Poll reveals nation becoming more
Pro-Life,
providing an advantage to Pro-Life candidates (11/08/04)
A nationwide post-election poll conducted by
Wirthlin Worldwide again shows that the nation is becoming more Pro-Life. The poll
also revealed that abortion was indeed a major issue for voters in the November 2nd
election.
Overall Pro-Life responses totaled 55% while pro-abortion responses totaled 40%.
These views translated into a 12% advantage for Pro-Life candidates among the 42% of
voters where the abortion issue affected their vote. Among all voters, 25% voted
Pro-Life while 13% voted pro-abortion. Read more ...
In
Vitro Fertilization has Serious Health Risks for Both Mother and Child (10/04)
Many of the drugs used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) to overcome
infertility put women's health and lives in jeopardy.
Various drugs used to facilitate ovulation or regulate its timing have serious side
effects. Thousands of women are taking these drugs
annually, and many are unaware of the dangers they face. Additionally,
the risk for having a baby with birth defects is higher when children are conceived
through IVF. Unfortunately, physicians are all too ready to turn to IVF as the means
to address infertility. Women should be very
cautious before taking this very serious step. Beyond
the serious health risks posed by IVF, the procedure involves the killing of embryonic
human beings in its attempts to create embryos suitable for implantation. Read more ...
Forced
and Coercive Abortions an "Epidemic" for U.S. Women (07/16/04)
Forced abortions in the U.S. have reached epidemic proportions, according to a special
report issued by the Elliot Institure, an organization that studies the impact of abortion
on the lives of women. "The epidemic of coerced, unwanted abortions is rarely
reported. Yet every week, thousands of girls and women face threats and abuse from
people who want them to abort without regard for their own feelings or desires," said
a written statement issued by the Elliot Institute announcing its 21-page report entitled,
"Forced Abortion in America." While the abortion
lobby refers to abortion as a "woman’s choice," in many instances, women
feel as if they have no choice but to abort. Read more ...
Ronald
Reagan Dishonored by Promoters of Unethical
Embryonic Stem Cell Research (06/21/04)
Promoters of unethical embryonic stem cell research have seized a marketing opportunity
by using the death of Ronald Reagan to promote their unworthy cause. In Illinois,
State Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg has renamed his bill (HB 3589 -- supporting human cloning
and embryonic stem cell research) the "Ronald Reagan Biomedical Research Act." (Editorial)
Senator Richard Durbin is demanding that President Bush expand federal funding of
embryonic stem cell research to honor Reagan. (Press Release)
Now Ronald Reagan's son, Michael, confirms that his father opposed embryonic stem
cell research while he was President. Deception abounds in this affront
to Ronald Reagan's legacy. Read more ... Alzheimer's Cure?
Federal
Judge Declares Ban on Partial Birth Abortion Unconstitutional (06/01/04)
On June 1st, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton, a Clinton appointee, ruled that the
Federal ban on partial birth abortion is unconstitutional. Her ruling applies to the
850 Planned Parenthood locations nationwide and to the abortionists they use. This
crass act of judicial activism ignores the evidence presented that amply showed why the
law is constitutional. While similar cases are currently pending in New York and
Nebraska, the fate of the partial birth abortion ban will likely be decided by the U.S.
Supreme Court. Read more ... Washington Times Editorial
Human
Cloning Loses Vote in Illinois Senate (05/13/04)
On May 12th, an amendment was considered by the Illinois Senate that was supposed to
obtain more support for HB 3589, a bill that would encourage human cloning. This amendment provided a criminal penalty for
implanting a human clone in a women’s uterus. Bill
sponsors claimed this provision would ban human cloning.
But cloning occurs when the embryo is created, not when it is implanted in a
women’s uterus. Fortunately, the
amendment was voted down on a 28-28-1 vote, with 30 votes needed to pass.
Read
more ...
Latest Attempt
FDA
Rules Morning-After Pill Cannot be Sold Over the Counter (05/07/04)
On May 6th, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that emergency
contraception, also called the morning-after pill, cannot be sold over the counter.
This decision was based on concern about the potential health impacts on teenage girls, if
they began using emergency contraception without consulting with a physician. The
recent death of Zakiya Kennedy in New York from blood clots caused by the Ortho Evra birth
control patch shows the danger of contraceptive drugs. Claims that emergency
contraception is safe for over-the-counter sale are not supported by the facts.
Read more ...
Terri's
Law Declared Unconstitutional (05/06/04)
On May 6th, Judge Douglas Baird declared Terri's Law unconstitutional, claiming that it
violates her "right to privacy." Terri Schiavo is the disabled woman in
Florida whose feeding tube was removed for 6 days last October before the rapid passage of
Terri's Law. As usual, logic goes out the window because the only privacy violated
by restoring her feeding tube was her estranged husband's opportunity to kill Terri in
private. Governor Jeb Bush is appealing this unjust death sentence for Terri.
As in previous rulings, the concerns of Terri's parents and family are deemed an
irrelevant intrusion on the entire matter. Read more ...
"March
for Women's Lives" ??? (04/26/04)
On Sunday, April 25th, abortion supporters marched in Washington, D.C. for the
so-called “March for Women’s Lives.” This
title attempts to suggest that “legal” abortion is safe (it is certainly not),
and that banning abortion would lead to women dying from illegal abortion (claims
proven to be false). "Legal" abortion was certainly not safe for the
millions of women who now regret their abortions. And, when abortions are botched, abortionists have been
declared not responsible. Apparently, the word “safe”
has been redefined to mean that the abortionist is safe from prosecution! Calling
Sunday's pro-abortion event a "March for Women's Lives" is clearly a
misnomer. IRLC
Press Release Attendance
estimates ranged from 250,000 to 800,000 with 500,000 most commonly cited, but the
organizers claimed 1.15 million attended. Read more ... Commentary
Pro-Aborts
Terrorize April 7th Campus Truth Day (04/08/04)
The ugly truth about abortion could not be hidden, despite aggressive
pro-abortion harassment during the April 7th Campus Truth Day. Attempts were made to
block the signs showing pictures of aborted babies and even to verbally and physically
attack the Pro-Lifers who were holding those signs. This hostile and even violent
opposition took place primarily at the University of Illinois at Chicago and to some
extent at Illinois Institute of Technology. Joe Scheidler was even sprayed with
black ink that hit his eye so he needed medical attention. Read more...
President
Bush Signs the Unborn Victims of Violence Act into Law (04/01/04)
On April 1st, President George W. Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (also
called Laci and Conner's Law) into law. Federal law now recognizes two victims when
an attack on a pregnant women injures or kills her unborn child during commission of a
Federal crime. 29 states already have similar laws. In 16 of these states, the
law applies throughout the pregnancy as does this new Federal law. The other 13
states recognize a second victim at some point of fetal development. Read more ...
U.S.
Senate Passes the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997) (03/26/04)
On March 25th, the U.S. Senate passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (also called
Laci and Conner's Law) on a vote of 61-38. The bill establishes two victims when an
attack on a pregnant women injures or kills her unborn child. This bill now goes to
President Bush for his signature. An amendment submitted by Diane Feinstein to
recognize only a single victim, but increase criminal provisions, lost on a 49-50
vote. This narrowest of votes was the key to passage of H.R. 1997 in its intended
form. Illinois Senator Peter Fitzgerald voted in favor of H.R. 1997 while Illinois
Senator Richard Durbin voted against it. Read more ...
Pope
John Paul II Declares Feeding Tube Removal Immoral (03/21/04)
On March 20th, Pope John Paul II declared that the removal of feeding tubes from
patients in vegetative states is immoral, and that no judgment on their quality of life
could justify such "euthanasia by omission."
The pope made the comments to participants at a Vatican conference on the ethical
dilemmas of dealing with incapacitated patients.
John Paul said that even the medical terminology used to describe people in so-called
“persistent vegetative states” is degrading to them. He said that no matter how sick a person is,
"he is and will always be a man, never becoming a `vegetable' or `animal."'
Read
more ...
Girl
Scouts Partner with Planned Parenthood (03/08/04)
A recent story from Waco, Texas revealed a link between the Girl Scouts and Planned
Parenthood. As the story gained steam,
generating a firestorm of protest, the local Girl Scout council quickly decided to sever
ties with Planned Parenthood. On March 5th Kathy Cloninger, CEO of the Girl Scouts
of America, appeared on NBC's "Today" show to discuss the boycott. After describing Waco as a local decision,
Cloninger stated, "We partner with many organizations.
We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs, and with
Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex
education programs to girls."
Given this potential partnership between any Girl Scout council and Planned Parenthood,
parents should look into whether or not their local Girl Scout organizations are
supporting Planned Parenthood events or providing Planned Parenthood materials to their
daughters. Read more ...
Commentary
Illinois
House Committee Votes Against Informed Consent for Women (03/04/04)
On March 3rd the
Illinois House Human Service Committee voted 8-1 to prevent women from having informed
consent before agreeing to an abortion. This
outrageous vote came after consideration of HB 4643, the Women’s Right to Know Act. Rep. Patricia Bellock provided the only committee
vote in favor of ensuring that women have information so they can make an informed
decision about abortion. HB 4643 provides
that an abortion shall not be performed or induced unless the woman has given her
voluntary and informed consent, and states guidelines for determining whether a woman's
consent is voluntary and informed. The
Department of Public Health would be required to publish printed materials and an
informational video concerning abortion.
Lower
Court Reverses the Supreme Court? (02/27/04)
A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has decided the Supreme
Court got it wrong in declaring “the judgment that the petitioners violated RICO must
. . . be reversed” and “the injunction issued by the District Court must
necessarily be vacated.” On February
26th this court panel remanded the NOW v. Scheidler case back to the Federal District
Court rather than instructing the district court to carry out the "reverse and
vacate" instructions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Only
in a Pro-Life case could such shenanigans be given any credence. Stay tuned. Read More...
President
Bush Installs Another Judge through Recess Appointment (02/20/04)
On February 20th President Bush installed a second judicial nominee through a recess
appointment, bypassing the Senate, where pro-abortion lawmakers have used filibusters to
prevent the confirmation of well qualified nominees. This time, Bush approved
pro-life Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor to become a member of the 11th Circuit Court
of Appeals. President Bush used a recess appointment in January to place Charles
Pickering on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Both Pryor and Pickering will serve
in a temporary capacity and their terms will expire when the next Congress reconvenes in
2005. At that point both must undergo the nomination and confirmation process again.
Read more ...
Americans
Say Abortion Hurts Women's Lives (01/28/04)
A new poll that shows a majority of Americans believe abortion hurts women's lives.
According to the poll, 52% of Americans believe abortion makes a woman's life worse
while only 16% believe abortion generally makes women's lives better. Even among
those who describe themselves as "pro-choice", less than 30 percent believe
abortion generally improves women's lives. In addition, 67 percent of
"pro-choice" women stated they would be "more likely to vote for a
candidate who calls for government support for grief counseling programs to assist women
who experience emotional problems after an abortion." Asked how many women
suffer emotional problems after an abortion, 59% stated that emotional problems were very
common while only 15% stated that emotional problems were rare or uncommon. Read more ...
Pro-Life
Citizens Descend on D.C. to Protest U.S. Supreme Court Decisions on Abortion (01/22/04)
With
the temperature above freezing in Washington, D.C. a crowd estimated to be at least
150,000 gathered at the Ellipse, near the White House, before marching up Constitution
Avenue to the Supreme Court in the 31st annual March for Life.
President Bush addressed this large gathering by telephone from New Mexico. During
his remarks, he stated, "The right to life does not come from government, it comes
from the Creator of life." Thousands of young people, including a good number
coming on buses from Illinois, took part in this protest of the Supreme Court decisions
that continue to deny the right to life to the unborn in our nation, instead making life
or death the mother's decision. After the march, many women who have had abortions
gathered at the Supreme Court steps to explain why they regret their
abortions. Read more ...
Explosion
in STDs Caused by "Safe Sex" Message, According to Researchers (01/21/04)
At a public health conference held in December 2003 in Washington DC, doctors cited
evidence of an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among the nation's
teenagers, and cited "safe-sex" programs and condom-distribution as contributing
factors of the problem. At the conference, researcher Dr. David Hager reported that
within the U.S. each year, chlamydia cases increase by 4 million, pelvic inflammatory
disease by 1.2 million, gonorrheae by 2 million, genital herpes by 1 million and human
papilloma virus (HPV) by 5.5 million. According to the American Social Health Association,
3.8 million of these and other STD cases are contracted by US teens-the highest
contraction rate within the general US population. In fact, almost 45% of all
teenagers and young adults are infected with at least one STD by their
mid-twenties. Read
more ...
President
Bush Installs Judge Pickering with a Recess Appointment (01/16/04)
On January 16th President Bush exercised his power of recess
appointments and installed Judge Charles Pickering to the 5th Circuit Court of
Appeals. This appointment temporarily bypasses the Senate confirmation process,
where liberal Democrats had been filibustering Pickering's nomination. Today's
action no doubt raises the stakes in the upcoming Senate elections. It is
unfortunate that the President was forced to take such action in response to the tactics
of Senate Democrats. Gary Bauer observed, "We are pleased to see him do
so. Frankly, it was long over due. Hopefully, today's surprise move signals a
renewed commitment by the White House to spotlight the Senate's liberal obstructionists
who are abusing Senate procedures and running roughshod over the
Constitution." Read more ...
Abortionist
Sentenced to 34 Years for Sexually Abusing Women (01/02/04)
Phoenix, Arizona abortionist Brian Finkel was sentenced to 34 years in prison on
Friday, January 2, 2004. In December, Finkel was found guilty of 22 counts of sexual
abuse against women who complained about his inappropriate actions during abortions and
examinations. Neither the national media nor the National Organization for Women
(NOW) consider this case newsworthy. What women does NOW represent? Certainly
not women who have been sexually abused by an abortionist! Read more ...
News Briefs from 4th Qtr 2003
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News Briefs from 2nd Qtr 2003
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News Briefs
from 4th Qtr 2002