FIND PAST HOMEPAGE TOPICS UNDER "CURRENT HEADLINES" IN THE LEFT MENU…
HIV Victims Sue Nigerian Federal Government
Dying Man Listens to His Unborn Grandson's Heartbeat
Human Fetus Captured on Film Smiling at Just 17 Weeks
Susan Boyle: Docs Told Mum to Abort Me
"When Will Someone Else Decide That You Are Not a Person?"
Newborn Saved from Dumpster by Man who Later Finds Out He's the Father
Breakthrough Cancer Discovery at U.K. University
Estimated Lifetime Risk for Diagnosis of HIV Infection Among Hispanics/Latinos — 37 States and Puerto Rico, 2007
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Youths Aged 6–19 Years, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, United States, 2007–2008
Vital Signs: Health Insurance Coverage and Health Care Utilization — United States, 2006–2009 and January–March 2010
Increasing Prevalence of Parent-Reported Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Children — United States, 2003 and 2007
Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Geographic Differences in Lung Cancer Incidence — 38 States and the District of Columbia, 1998–2006
Stephanie Gray’s New Training Video “Making the Case for Life” Online
Victory for Personhood Mississippi, Planned Parenthood/ACLU Lawsuit Dealt Major Blow
Planned Parenthood Wants to Abort Us into Prosperity
Fewer People Mean Less Government Cost: Planned Parenthood President
Planned Parenthood Pushes to Grab More Money Through 100% Payment for All Prescription Birth Control; Undercuts Local Pharmacies Using Tax Money and 340-B Privileges
Planned Parenthood Admits the Good News: There is No Abortion as a Human Right in UN Summit Document
Kansas High Court Allows Planned Parenthood Criminal Case to Proceed
Attempts by Abortion Business Director/Owner to Stop Prayer and Pro-Life Speech on Public Sidewalk Foiled
Jacksonville, Florida Sees Billboard on How Abortion Targets Black Children…
HIV Victims Sue Nigerian Federal Government
The African people living with HIV (PLWHIV) have for years accepted the burden of the disease and suffered in silence, but they have broken their silence and are now demanding accountability.
You will find attached an article published in the Nigerian daily THIS DAY of 4th November, 2010. The PLWHIV have sued the federal government of Nigeria at the Federal High Court seating in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Also including as defendants in the class action suit are other agencies and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The suit is seeking to stop the use and advertisements of condoms as the object causes HIV.
According to the plaintiffs, they were infected with HIV through the use of condoms six years ago.
The women among them also claimed they were lured into the use of the Cellulose Sulphate Gel for the supposed prevention of vaginal HIV infection.
A report by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that “Cellulose sulfate did not prevent
HIV infection and may have increased the risk of HIV acquisition”.
The plaintiffs allege that Nigerian authorities in collaboration with some international organizations like the Family Health International (FHI), Population Services International (PSI), Korea based U Need US Corporation and United States based Contraceptive Research Development (CONRAD) used them as guinea pigs to test some condoms that were new in the market. In the wake of this development, they claimed they contracted HIV.
We hope that PLWHIV in other African countries will do the same and bring to an end, this deliberate act of genocide by international agencies in collaboration with national governments.
Please find attached our letter to Heads of States showing that condoms were associated with higher prevalence of HIV in all African countries [pdf file]
[email, Dr Philip C. Njemanze MD, 8 Nov 2010]
HIV-"laced" Condoms: Victims Sue Nigerian Federal Government
In a case similar to that of the testing of Trovafloxacin (Trovan) on some children in Kano a couple of years ago, some people living with HIV/AIDS have sued the federal government, other agencies and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to stop the use and advertisements of condoms as the object causes HIV.
According to the plaintiffs, they were infected with HIV through the use of condoms six years ago. The women among them also claimed they were lured into the use of the Cellulose Sulphate Gel for the supposed prevention of vaginal HIV infection.
A report by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that “Cellulose sulfate did not prevent HIV infection and may have increased the risk of HIV acquisition”.
The plaintiffs allege that Nigerian authorities in collaboration with some international organisations like the Family Health International (FHI), Population Services International (PSI), Korea based U Need US Corporation and United States based Contraceptive Research Development (CONRAD) used them as guinea pigs to test some condoms that were new in the market. In the wake of this development, they claimed they contracted HIV.
Based on this, the plaintiffs, in the case being heard today at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, are praying for a declaration that [the] condom is not a preventive device against HIV but a risk factor and a causative agent of HIV in Nigeria. They also want the court to declare that the approval of condom and its advertisement by the defendants as preventing HIV when used for sexual intercourse is deceptive and fraudulent.
In the Concurrent Writ of Summons, the
plaintiffs are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further importing, distributing, selling or advertising condoms, stop any clinical trials involving condoms and invocation of the National Policy on HIV/AIDS 2003 as the policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria National Policy on HIV/AIDS.
[Thursday 4th November 2010-11-04; From Muhammad Bello in Port Harcourt, 11.03.2010; email, 8 Nov 2010]
Dying Man Listens to His Unborn Grandson's Heartbeat
One of the most comforting experiences an elderly person can have in their final hours is to have their family around them. The presence of a very young new member of the family is especially significant, assuring the person who is dying that their line, their name, will live on in the child of their own child.
There was a startling example of this last month in Manchester. Mother of three, Vicci Smith Scott, seven months pregnant at the time, was informed by doctors that her father, Roy Smith, who was 83, had only hours to live.
A nurse, Sandra Wood, herself a mother of two, who has worked in intensive care for nearly 20 years, arranged for a Doppler machine that detects an unborn child's heartbeat to be brought to Roy Smith's room.
Vicci sat next to her father while the nurse monitored the heartbeat, allowing the dying grandfather to listen to his unborn grandson's heart beating in his daughter's womb. Two hours later he died.
The fact that the nurse would go to this trouble shows that her compassion was still alive and well even after 20 years in intensive care.
The fact that the daughter envisaged this unique act of communication and brought it about shows an exquisite sense of intergenerational solidarity – an imaginative and thoughtful last gift of love for her father, to support and help him go through his final hours, and at the same time, a first gift of love to her son – a unique and intimate bond with the grandfather he will never meet face to face.
Lorca was born two months later. He will grow up with this wonderful first page in his story, how with the beating of his heart he gave comfort to his grandfather in his final moments.
[Full story — http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1324757/Final-moment-joy-Nurse-arranges-dying-patient-listen-unborn-grandsons-heartbeat.html ; 29 October 2010; Pro-Life Campaign, 5 Nov 2010, Issue 23 – November 5th 2010, www.prolifecampaign.ie ]
Human Fetus Captured on Film Smiling at Just 17 Weeks
The images, taken using revolutionary 3D and 4D scanning equipment, reveal the fetus smiling at least five weeks earlier than previously observed.
Stuart Campbell, who took the pictures, said: “This is a joyful expression of the humanity of the fetus. I have seen a fetus making a crying face at around 18 or 19 weeks, but not a nice smile. This is the earliest on record. It is just a delight.”
The pictures are likely to provoke debate about whether the pictures show a real smile and, if so, what that reveals about the developing fetus.
Professor Campbell, the former head of the departments of obstetrics and gynecology at King’s College and St George’s hospitals in London, said the smile was at least a sign that fetuses can show “human characteristics” as early as 17 weeks.
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/fetus-captured-on-film-smiling-at-just-17-weeks/story-e6frg6nf-1225936847567 ; PharmFacts E-News Update — 18 Oct 2010]
Susan Boyle: Docs Told Mum to Abort Me
International singing phenomenon Susan Boyle has revealed in a new autobiography that doctors had told her mother to abort her, because they thought the pregnancy was risky.
Boyle soared to stardom in April 2009 after appearing on the UK television program, Britain’s Got Talent, when the plain-looking Scotswoman shocked audiences with a powerful rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical version of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.
But the 49-year-old native of Blackburn, a village in West Lothian, Scotland would never have dreamed the dream of singing on the international stage, if her mother had agreed to abort her on the advice of doctors.
In her autobiography, The Woman I Was Born To Be, Boyle reveals that doctors recommended a “termination” to Bridget Boyle, who already was a mother of eight children, because they feared physical complications.
Boyle reveals that her mother rejected this advice as “unthinkable” since she was a “devout Catholic.”
When Boyle was born by emergency c-section, doctors did not tell her mother the usual “Congratulations, Mrs. Boyle! A beautiful baby girl.” Boyle wrote that doctors took a dismissive view of her life – especially when they suspected brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.
“‘It’s probably best to accept Susan will never be anything,” Boyle recounted the doctors telling her mother. “‘Susan will never come to anything so don’t expect too much of her.’”
“I’m sure they had the best of intentions,” Boyle continued, “but I don’t think they should have said that, because nobody can foretell the future.”
“What they didn’t know was that I am a bit of a fighter, and I’ve been trying all my life to prove them wrong.”
Boyle released her first album “I Dreamed a Dream” on November 23, 2009, and quickly sold 9 million copies in six weeks, making it the number one selling album for that year. The Guinness Book of World Records also recognized Boyle as the number one female artist in the UK with the fastest selling debut album.
In recent years, a number of popular icons have revealed that they had mothers who were faced with the choice to abort or give birth.
Andrea Bocelli, Italian pop, opera, and classical singer, revealed to the world this year that doctors recommended abortion to his mother after she experienced an attack of appendicitis, making it likely that her son would be born with a disability. Bocelli is completely blind.
Bocelli said he hoped that the story of his brave mother “could encourage many mothers that find themselves in difficult situations in those moments when life is complicated, but want to save the life of their baby.” (see coverage)
In the United States, college football star Tim Tebow (now back-up quarterback for the Denver Broncos) revealed that doctors recommended abortion to his mother after she became sick in the Philippines.
Tebow’s story was featured in a brief 30-second ad spot purchased for the Super Bowl. According to one study, 92.6 million Americans watched the ad. Of those who identified themselves as supportive of abortion, four percent said they were led to "personally reconsider [their] opinion about abortion" after watching Tebow and his mother Pam tell their story in the ad. [15 October 2010, Peter J. Smith, EDINBURGH, United Kingdom, www.LifeSiteNews.com]
"When Will Someone Else Decide That You Are Not a Person?"
After proving the humanity of the unborn in an August video, teen pro-life orator Lia Mills has released a new video aiming to prove that the unborn are also "persons" by virtue of being human, as are other classes of humans who have been denied the status of 'person' in the past.
The video comes out as Lia [addresses] the International Pro-Life Conference in Ottawa, taking place now through Saturday. She will be joined by a star-studded cast of major leaders from the international pro-life movement, including North American pro-life pioneer Dr. Jack Willke.
"The unborn are definitely human. It's obvious and it's supported by science," says Lia in her new video. She points out, however, that people now generally accept the unborn's humanity and argue instead that they can be killed because they are not yet 'persons'.
"How can we tell when exactly the unborn gain their personhood?" she asks.
To help, she goes to a dictionary, which defined person as "a human being." "Since the unborn are humans, that means based on this definition the unborn are persons as well," she says. But she then concedes that the issue is more complicated, because the definition of person changes depending on the academic discipline. In law, she points out, "a person is whoever the governing authorities decide to give rights to. Under the law, you're only a person if the lawmakers say you are."
Lia then discusses four examples in history when lawmakers denied personhood to a certain class of people—Jews in the Holocaust, black slaves in the US, North American natives, and women.
"The Jewish people were stripped of their personhood and thereby stripped of their rights and their value, and that's why all of the atrocities committed against them were considered acceptable," she explains.
"People are quick to judge the Germans at the Holocaust, but we have our own Holocaust that's taking the lives of millions of unborn babies every year," says Lia. "We do it using the same tactics that the Germans did. We deny personhood to the unborn and thereby deny them their rights and justify our own actions."
"Who decided that the Jews weren't persons, that the natives and slaves weren't persons, and that women weren't persons?" she asks. "Lawmakers."
"Who decides today that the unborn aren't persons? Lawmakers."
"Personhood has become a fabricated term used by lawmakers to decide who has rights and who doesn't," she continues. "Personhood is denied to [the unborn] because they're dependent, because they look different, and because they can't do what older babies, children, and adults can do."
"Should those in power be allowed to decide which humans are 'persons' and which are not, who gets rights and who doesn't?" she asks in conclusion. "Once you allow one group of humans to lose their personhood, every other group's personhood becomes vulnerable and no one is safe.
"When will someone else decide that you're not a person?"
The International Pro-Life Conference will be the first of its kind to take place in Ottawa in 20 years. Lia will be speaking at the conference Friday with Rebecca Richmond of the National Campus Life Network on youth in the pro-life movement.
Watch the video by CLICKING HERE —
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJGFPdspOrY&feature=player_embedded
[http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art_pf.html?ID=8345
Toronto, Ontario]
Newborn Saved from Dumpster by Man who Later Finds Out He's the Father
A newborn left to die in a dumpster in northwest Calgary was saved by a man who only later found out he was the boy's father.
Calgary police said that the boy's mother told them she did not know she was pregnant until she gave birth to the child. She allegedly put the living baby in a garbage bag and tossed him into the dumpster.
The 29-year-old woman's boyfriend said he had no idea she was pregnant because she was heavy set and always had "a bit of a belly."
On Tuesday, October 19, the man said his girlfriend was complaining of cramps and illness. He told police that on returning home for lunch a passerby alerted him to cries coming from a dumpster.
"A girl said, 'I think I hear a baby in the dumpster.' With no knowledge at the time that this is my kid whatsoever, I went running over there, stood beside the dumpster, heard the baby cry," the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, told the Calgary Herald.
"I jumped in and removed the stuff. I personally opened the bag and uncovered all the stuff off," he said.
"My first thought seeing the baby there was disgust. I just thought 'we've got to get that baby out of here' and I didn't know CPR," the man said.
The baby was immediately taken to hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition. Hospital staff said it appeared the baby had been in the dumpster for about two hours before being rescued and was suffering from hypothermia when brought to them.
Police questioned the man after the rescue, and later that evening informed him that he was the child’s father. "It was the most shocking thing I've ever encountered in my life – to find that out from police is not something I'd ever expected to happen," he said.
The father said his girlfriend's behavior was perplexing but he feels she needs help rather than his anger.
"I'm not mad. I don't know if it's just my demeanor, knowing that getting mad isn't going to solve everything, not going to help the problem," he said, adding, "I'm not happy with her but I'm not angry, either. I want to make sure she gets the help she needs."
The woman is scheduled to undergo a psychiatric assessment and is facing charges of attempted murder, failing to provide the necessities of life and child abandonment.
Staff Sergeant Leah Barber of the Calgary Child Abuse Unit said that although "Information suggests the woman was not aware of the pregnancy prior to the birth," she believes there are reasonable grounds for the charges.
"The baby was put in there with no expectation to survive … where it couldn't be found," Barber told the media.
"There's always other options. Obviously if something like this were to happen, 911 would be the first call I'd make," she said.
According to police, the custody of the child is being discussed with Alberta Children and Youth Services. However, the child's father told the Calgary Herald today that he hopes to gain custody of his son.
"I'm just going to try to be the best dad I can be. If he wants to get involved in sports, be a computer geek, try to be the next prime minister, I'll do whatever I can do to support him," the father said.
Related:
Vancouver Hospital Opens 'Angel’s Cradle' Anonymous Baby Drop-Off
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/may/10050304.html
[October 21, 2010, T.M. Baklinski, CALGARY, http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/oct/10102103.html]
Breakthrough Cancer Discovery at U.K. University
News Release (October 18, 2010)
"It is a big discovery and will be very important in testing potential anti-cancer drugs."
(United Kingdom)—A tumor cannot grow to a large size or spread until it has developed its own blood supply and leading research has looked for a way of halting capillary formation to stop tumors from taking hold.
But new findings published recently in the Journal of Cell Science have shown that scientists testing such treatments may not have been studying exactly what they thought they were.
The research proves that cells are able to switch their genetic profile—turning off genes expressed by blood vessel cells and turning on genes specific to lymphatic cells. (Photo: UEA.AC.UK)
This "switch" was previously thought to be impossible and means that scientists may have been researching lymphatic cells, rather than blood vessel cells. It is hoped the discovery will propel the race to find revolutionary new treatments.
Lead author Dr Lin Cooley, said: "It has always been thought that cells could not change from blood to lymphatic vascular cells.
"Other researchers have been doing experiments thinking they were looking at blood vessel cells, when in fact they were looking at lymphatic vascular cells. This breakthrough is important because they have not been studying what they think they have been studying.
"It is a big discovery and will be very important in testing potential anti-cancer drugs."
Researchers used human vein cells in experiments where they form capillaries—the smallest of the body's blood vessels—when cultured in various environments similar to the body.
The human vascular system is made up of two separate circulatory networks—the blood and lymphatic vasculature. Blood vessels and lymphatic vessels are structurally similar, but have very different roles, and are made up of two distinct cell types.
Dr Cooley said: "We have discovered that when vein cells form tube structures, they appear to "switch" their genetic profile, turning off genes expressed by blood vessel cells, and turning on genes specific to lymphatic vessels.
"This change can be reversed, and is dependent on the particular environment they are cultured in.
"We have also shown that their identity changes in response to the cell's environment rather than only being specified by signals during early embryonic development."
[University of East Anglia; 18 Oct 2010, www.breakingchristiannews.com]
Estimated Lifetime Risk for Diagnosis of HIV Infection Among Hispanics/Latinos — 37 States and Puerto Rico, 2007
In 2008, the annual rate of diagnosis with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States for Hispanics/Latinos (25.0 per 100,000 population) was approximately three times that for whites (8.2) (1). To calculate the estimated lifetime risk (ELR) and age-conditional risk for diagnosis of HIV infection among Hispanics/Latinos in 37 states and Puerto Rico, CDC analyzed HIV surveillance data, vital statistics data on general and HIV-specific mortality, and U.S. census data from 2007.
The results of those analyses indicated that an estimated 1.92% (one in 52) of Hispanics/Latinos would receive HIV diagnoses during their lifetimes, compared with an ELR for HIV diagnosis of 0.59% (one in 170) for whites and 4.65% (one in 22) for blacks/African Americans.
Among Hispanics/Latinos, those aged 35 years had the greatest risk for HIV diagnosis (males: 0.77% and females: 0.24%) during the next 10 years.
Reducing HIV risk behaviors [ED. Why not eliminate risk behaviors??] and increasing access to testing and care are important to decrease the number of diagnoses of HIV infection among disproportionately affected population groups… [October 15, 2010, CDC, MMWR Weekly / 59(40);1297-1301; http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5940a2.htm?s_cid=mm5940a2_e]
QuickStats: Prevalence of Overweight* and Obesity† Among Youths Aged 6–19 Years, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2007–2008
During 2007–2008, obesity was more prevalent among Hispanic males aged 6–19 years (26.7%) than non-Hispanic white (18.2%) and non-Hispanic black (18.9%) males. Obesity was more prevalent among non-Hispanic black females (25.9%) than non-Hispanic white females (15.6%). No significant differences in prevalence of overweight by race/ethnicity were observed among either males or females aged 6–19 years.
Alternate Text: The figure above shows the prevalence of overweight and obesity among youths aged 6-19 years, by race/ethnicity and sex, in the United States during 2007-2008. Obesity was more prevalent among Hispanic males aged 6-19 years (26.7%) than non-Hispanic white (18.2%) and non-Hispanic black (18.9%) males. Obesity was more prevalent among non-Hispanic black females (25.9%) than non-Hispanic white females (15.6%). No significant differences in prevalence of overweight by race/ethnicity were observed among either males or females aged 6-19 years.
Sources: Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KM. Prevalence of high body mass index in U.S. children and adolescents, 2007–2008. JAMA 2010;303:242–9.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2008. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm.
[October 15, 2010, CDC, MMWR Weekly / 59(40);1312; http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5940a7.htm?s_cid=mm5940a7_e]
Vital Signs: Health Insurance Coverage and Health Care Utilization — United States, 2006–2009 and January–March 2010
The increasing number of persons with no health insurance has implications both for individual health and U.S. societal costs. Because of cost concerns, millions of uninsured persons forgo some needed health care, which can lead to poorer health and potentially to greater medical expenditures. To assess the association between lack of health insurance and delaying or forgoing health care, CDC analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey. The results indicated that persons aged 18–64 years with chronic conditions and no health insurance coverage were much more likely to forgo medical care than persons with the same conditions and continuous coverage, regardless of income level. [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm59e1109a1.htm?s_cid=mm59e1109a1_e , CDC, MMWR Early Release, November 9, 2010 / 59(Early Release);1-7]
Increasing Prevalence of Parent-Reported Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Children — United States, 2003 and 2007
CDC, MMWR Weekly, November 12, 2010 / 59(44);1439-1443
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5944a3.htm?s_cid=mm5944a3_e
Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Geographic Differences in Lung Cancer Incidence — 38 States and the District of Columbia, 1998–2006
Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both males and females and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States (1). Lung cancer affects some races more than others; blacks have higher incidence and mortality rates than do whites (2,3
). This report presents the first analysis of lung cancer incidence among racial/ethnic groups by U.S. census region. CDC analyzed data collected by CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program for the period 1998–2006. These combined data reflect new lung cancer cases representing approximately 80% of the U.S. population. During this study period, annual incidence per 100,000 population was highest among blacks (76.1), followed by whites (69.7), American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) (48.4), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (A/PIs) (38.4). Hispanics had lower lung cancer incidence (37.3) than non-Hispanics (71.9). Incidence varied greatly with age, peaking among persons aged 70–79 years (426.7). The region with the highest incidence was the South (76.0); the lowest was the West (58.8). Among whites, the highest lung cancer incidence was in the South (76.3); the highest incidence among blacks (88.9), AI/ANs (64.2), and Hispanics (40.6) were in the Midwest, and the highest incidence among A/PIs was in the West (42.5). These findings identify the racial/ethnic populations and geographic regions that would most benefit from enhanced efforts in primary prevention, specifically by reducing tobacco use and exposure to environmental carcinogens….
[CDC, MMWR Weekly, November 12, 2010 / 59(44);1434-1438 , http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5944a2.htm?s_cid=mm5944a2_e ]
Stephanie Gray’s New Training Video “Making the Case for Life” Online
The Pro-Life Institute, the powerful pro-life training program, has unveiled another new training video. The talented and international known speaker Stephanie Gray speaks persuasively about pro-life apologetics.
Making the Case for Life: Pro-Life Apologetics – What are the pre-born? Is abortion morally justifiable? Are pre-born children equal in value to born humans? Watch this video to become equipped to make a defense for life which can compete in the marketplace of ideas. http://vimeo.com/15443634
Watch other videos in the series:
Understanding the Past: A Brief History of Abortion – Watch this short video to familiarize you with the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, the role of "personhood" in the abortion debate, the discussion of whether or not abortion is genocide, and more.
Lessons Learned from Historical Social Reform – What methods have proven successful in social reform movements of the past? What principles can we draw from them? How can we implement these ideas from history in today's pro-life movement?
[Columbus, OH, October 21, 2010, http://www.cbrmidwest.org/pdf/PLI.pdf ; PharmFacts E-News Update — 21 Oct 2010]
Victory for Personhood Mississippi, Planned Parenthood/ACLU Lawsuit Dealt Major Blow
Sponsors of the Mississippi Personhood Amendment, Initiative Measure Number 26, have been notified that the motion to remove the Amendment from the Ballot, filed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, has been denied.
ACLU and Planned Parenthood attorneys filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi Secretary of State in July, seeking to disallow Mississippi voters from voting on the Mississippi Personhood Amendment.
Amendment sponsors and volunteers exceeded state signature requirements on February 17, becoming only the fourth successful ballot initiative since 1992. The amendment, Initiative Measure Number 26, reads, "The term 'person' or 'persons' shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof."
The ACLU then filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that the Personhood amendment, which seeks to define the term "human being", modifies the Bill of Rights, which is expressly prohibited by Section 273(5). Steve Crampton, Liberty Counsel attorney for Personhood Mississippi, explained that Section 273(5) does not prohibit the definition of an otherwise undefined term, such as "person". Crampton went on to explain that the Personhood Amendment complies with section 273(5)(a) because it does not propose any new right and does not modify or repeal any existing right guaranteed under our bill of rights. Instead, the Personhood amendment merely defines the term "person", and does not modify the Bill of Rights in any way.
The Court decision read "Initiative Measure No. 26 has received more than the required amount of signatures to be placed on the ballot and the Constitution recognizes the right of citizens to amend their Constitution."
"Isaiah 59 tells us that ,'the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear' so we first give all praise and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ for hearing our prayers and giving us the victory in this round" explained Les Riley, amendment sponsor. "We have been certain that we have the right to define the term 'person', and that right was affirmed by the Circuit Court and Judge Harrison. The people of Mississippi have spoken – they want to vote to recognize those Personhood rights in November 2011."
"It is time for Mississippi voters to recognize that all human beings are people, and every person should be protected by love and by law," added Cal Zastrow, co-founder of Personhood USA.
www.personhoodmississippi.com
www.personhoodusa.com
[MEDIA ADVISORY, Oct. 27, 2010 /Christian Newswire]
[see next article]
Planned Parenthood Wants to Abort Us into Prosperity
Comment: What do Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood and (soon-to-be) Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have in common? They both believe—wrongly—that birth control saves the government money.
It will come as no surprise to learn that Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards believes that government-funded health care should pay for all birth control, including abortions. After all, since much of this funding would flow to Planned Parenthood, America's number one abortion provider would profit mightily from such a policy.
Of course Richards is smart enough not to say that PP wants to devour our money as well as our children. Instead, she trots out the lame argument that eliminating people will somehow save us all money.
Appearing on the “Bill Press Show,” the Planned Parenthood honcho claimed that “birth control is one of those issues that actually saves the government money.” She went on to say that “we actually feel that covering birth control is not only the right thing to do for women, it's good for women, it's good for their health care, but it's frankly good public policy. An investment in covering birth control actually in the long run is a huge cost savings because women don't have children that they weren't planning on having and all the sort of attendant cost for unplanned pregnancy.” (See LifeSiteNews.com for the interview).
We at PRI regard her Richards's views not only as self-serving, but also as short-sighted. Children do indeed cost money to raise—as every parent knows—but they grow up into productive citizens who produce wealth, pay taxes and, on the whole, leave America a better place than they found it.
If you crunc
h the numbers, as we have, you will find that the average American baby born today will contribute several million dollars to the economy over his or her productive lifetime. Oppose this to the hundred-odd thousand dollars or so that it will cost to raise the child to adulthood, and you see just how valuable an asset these tiny human beings really are.
Planned Parenthood is an offensive organization because it not only advocates the wholesale destruction of defenseless human beings, but also actually carries out hundreds of thousands of such lethal acts each year in its hundreds of abortuaries.
Now it wants us to subsidize, through Obamacare, these immoral acts, telling us that they are saving us money by doing so.
No one denies that it costs money to raise children, of course, but those who do so are making a fundamental investment in the future.
Children grow into adults, who not only contribute to the GDP by entering the workforce, but also contribute, using their own special gifts, to creating families, communities, and societies.
To view babies solely as economic liabilities, as Richards does, is not only dehumanizing; it makes no economic sense whatsoever.
Now Cecile Richards would probably respond that she doesn't want to eliminate all children, only those that are “unplanned.” But how does one define “unplanned?” If your parents were not planning on conceiving a child in a particular cycle, does that make you unplanned? Does Richards not know that an element of chance enters into any conception, meaning that it takes up to twelve months for a couple of average fertility to conceive a child? Or is she focused on aborting all single mothers, as they do in China? I don't know about Richards, but I was unplanned and, therefore, by her simplistic calculations, should have been eliminated as an unnecessary expenditure.
Planned Parenthood's position is all the more nonsensical because the very government health care that Richards promotes so fervently can only be paid for by taxpayer funds. And every single taxpayer starts life in a mother's womb.
Last spring, Nancy Pelosi tried to add hundreds of million of dollars in birth control funding to the so-called “stimulus package” using these same arguments. We opposed this move in interviews with FOX and other media. At the end of the day, her amendment proved too much even for many Democrats to stomach, and it was rejected.
People are not just liabilities, they are assets.
In fact, they are the ultimate assets. And they all start out as babies.
[8 Nov 2010, PRI Weekly Briefing, Vol. 12 / No. 31, by Steven W. Mosher and Colin Mason; Steven W. Mosher is the President of the Population Research Institute.Colin Mason is the Director of Media Production at Population Research Institute.]
Fewer People Mean Less Government Cost: Planned Parenthood President
The president of Planned Parenthood has argued that the new federal health care reform ought to consider funding all contraception with taxpayer dollars because preventing new children leads to less government expense.
In an appearance on the Bill Press radio show, PP president Cecile Richards said that, although the costs of the federal health care bill already promise to skyrocket out of control, federal officials ought to consider covering birth control a priority because of the "cost savings" benefit of fewer children being born.
"I think it's important, Bill, to understand that unlike some other issues of cost, birth control is one of those issues that actually saves the government money," said Richards. "So an investment in covering birth control actually in the long run is a huge cost savings because women don't have children that they weren't planning on having and all the sort of attendant cost for unplanned pregnancy.
"So we actually feel that covering birth control is not only it's the right thing to do for women, it's good for women it's good for their health care, but it's frankly good public policy."
The remarks reflect sentiments aired by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when prompted to justify the contraceptive funding in last year's massive stimulus bill. The speaker explained that preventing births "will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."
Richards also touted artificial birth control as "the most normative medical care that exists in America," calling the push for its universal availability a "no-brainer."
Planned Parenthood and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently launched a massive campaign, called "Birth Control Matters," to pressure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that all prescription contraception is completely covered by health insurers under "preventive care."
Rita Diller, the national director of Stop Planned Parenthood International, indicated that the true reason for the abortion giant's campaign was not expanded contraceptive availability, but an expanded profit margin.
"In reality, birth control is already widely available to women and even young girls, on a sliding scale basis, so that those who cannot afford the dangerous steroidal pills can receive them at little or no cost," Diller told LifeSiteNews.com. Therefore, she said, covering all birth control as preventive care "will not increase its availability, but will dramatically increase Planned Parenthood’s profit margin, by not only requiring new private health plans to cover 100% of the cost, but also requiring state Medicaid programs to pay 100% of the cost for all Medicaid recipients."
Diller noted that, according to the testimony of former Planned Parenthood chief financial officer P. Victor Gonzalez, the organization purchases contraceptives "at rock bottom prices and resells it at up to 12 times its acquisition cost."
"If Medicaid is required to pay 100 percent of the price Planned Parenthood charges for prescription birth control, it will be laughing all the way to the bank, at our expense," she said.
[Some groups] challenged Planned Parenthood's campaign, arguing that contraception and sterilization "prevent not a disease condition, but the healthy condition known as fertility." In addition, [they] pointed out the possibly severe repercussions such a mandate would pose for conscientious health care providers, especially in the case of abortifacient "contraceptive" drugs such as ella and other emergency contraception.
Related:
Planned Parenthood Pushes for Universal Birth Control as Coalition Fights Abortifacient Ella 'Contraceptive'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/oct/10101206.html
[Kathleen Gilbert, WASHINGTON, D.C., October 26, 2010, http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/oct/10102601.html]
Planned Parenthood Pushes to Grab More Money Through 100% Payment for All Prescription Birth Control; Undercuts Local Pharmacies Using Tax Money and 340-B Privileges
Planned Parenthood Federation of America is launching a major campaign to have all prescription birth control listed as "preventive care", mandating that under the so-cal
led "health care reform law" (PL 111-148) all new private health plans must cover 100% of the cost.
But that's not all. Classifying birth control as "preventive care" would ensure that our tax dollars will pay for all prescription birth control for Medicaid recipients, some of which have abortifacient actions and all of which are immoral and intrinsically evil.
[PFLI note: Bona fide preventative covered items under the new provisions that went into effect 9/23/10 include those with a perponderance of evidenced-based medicine and studies that show value e.g. aspirin to prevent heart attacks, iron for neonates, folic acid for women of child bearing age, and so forth. In such cases, patients will get such items covered at a $0 copay, and cost totally absorbed by their prescription health plan, with a prescription, even if they are normally over-the-counter (OTC) and not paid by a prescription plan benefit design. ]
Nancy Kachel, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma tipped her hand talking about the benefits of classifying birth control as preventive care, when she said, "For one thing it would be covered under Medicaid at the state level so it would be finally a state mandate that it be covered for free, that there be no co-pays and that it is easily accessible."
With both private insurers and state Medicaid programs being required to pay 100% of the cost of contraceptives, it would be a win-win situation for Planned Parenthood, who would stand to pocket more money than ever from its sale of contraceptives, which, in 2008, comprised 35% of Planned Parenthood's business.
With its business of buying contraceptives at rock bottom prices and inflating the sales price by as much as 12 times their acquisition cost, it comes as no surprise that Planned Parenthood is pouring its seemingly unlimited resources into this campaign. If birth control makes the list of preventive services, Planned Parenthood will be laughing all the way to the bank.
In addition to forcing taxpayers to pay for contraception, classifying birth control as preventive health care will take away the right of employers and insurance providers to follow their consciences and exclude birth control from health care policies. Employers and insurance providers are currently free under federal law to purchase and offer health coverage that excludes various forms of birth control.
The Department of Health and Human Services is currently deliberating on its final list of required preventive services.
Planned Parenthood's CEO, Cecile Richards, is pushing her campaign to get a million signatures to insure free contraceptives for all women. PP is running a huge public relations campaign to convince decision makers to add birth control to the list of preventive health services that must be paid 100% by new private insurance plans and by Medicaid.
"We encourage all readers of this report to educate your fellow pro-lifers and your elected officials, especially your Members of Congress to stop this PP effort."
Related: Ella causes abortion — http://www.christian.org.uk/news/video-contraception-drug-acts-to-induce-abortions/
[PharmFacts E-News Update — 21 Oct 2010, adapted from STOPP Weds Report, 10/20/10]
Planned Parenthood Admits the Good News: There is No Abortion as a Human Right in UN Summit Document
Pro-life and pro-family advocates have scored two major political victories in the same month in two different international organizations. Following the defeat of the McCafferty Report – which attempted to abolish the rights of European doctors to refuse to commit abortions – at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, pro-life advocates are now declaring a victory over the International Planned Parenthood Federation at the UN.
Carmen Barroso, regional director of International Planned Parenthood Federation for the Western Hemisphere Region, recently complained to pro-abortion lobbyists that a UN Summit Outcome Document “neglects any reference to safe abortion, comprehensive sexuality education … indicating that there is still much work to be done.”
The Outcome Document was officially adopted by the General Assembly on the 22nd of September.
Pro-abortion NGOs had been pushing during the September Summit for the adoption of a report that was described by pro-life advocates as an “extreme” and “ideologically driven” effort to establish abortion as a “universal human right” for the purposes of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The report by Navanethem Pillay, the UN’s High Commissioner on Human Rights, and endorsed by the Secretary General, proposed that the MDGs should include abortion as a human right under MDG number five, which calls on governments to “improve maternal health.” The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, (SPUC) issued a worldwide alert in June urging pro-life people around the world to contact their relevant government officials to stop the adoption of the report at the UN’s Summit in September.
Pat Buckley, SPUC's chief lobbyist at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, said at that time that the report’s promoters were “blatantly ignoring any evidence which disputes its conclusions and deliberately avoiding debate.” SPUC described the progress of the report through the debate process as “carefully stage-managed” in which the Holy See and SPUC, the only pro-life NGO present at the June Session, “were excluded from making an intervention,” despite a call from the High Commissioner for submissions from interested parties.
In its presentation prepared for the Geneva meeting, SPUC denounced the report as promoting an agenda “advocated by groups with a history of the racist and eugenic ideology, which is inconsistent with genuine human rights.” While promoting the liberalization of abortion laws, the report “largely ignored” means of improving maternal mortality rates such as improving access to antibiotics, drugs to prevent hemorrhage, blood transfusions, clean facilities and properly trained health professionals.
SPUC challenged the assertion by the abortion lobby that liberalization of abortion law improves maternal survival rates. They cited the experience of Poland, where legal restrictions were placed on abortion in 1993 and maternal mortality has dropped by 82 per cent in the last 20 years.
Related:
Breakthrough: Pro-life Lobby Soundly Defeats EU Attack on Conscience in Dramatic Reversal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/oct/10100709.html
[18 Oct 2010, Hilary White, ROME, http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/oct/10101806.html, Life Site News; 19 oct 10, ALL Pro-Life Today]
Kansas High Court Allows Planned Parenthood Criminal Case to Proceed
The Kansas Supreme Court decided to allow a 107-count criminal case to proceed against Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri after the case had been tied up for two years. The organization had been accused of conducting illegal late-term abortions.
[http://tinyurl.com/2fnmbks, The Christian Post; 19 oct 10, ALL Pro-Life Today]
Attempts by Abortion Business Director/Owner to Stop Prayer and Pro-Life Speech on Public Sidewalk Foiled
Birmingham, Ala.: On Friday, October 22, 2010, Circuit Court Judge Edward Ramsey for the 10th Judicial District of Jefferson County, Alabama, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) prohibiting the Survivors of the Abort
ion Holocaust, their founder, Jeff White, and others, from engaging in constitutionally protected activity on the public sidewalk surrounding the New Woman, All Women abortion clinic (NWAWAC) in Birmingham, Alabama. Prohibited activities included prayer, holding signs and oral communication with any other person.
The order was issued without notice to White and others based on allegations that they failed to comply with a decades-old injunction issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. However, there was no failure to comply because the injunction did not apply to Mr. White or the Survivors.
Even though NWAWAC was aware the federal injunction was not enforceable against White or the Survivors, NWAWAC circumvented the district court by obtaining an order from Judge Ramsey of the circuit court. Because there was no notice and no opportunity for White and others to be heard, Judge Ramsey was unaware of the procedural history of the federal case at the time the order was issued.
When Mr. White learned of the TRO, a hearing was immediately sought before Judge Ramsey by Birmingham attorney Trenton Garmon on White’s behalf, with a request that the order be dissolved. At the end of the business day Judge Ramsey told Garmon that the order would not be set aside and that Mr. Garmon would have to return on Monday, October 25, 2010, for a hearing on whether the order should be dissolved.
The injustice of the TRO is readily apparent — earlier the day the order issued Survivors witnessed two women leave the clinic based on information given to them from the public sidewalk. If pro-lifers are not allowed on the sidewalk lives will be lost to abortion.
This morning the hearing was held and the TRO dissolved. “Just as the prophet Elijah sent a message to King Ahab we are sending one to NWAWAC — Mr. White and Survivor’s are standing their ground. This is America, pro-life citizens have the right to stand on the public sidewalk and freely speak in opposition to abortion, and they will!” says Attorney Garmon.
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens, committed to the sanctity of human life. Life Legal routinely defends Mr. White and the Survivors and will fund Mr. Garmon’s work on their behalf.
[26 October 2010, [email protected], emailed article Birmingham: Victory for Survivors!, EC]
Jacksonville, Florida Sees Billboard on How Abortion Targets Black Children
Jacksonville, Florida is the latest large city to see a new billboard about how abortion is targeting black women and children.
The billboard says "The Most Dangerous Place for an African American is the womb" and was posted on Beach Boulevard near University Boulevard, visible from the north side of Beach to westbound vehicles approaching University.
Heroic Media, a pro-life group out of Texas, is behind the ad.
"While African Americans make up 13 percent of the population of America, they represent 36 percent of the abortions in the United States," said Marissa Gabrysch, spokeswoman for Heroic Media, told First Coast News. "In the African American community, twice as many deaths have occurred due to abortions than the combined totals of violent crime, cancer, heart disease and AIDS."
The billboard is its first in Florida and more will be added in other cities in the state. [18 Oct 10, Jacksonville, FL, http://www.lifenews.com/nb332.html]