Pro-Life Blog -- February 2008

Have you figured out that the offending organization is Planned Parenthood? And that is not all! Other recent news reveals their nationwide push to open mega abortion centers. There is also an ongoing case in Kansas where Planned Parenthood is charged with 107 criminal counts of violating Kansas abortion laws. If you think your tax money should be put to better use, call or write both your Federal and state legislators, and request that they take immediate steps to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. The time has come to remove Planned Parenthood from the public dole! Actually, the time is way past due.

Consistent ethic of life: If the death penalty should be banned because of the possibility the prisoner could be innocent, then abortion for disabled babies should be banned because of the possibility the diagnosis could be wrong, and denying feeding tubes to those diagnosed as PVS (persistent vegetative state) should be banned because no one knows who might actually recover.

Reality checks: The last two days brought amazing news of Pro-Life successes in the U.S. Congress. These results are somewhat unexpected, given the lack of support for the Pro-Life position within the current Democratic leadership. One warning of that reality was the observation from NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson regarding Tuesday's Senate vote, "We commend Senator Vitter for his leadership in attempting to close the door to future federal funding of abortion in federal Indian health programs. Now we have our work cut out for us in the House of Representatives, where we expect the Democratic leadership to try hard to block enactment of this pro-life language."

Can anyone believe the leadership of China is actually considering ending its horrendous one-child policy? Reuters reports that Chinese officials are examining the possibility of incrementally changing the one-child family planning policy. Even with some acknowledgement of the serious demographic impacts this draconian policy is creating, there is no word on if or when the policy change might occur. Chinese officials appear willing to go no further than simply studying the matter at the present time.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 -- Liberal agenda blocked in PEPFAR reauthorization

Is this a dream or reality? Is it really true that the Pro-Life position was victorious two days in a row in the U.S. Congress? Today we learn that the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed by voice vote the reauthorization of PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). Here is the report from Family Research Council:

Bipartisanship Trumps Liberal Agenda In PEPFAR Reauthorization
February 27, 2008

Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed by voice vote the reauthorization of PEPFAR, the U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AID, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization of 2008.

Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, released the following statement:

"I applaud the House Foreign Affairs Committee for passing an HIV/AIDs bill free of troubling provisions contained in earlier drafts. Previous drafts would have funded international abortion groups, undermined abstinence and faithfulness programs, removed an anti-sex trafficking provision, harmed faith-based groups and would have done nothing to require transparency in the Global Fund. This bill is a marked improvement and is aimed at protecting life, not destroying it.

"While not perfect, this bill continues the principles of the bipartisan PEPFAR program passed five years ago. I especially applaud Rep. Chris Smith for his tireless work to ensure that PEPFAR does not create new family planning programs to fund international abortion groups. The White House is also to be congratulated for involving themselves early in the process and holding the line on key provisions, such as continued funding for abstinence prevention programs, maintaining the anti-sex trafficking pledge, requiring more transparency in the Global Fund, and ensuring that faith-based organizations are not discriminated against in HIV/AIDs grants.

"Most importantly, those people in the countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDs should know that we will continue to work hard to ensure the United States continues to support them, rather than redirect funds away from their plight. FRC will monitor this bill as it continues through the legislative process."

Great news just arrived! The Democrat-led U.S. Senate actually passed a Pro-Life amendment. I hope this does not turn out to be a charade based on some hidden plan to kill the amendment in the House of Representatives. Here is the report from Family Research Council:

Senate Passes Pro-Life Amendment: No Abortion Funding in Indian Health Service Program
February 26, 2008

Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Senate approved Senator David Vitter's (R-LA) amendment to prevent Indian Health Service funds from being used to pay for abortions.

Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, released the following statement:

"I applaud the Senate for voting to prevent Indian Health Service funds from being used to pay for abortions. The majority of the Senate has now shown they agree with most Americans that government funding of abortion is morally wrong.

"Current Indian Health law prevents funding of abortion by referencing the Hyde provision which is contained in the annual Health and Human Services spending bill. However, Senator Vitter's amendment is essential to prevent future funding of abortion, because the Hyde provision, as a part of the annual appropriation process, could be removed. Senator Vitter's common sense amendment simply codifies the long-standing policy in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act against funding abortion.

"Americans should be encouraged that the Senate, by a margin of 52-42, passed this amendment. It is crucial that the House include this provision when considering the Indian Health Service bill."

Thanks to Jill Stanek for compiling the voting record of Senator Barack Obama on the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act. As was she, I have been receiving calls and emails from around the nation seeking details on Obama's opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Apparently, many people are having trouble believing how he could have actually opposed a bill that was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Its true! Obama both opposed and blocked the bill while he was an Illinois State Senator. Not willing to give even the most basic right to a baby who survives an abortion -- that seems quite pessimistic for the proclaimed messenger of hope and change.

Planned Parenthood constantly markets the message that their efforts to create easier access to birth control and to teach "comprehensive" sex education will reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Apparently, at least in part through their propaganda efforts, the governors of 15 states have refused Federal funds for abstinence education in favor of "comprehensive" sex education.

At the same time, Planned Parenthood is working relentlessly to open mega abortion centers. Aurora, IL was the first one to open, but it will seem puny in size compared to the abortion complexes planned for Denver, Houston, and Worcester, MA. How many more do they have in the works?

It makes perfect sense to spend millions building large abortion mills when your efforts will reduce the need for abortions! Planned Parenthood's expenditure of these millions demonstrates that they expect demand for abortions to increase. Generating this increased demand only depends on getting additional gullible school boards to believe Planned Parenthood's baseless claims on how to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

Planned Parenthood is gearing up to reap the profits from selling abortions when their approach does not work as advertised. I'm sure they will claim that the ease of access to birth control and the scope of "comprehensive" sex education was just not good enough, when pregnancies continue to go up in locales that reject abstinence education. Planned Parenthood is the problem, not the solution!

Operation Rescue reported that abortionist Rapin Osathanondh has relinquished his medical license in the wake of a criminal investigation and disciplinary action by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. Five months after he killed 22-year old Laura Hope Smith during an abortion, the Board had moved to suspend Osathanondh’s license pending further investigation, declaring him to be a “risk to public safety.” In a surprise move yesterday, Osathanondh instead permanently surrendered his license, and will not practice medicine again anywhere.

Was this unexpected result just a coincidence? The good news came just 48 hours after 40 Days for Life spread the story nationwide about Eileen Smith's efforts to obtain justice following her daughter Laura's tragic death at the hands of abortionist Rapin Osathanondh. Eileen shared the news with 40 Days for Life this way:

"It just keeps getting better. After the doctor's license was suspended today, he came
back with an offer to turn in his license to practice medicine FOREVER. The resignation was
accepted by the board. He can never practice in Massachusetts or any other state. This is an answer to much prayer. Thank you for yours!"

First Amendment Rights Denied in Georgia as Pro-Life Activist is Arrested on Public Sidewalk

ATLANTA, Feb. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- As things begin to heat up in a busy legislative session in Georgia, and state lawmakers fight over their own special interests some of these political tensions have clearly lead to the arrest of one demonstrator this week. Robert Roethlisberger Jr., of Clarkston, Georgia, was arrested on February 15, 2008, while holding a sign promoting House Resolution 536 known as the "Human Life Amendment." It is an attempt to place on this year's election ballot an amendment to the state Constitution that would protect human life at every stage of development.

"Having been arrested for criminal trespass while standing on a street corner can only give you the idea that someone wants your message to disappear," said Roethlisberger. "A 'right to petition' are the last three words written in our first amendment to 'The Bill of Rights' but this right carries little meaning if you get arrested for expressing a need for change in government," says Roethlisberger about his most recent arrest.

Roethlisberger continues, "Everyone living in the state of Georgia that believes in life needs to demand from Mr. Speaker Glen Richardson that H.R.536 gets to the floor of the House for a vote and also ask for their own State Assemblyman's support for H.R.536 so that the people of Georgia can have this opportunity to vote for life on their 2008 election ballot."

I seem to be noticing a disturbing increase in incidents where Pro-Lifers are being arbitrarily denied their First Amendment rights. Above is just the latest example. Just a few months ago the city of Oakland, CA and the state of Massachusetts each passed laws creating or extending "bubble zones" to prevent sidewalk counselors from approaching women as the walk toward an abortion clinic entrance. Truth trucks (showing pictures of aborted babies) have been impounded in a number of cities, but later the charges are dropped. In a number of cases, arrests have been made or threatened when people use the public sidewalk near schools or colleges to educate students with brochures and/or posters. Thank God we have a number of Pro-Life attorneys committed to defend our First Amendment rights.

Last week was a good one for the continued effort to remove the blight of abortion and Planned Parenthood from the city of Aurora, IL. On February 12th, the city council passed an ordinance by 10-0, approving a special use permit for the building at 523 W. Galena to be used as a medical office with a restriction that abortions cannot be performed there. This former abortion location has been rescinded.

On February 13th, a zoning case [PDF] against Planned Parenthood and the City of Aurora was filed in Illinois State Court. The case, brought by five courageous residents of the Oakhurst neighborhood and Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood, will seek to hold Planned Parenthood accountable for their lies and deceit to City officials and the community, and force the City to admit what they knew when.

On February 16th, more than 150 people braved the cold to confront the Planned Parenthood Aurora abortion fortress. More than 130 people participated in a big picket line along the bike path on the south side of New York Street. Another two dozen gathered across the road from the abortuary to pray and offer help to abortion-bound mothers.

Yesterday I attended the Life Banquet sponsored by the Women's Center, a Chicago area pregnancy help center. The keynote speaker was Fr. Frank Hoffman. He evaluated the condition of our culture on life issues. His diagnosis is that rugged individualism has become preiminent to the detriment of the common good, including the right to life in cases such as abortion and euthanasia. His prognosis is that truth must eventually win because it is ultimately what human beings desire.

In addressing the impact of rugged individualism on our culture, Fr. Hoffman used an example from the Roe v. Wade decision. He demonstrated that Roe v. Wade held that killing unborn babies was a right, until they became viable. He noted that no one is truly viable. Even a loner living in the wilderness needs a supply plane to drop new supplies on occasion. Everyone is dependent on relationships with others to remain alive, beginning with conception and throughout life to natural death.

The illogical position taken by Roe v. Wade cannot stand. Action is needed to proclaim the truth so it can overcome the stubbornness of our culture in holding onto rugged individualism. For example, when one learns that another person intends to vote for a candidate who supports abortion, the question needs to be asked, "How can you vote for someone who supports the killing of innocent unborn babies?" This question may not win friends, but it establishes the truth that must be confronted and ultimately prevail.

More progress has occurred with the ethical alternative to embryonic stem cell research. Instead of killing embryos to obtain their stem cells, this approach has reprogrammed skin cells and reverted them back to an embryonic-like stem-cell state. The resulting stem cells have been called induced pluripotent cells (iPS). Family Research Council's Washington Update reports today:

Clearing a huge hurdle on the road to embryo-free stem cell treatments, Professor Shinya Yamanaka announced yesterday that his team has found a way to grow induced pluripotent cells (iPS) without triggering tumors. Since Yamanaka first went public with his iPS research in December, the scientific community has been largely supportive of his work because of its promise both medically and morally. Sadly, some of the remaining holdouts for embryonic stem cell (ESC) research have used the threat of tumors to downplay his progress. However, Yamanaka's team took a gigantic leap forward in silencing critics with the news that he has successfully avoided this problem for six months in the mice that he is currently treating with iPS cells. Although the research is still years away from treating humans, we continue to be encouraged at the steady advances Yamanaka's work is making both in people's understanding of ethical alternatives to ESC and in treating disease.

Most people consider today to be Valentine's Day. Not Planned Parenthood! Planned Parenthood has perverted the meaning of love and is using this day to celebrate what it calls "National Condom Day." Of course, since about the only thing less reliable than condoms is the weather report, the only beneficiary of such crass marketing is Planned Parenthood when their victims (alias--customers) need more services, like treatment for STDs and/or abortions.

For Planned Parenthood, one day of crass marketing is not enough. "National Condom Day" morphs into "National Condom Week" and a "National Condom Month." It really is a challenge for Planned Parenthood to keep growing their abortion business in a declining market, but they are up to the challenge as long as they can keep convincing people that their "scientific" approach works and abstinence does not work. Talk about denying reality -- anything to make a buck.

Today the STOPP Report from American Life League revealed that Planned Parenthood is making more changes in Illinois, creating one state-wide affiliate:

Planned Parenthood has announced that five of its affiliates in Illinois will merge into a new affiliate, "Planned Parenthood of Illinois." This results in reducing the total number to 103 Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country. The merger has affected 14 of Planned Parenthood's clinics.

Affiliates merge as a way to reduce operating costs by combining high-level positions. In this case, Judith Barringer, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Springfield Area will resign as of March 1st and Steve Trombley, CEO of the Chicago-area affiliate, will become the chief executive of the new Planned Parenthood of Illinois affiliate.

It seems appropriate that this day also saw a group of local Aurora property owners and a community organization file a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood, the city of Aurora, IL and the Aurora Zoning Board for violating local zoning ordinances and depriving the families of their right as citizens to voice their concerns about the impact of the recently-opened mega-Planned Parenthood facility on their community. The suit was filed by Thomas Brejcha, chief counsel of the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, in the Circuit Court of the 18th Judicial Circuit of DuPage County located in Wheaton, Illinois.

Yesterday's Chicago Tribune carried an article (Abortion foes put grand jury on case) about efforts by a citizen grand jury in Kansas to investigate late-term abortionist George Tiller. In an attempt to acknowledge the "need" for George Tiller's services, the article mentioned the case of "Jane Doe" who did not want an abortion, but went to Tiller after learning "her unborn baby had a serious heart defect and only a slim chance of surviving the birth" because "the idea of watching their baby suffer was even more unthinkable"

Other families have chosen a different path as reflected in the following articles:

As nurse Jill Stanek notes in the third article above, "I have spoken with women who aborted their terminally children, and they are broken. On the other side, I have never met a mother who was sorry she carried her terminally ill baby to term and cared for him or her for the short time s/he lived. The natural maternal response is to care for one's sick child. Abortion is not."

Mothers are not better off because George Tiller is available to break Kansas law and kill their late-term disabled babies, even if "Jane Doe" currently thinks she is better off. Her repressed concerns about the alternative she rejected will someday come forward. Remember, her reason is ultimately selfish -- she did not want to watch her baby suffer. That was not the experience of those who made the choice for life -- they witnessed the beauty of life, no matter how brief, not suffering.

Giving life a chance protects babies from misdiagnosed conditions that lead to the permanent, irreversible "choice" of abortion. If the death penalty should be banned because of the possibility the prisoner could be innocent, then abortion for disabled babies should be banned because of the possibility the diagnosis could be wrong.

40 Days for Life -- one example of its impact: "40 Days for Life is little by little converting ME," says Jennifer. "I am learning how to talk to people about abortion and not be afraid." Jennifer called a local company to place an order for yard signs. When the woman she spoke to asked what 40 Days for Life was all about, it began a 45-minute conversation. "She was on the abortion side at the beginning, but she ended by crying. She'd had an abortion."

More evidence of "safe, legal" abortions! Now, how about that bridge I can sell you cheap?

Only a short time into 2008 and there is already good news that Planned Parenthood is contracting again after their deceptive expansion into Aurora, Illinois. The February 6, 2008 STOPP Report indicates closure of three Planned Parenthood facilities recently. Two of these facilities were located in Illinois and the third was in Idaho. The three clinic locations include an express clinic in Nampa, Idaho, an express clinic in Naperville, Illinois, and a non-express clinic in Lincoln, Illinois. The Naperville “express” location closed on January 19th. The Lincoln clinic closed on January 26th.

Thousands of Black U.S. Women 'Guinea Pigs' for Experimental Surgery--'Surgical Thalidomide'

More evidence of "safe, legal" abortions! Which Presidential candidate do you support?

Planned Parenthood Works to Increase its Share of Abortion Market

Planned Parenthood recently shuttered a small clinic in Logan County, Ill. It also recently closed four sites in Michigan and merged several in Ohio.

It's apparently part of a strategy for growth.

"Planned Parenthood is trying to corner the market," said Bill Beckman, director of Illinois Right to Life. "Over the last 20 years, their share of abortions nationally has gone from 5 percent to 20 percent."

Doug Scott, president of Life Decisions International, said Planned Parenthood has no shortage of money.

"They're running around all the time saying 'Well, we've got government in California cutting funds here, and we've got the federal government cutting funds there,' " he said. "But what they don't tell people is that they have nearly $400 million sitting in a savings account."

Planned Parenthood is closing small clinics, while building mega-abortion centers. A 20,000-square-foot facility just opened in Aurora, Ill., and one three times that size is going up in Denver.

Grow Your Own Replacement Parts

Researchers Believe Regenerative Medicine Could Help Thousands In Need Of Transplants

This story is exciting stuff! In a clinical trial at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, a patient got a bladder transplant - with a new bladder grown from her own cells.

How were the cells obtained? What type of cells were used? CBS Evening News kept its viewers in the dark. Guess what? Since the cells came from the patient, they were adult stem cells, and they were used to grow a new bladder in 8 weeks.

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research have been claiming they need to kill embryos so they can achieve such results. It looks like they are slipping further behind by ignoring the true sources of stem cell success. Apparently, they watch CBS News and cannot figure out where the cells come from because CBS won't tell them. It's like magic -- take some bladder cells and grow a new bladder, but don't try this if your an embryonic stem cell researcher!