Ignatius Prep alumni event for U.S. Senate candidate Dan Hynes draws
protest (09/30/03)
The alumni of St. Ignatius Prep High School in Chicago held a high-priced
fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Dan Hynes on the evening of September 30th. This visible endorsement of Hynes, a pro-abortion
Democrat, by alumni of a supposed-to-be Catholic school generated a protest organized by
Pro-Life Action League and Vote Life America. Signs
showing pictures of aborted babies were displayed to show attendees what they are
supporting by endorsing Hynes. Unfortunately,
the leadership of Ignatius Prep has taken a casual attitude about this alumni event for
Hynes. Brian Paulson, S.J., president of
Ignatius Prep, wrote, “We live in a country where large currents of both the
Democratic and the Republican Party, including our President, accept Roe v. Wade as
settled constitutional law.” This
statement seems to provide him with justification for ignoring a candidate’s
pro-abortion position when “making an all-things-considered decision about which
politician to support who would do the most for the common good in office.” Paulson is wrong for two reasons. First, President Bush does not accept Roe v. Wade
as settled constitutional law. Why would he
keep nominating judicial candidates who disagree with that decision if he accepted it? Second, Paulson totally ignores the strong
statements made by both Pope John Paul II and the U.S. bishops about the high importance
to be given to life issues such as abortion when assessing political candidates. Read
more ...
Teen death in
California after using RU-486 shows the dangers
posed by this abortion drug (09/29/03)
After 18-year-old Holly Patterson died in California from complications
caused by the dangerous abortion drug RU-486, Eric Schaff, chairman of the National
Abortion Federation, had this consoling thought, “Aspirin causes more deaths than
RU-486.” What Mr. Schaff means is that
Holly was expendable in defense of the “right-to-choose” RU-486 for abortion. If anyone died because of aspirin, they were
certainly not 18 years old and in good health. Holly Patterson is believed to
have died from an infection resulting from an incomplete abortion, one of the many dangers
of using RU-486. It is likely that Planned Parenthood's failure to follow standard
protocols for use of RU-486 contributed to the complications that led to Holly's death.
Read more ...
Health
Dept. probe begins
Commentary: "No Magic
Pill"
Born Alive bill
needed urgently in Illinois (09/28/03)
Efforts to pass a Born Alive Infants Protection bill have failed in
Illinois. In contrast, this week the Wisconsin
state assembly passed a similar bill 95-0.
Illinois has even more reason to pass this bill now that an appeals court
has ruled that killing a baby with the umbilical cord still attached is not murder in
Illinois. Under provisions of the Born Alive
bill, these babies would be protected as citizens. Read more ...
South Carolina
abortion rate falls again (09/28/03)
Based on a 2002 report just issued, the abortion rate in South Carolina
has fallen by 53% since 1988, including 6% in the last year. That state has laws that require parental consent
for teen abortions and informed consent for women who seek abortions by providing
information about risks and alternatives. Without
either of these laws in Illinois, the abortion rate fell just 6% during the same 15-year
period. Read more ...
Abortions rise in
Illinois for 2002 (09/19/03)
The Illinois Department of Public Health just released the statistics on
Illinois abortions for 2002. The 2002 total
of 46,945 abortions is less than a one percent increase over the 2001 total of 46,546
abortions. Given the apparent inaccuracies in compiling abortion statistics, this
change does not appear significant as any indication of a trend in either direction. Unfortunately, Illinois does not have either a
parental notification law or an informed consent for women law in effect. Since
passage of such laws has been shown to reduce abortion rates in other states by as much as
one third, failure to pass these bills in Illinois has allowed the abortion rate to
continue at relatively the same level while many other states are experiencing decreasing
abortion rates. Read more ...
Judge Greer orders October 15th removal of Terri Schiavo's
feeding tube (09/17/03)
Judge George Greer has again ruled against the parents of Terri Schiavo.
He has rejected any attempts to teach her how to eat before the scheduled removal
of the feeding tube. Terri's parents have until September
22nd to file an amended lawsuit. Read
more ...
U.S. Senate moves
partial birth abortion ban forward (09/17/03)
After
completing a scheduled eight-hour debate on the bill to ban partial-birth abortion, the
U.S. Senate approved a motion to appoint members to a conference committee. The 93-0 vote reflects the agreement to proceed
with resolution of the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. This unusual step was needed after Democrats
refused to allow appointment of committee members without additional debate.
Conference committee members are expected to remove an amendment that endorsed Roe v. Wade
so the final bill can then be presented for a vote in both chambers, allowing the ban on
partial birth abortion to reach President Bush's desk for his signature. Read more ...
Senate debates
partial birth abortion ban (09/15/03)
The
U.S. Senate began a scheduled eight-hour debate on abortion, and specifically on the bill
to ban partial-birth abortion. Though both
the House and Senate have already passed this bill, the debate became necessary when
Senate Democrats refused to appoint members to a conference committee that would meet and
work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The Senate version contains an amendment endorsing
the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Read more ...
Deadly decision on Terri Schiavo delayed (09/11/03)
Terri Schiavo’s life still hangs in the balance after the latest
attempt to convince Judge George Greer to allow her to live. The judge who has Terri Schiavo's fate in his
hands on September 11th postponed a decision whether or not to remove the feeding tube
that is keeping her alive. Circuit Court
Judge Greer has put off making the final decision until next week in response to arguments
by Terri's parents that she should be taught how to eat and talk first. Read more
...
Informed consent veto overridden in
MO (09/11/03)
This week both houses of the
Missouri legislature have overridden Governor Bob Holden’s veto of informed consent
legislation. The bill, now law in Missouri,
requires abortion facilities in Missouri to make information available to women
regarding abortion risks and alternatives. Read more ...
Silent No More at Supreme Court
(09/10/03)
Women who regret their abortions and urge others not to make the same choice spoke out
at the Supreme Court. "After 30 years
of America's abortion debate, the voices of women who have experienced abortion's
devastating effects are being heard more loudly and in greater numbers," Georgette
Forney, the national coordinator of the Silent No More campaign said in a statement. Actress Jennifer O'Neill is the national
spokesperson for the campaign. Read
more ...
Miguel Estrada is the victim of a
"political hate crime" (09/04/03)
Miguel Estrada is the first victim of the refusal by Senate
Democrats to agree to confirm President Bush's pro-life judicial nominees. He withdrew his name from consideration on
September 4th. "I write to ask you to
withdraw my pending nomination,'' Estrada said in a letter to President Bush. "I
believe that the time has come to return my full attention to the practice of law and to
regain the ability to make long-term plans for my family.''
In response, President Bush said he was upset at the "disgraceful
treatment" Estrada received from most Senate Democrats. House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas)
observed, “The Democrats’ character assassination of Miquel Estrada was a
political hate crime.” The action of
Senate Democrats can only be described as obstructionist. Read more ...
Paul Hill was executed in Florida
(09/04/03)
Paul Hill was executed by the state of Florida on September 3rd. He was convicted of murdering an abortion
practitioner and another person outside an abortion facility in 1994. Hill acted alone and was not active in the
Pro-Life movement. Clearly, his actions were
not consistent with Pro-Life principles. Pro-Life
organizations have never encouraged any form of violence as a means to defend life. Read
more ... & Commentary: Not a martyr
Arizona commission exercises
viewpoint discrimination
on Choose Life license plates (09/04/03)
The Arizona License Plate Commission has arbitrarily rejected an application for Choose
Life specialty plates even though Arizona Life Coalition fulfilled all of the legal
requirements. The organization has now filed suit against this blatant viewpoint
discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that the commission violated the free speech
clause of the First Amendment by denying the Choose Life plate. Read more ...
Death by starvation nearing
for Schiavo (08/29/03)
September 11th has been chosen as the date for what could be a final court hearing
leading to a ruling that Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube be removed. Her husband is pushing removal of the feeding
tube, stating that “she would not want any type of life support. Terri’s parents find her responsive to their
presence and continue to fight for rehabilitative treatment for her. Removal of the feeding tube will result in
Terri’s death by starvation and dehydration within 10-14 days. Read more ...
Pro-Life successes in state
legislatures (08/27/03)
2003 proved to be a pivotal time for Pro-Life legislation across the nation, according
to a new report released by Americans United For Life, a public interest law firm
dedicated to protecting the sanctity of human life. Within the past few months,
states have enacted a range of legislation designed to stop assaults on human life,
according to AUL's 2003 State Legislative Session Report. Read more ...
Small bomb
targets Pro-Life protestors (08/26/03)
A small, homemade bomb went off Tuesday morning outside a Denver Planned Parenthood
abortion business. However, it may have been two Pro-Life protesters who were the
targets. A plastic bottle with a chemical mixture inside of it exploded behind a
protester's open car, causing damage to its upholstery and ceiling and burning holes in
floor rugs. The protesters were not injured by the blast. Read more ...
Sandra Cano acts to overturn
Doe v. Bolton (08/25/03)
Sandra Cano, "Doe" in Doe v. Bolton, the U.S. Supreme Court case that created
abortion on demand, announced the filing of a motion at the U.S. District Court in
Atlanta, GA to re-open her case, requesting that it be overturned. In June, Norma
McCorvey, "Roe" in Roe v. Wade filed a similar motion in Texas, where her case
originated. Read more ...
Florida Supreme Court refuses
Schiavo case (08/22/03)
The Florida Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Terri
Schiavo, who is at the center of a legal battle over whether to end her life. The
one page order handed down by the court said "no basis for jurisdiction exists'' in
the case and no motion for reconsideration would be allowed. A date for removing the
feeding tube probably will be set by a judge early next week, said George Felos, the
attorney for Terri's husband Michael. Once it is removed, Terri is expected to die
from starvation within 15 days. The attorney for Terri's parents and family, Pat
Anderson, said she was consulting with other lawyers to determine if any legal recourse
remains to help Terri. But the prospects look dim, she said.
Dr. Mayer Eisenstein warns of
a link between oral contraceptives
and breast cancer (8/20/03)
At an August 1st conference Mayer Eisenstein, MD, JD, MPH
discussed the role of hormones in the development of breast cancer. He focused on
the impact of steroidal estrogens, which are used in oral contraceptives. Eisenstein
pointed to the federal government's "Report on Carcinogens" and said that
steroidal estrogens were added to the nation's list of "known carcinogens" just
last year. He said unequivocally, "These are unavoidably dangerous drugs," and
"anyone who's on them unavoidably increases (her) breast cancer risk."
After citing some recent cases of breast cancer among women in their 20s, Dr. Eisenstein
noted that thirty years ago he never saw a patient under the age of 30 with breast cancer
and only rarely did he ever see a patient under the age of 40 with the disease. Read more ...
Who is perverting science on
ABC link? (08/18/03)
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer condemns Congressman Henry Waxman
and Congressmen on the Minority Staff of the Committee on Government Reform for publishing
their misleading report, "Politics and Science in the Bush Administration."
The report falsely accuses the administration of perverting science for political
ends, but Waxman's purpose is to continue the government's 46-year cover-up of the
abortion-breast cancer (ABC) research. Karen Malec, president of the women's
organization, said "Henry Waxman and his (overwhelmingly) male colleagues
undoubtedly have their hands in the pockets of the abortion industry. They're
running scared because science isn't on their side. Scientists can't disprove the
biological explanation for an ABC link, and five medical organizations recognize a causal
relationship. That's why they collaborated behind the scenes to ensure that no
comprehensive review and debate on the research would take place at the National Cancer
Institute's (NCI) workshop in February."
No Traditional Catholic Need
Apply (07/31/03)
The U.S. Senate failed to end debate on the judicial nomination of William
Pryor with a 53-44 vote on July 31st, seven votes short of ending debate.
Pro-abortion Democrats who claim to be Catholic attacked Pryor for his opposition to
abortion. In their view, acceptance of the teachings of the Catholic Church on
abortion makes one unfit to serve on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Pryor's
supporters called this a litmus test that amounts to discrimination against Catholics.
Ban on human patents added to
HR 2799 (07/28/03)
Rep. Dave Weldon successfully added an amendment to HR 2799, an
appropriations bill, that states, "no funds made available by this act may be used to
issue patents on claims directed to or encompassing a human organism." If
enacted into law, this provision could discourage human cloning by reducing the perceived
financial incentives.
Face the Truth Tour saves 21
babies (07/22/03)
The 2003 Face the Truth Tour sponsored by Pro-Life Action League from July
9-19 is known to have saved 21 babies from abortion. The truth about abortion
conveyed in pictures of aborted babies has an impact on women who are considering
abortion. Of course, these pictures may have saved many more babies whose mothers chose
not to reveal their decision to Truth Tour participants.
Study finds day care
detrimental to children (07/18/03)
The more time young children spend in day care, the more likely they are
to be aggressive or disobedient, says the latest report from an ongoing U.S. federal study
released July 18th by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NIHCD). The report confirmed the importance of the majority of young children's time
being spent with their parents. The link between daycare hours and behavioral
problems "occurred across all family backgrounds and all types and quality of
care," said the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which involved more
than 1,000 children. Problem behaviors
included disobeying adults, destroying other people's possessions, arguing, fighting,
lying, cheating, screaming, bragging or bullying.
U.S. House votes to maintain
ban on funding supporters of forced abortion (07/15/03)
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 216-211 on July 15th to continue
the ban on government funding of any organization that supports forced abortion,
specifically the United Nations Population Fund. It
is noteworthy and tragic that 211 members voted in favor of forced abortion. When abortion supporters demand the right to
choose, they demonstrate again the only choice they accept is abortion, proving
“pro-choice” is meaningless rhetoric to cover their real agenda of forced
population control.
Face the Truth Tour in
downtown Chicago (07/10/03)
The truth about abortion hit the streets of downtown Chicago July 9-11th with the Face
the Truth Tour sponsored by Pro-Life Action League. Large pictures of aborted babies
were displayed at a number of locations. N.O.W. even came to Daley Plaza with their
"Keep Abortion Legal" signs, but truth won out anyway because of the pictures
and use of similar-looking "Keep Murder Legal" signs displayed by some Truth
Tour participants.
Illinois Governor
signs HB 211 to mandate contraceptive coverage (07/07/03)
Governor Rod Blagojevich signed HB 211 into law. This bill mandates
health insurance coverage of contraceptives. Now more women can afford to use drugs
that have many negative side effects in their attempts to prevent pregnancy. Natural
Family Planning (NFP) will still be much healthier, even if it is no longer less expensive
to use.
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