952.
Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009 -- Adoption -- time to connect the dots? Have you ever thought about how sad it is that so many people are seeking to adopt children while so many babies are aborted daily? I recently received an email from a couple who is seeking to arrange a private adoption ... read more
Monday, Nov 23, 2009 -- Where there is life, there is hope! We learned today the story of a man in Belgium with locked-in syndrome. After an auto accident, he remained conscious for over 20 years before medicine was able to recognize his conscious state. For all that time he was diagnosed as comatose because he could not respond even though he heard everything. Only the insistance of his family kept him alive all those years, preventing his starvation and dehydration. Thanks to advances in medical technology, Rom Houben is now able to communicate his thoughts via computer. The 46-year-old says he felt trapped, as he was conscious the entire time, but unable to communicate. He observed on how he coped, "I dreamed myself away. All that time I just literally dreamed of a better life. Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt." Based on reports of medical progress from related research, IRLC ran a 2008 radio message on this topic. How coincidental that last week I ran that radio message again for the first time during 2009. It stated: Last year studies of persistent vegetative state (or PVS) in Belgium and Britain revealed rates of misdiagnosis over 40%. These findings are consistent with frequent news reports about recovery of patients deemed beyond hope. Recent studies of patients in a vegetative state have discovered responses in their brains consistent with those of conscious volunteers. Other studies of people in minimally conscious states have found cells in relatively undamaged areas of their brains had begun self-healing, seeking out new ways to re-establish functional connections. Where there is life, there is hope. Rom Houben is certainly someone who confirms "where there is life, there is hope." American bioethicist Wesley J. Smith commented on the Houben case, "We hear constantly that people diagnosed as being persistently unconscious should be dehydrated to death because they are not 'persons,' or are actually 'dead' -- and so should be available for organ harvesting." Smith says, "There are abundant reasons to treat people with profound cognitive disabilities as fully human beings. First and foremost, because they are us. Second, because we don't know enough about how the brain works to know that there won't be some regeneration to permit eventual restoration of some function. But also, because there is always hope."
Friday, Nov 20, 2009 -- Impact of abortion on one woman; how many more like her? I received a call in response to the IRLC radio message that mentions the impact of abortion on women. This concerned husband was looking for a professional counselor who could help his wife. He said she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder because of an abortion in her past. To confirm he knew what he was talking about, he said he was in the U.S. military and had seen soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. It was not clear if he may have dealt with the disorder himself. His urgency and frustration were apparent because he could not find a professional counselor who accepted a connection between abortion and post traumatic stress disorder. He expressed grave concern for his wife's health and the impact on their three children. I mentioned Rachels Vineyard, a post-abortion ministry that specializes in retreats for post-abortive women. To my surprise, he indicated he and his wife had already attended such a retreat, but it was not sufficient. I suggested he try to reach Theresa Burke through Rachels Vineyard for personal counseling, or a referral to someone who could provide that counseling. I suggested he could also try Hope After Abortion and National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing) as potential sources of referrals to appropriate counselors. Politically correct counselors are denying women in need the opportunity to resolve their distress caused by abortion in their past. How sad!
Thursday, Nov 19, 2009 -- UNFPA declares war on third world to protect climate I have previously expressed concern about the use of "climate change" or "global warming" as justification for other agenda items pushed by the culture of death crowd. Now the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has decided to declare war on third world populations. A new UNFPA report suggests the fight against "climate change" can be won through distribution of free condoms to achieve decreases in population, especially in the developing areas of the world. While the UNFPA acknowledged it had no actual evidence of a connection between population increase and climate change, the report insists there is no doubt that "people cause climate change" through CO2 emissions. The report states, "Women with access to reproductive health services ... have lower fertility rates that contribute to slower growth in greenhouse gas emissions." Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the UNFPA's executive director, told a news conference in London that although the largest amount of CO2 emissions do not come from the developing world, the organization would continue to focus its population control efforts there, saying that women and the poor will be the worst hit in the coming climatological disasters. Oh yes, since they might die in speculated disasters later, it is better that they should just not exist. Sounds like a plan right out of the Margaret Sanger playbook -- eliminate the "undesirable" populations of the world, but make sure they do not learn of your intentions. How convenient to have "climate change" as the cover!
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.
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. "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."
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
PRO-LIFE BLOG ARCHIVE |