Politics
Goal: $45,000. Donations received: $30,262.
Tuesday February 28, 2006
E-mail
Print- President Bush Supports Abortion in Cases of Rape and Incest Says Official Spokesman
- Joe Scheidler Wins Unanimous Supreme Court Ruling against N.O.W.
- Abortion not on Canadian PM’s Agenda Now or in Future
- Calgary Herald: It’s Time for Canada to Place Gestational Limits on Abortion
- Abortion Laws Do Not Always Require Health Exceptions Says Sixth Circuit Appeals Ruling
- HBO Promotes Polygamy With “Big Love” Series
- U.S. Opposes Establishment of U.N. “Human Rights Council”
- Archdiocese Facing Parent Complaints over “Talking about Touching” Sex-Ed Program
- Vatican Prefect Says Difficult for Gay Priests to Represent Christ
- Canadian Supreme Court Nominee Says Judges Should Not Decide Policy
- Abortionists Admit Humanity of Unborn; Now Claiming Right to Feel Good About Killing
- LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes
President Bush Supports Abortion in Cases of Rape and Incest Says Official Spokesman
TODAY'S HEADLINES
By John-Henry Westen
WASHINGTON, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Scott McClellan, the principal spokesman for U.S. President George W. Bush said in a press conference yesterday that the President supports abortion in three cases - rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
A reporter asked a question regarding the South Dakota legislation which bans abortion except to save the life of the mother which is likely to be signed by the Governor (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06022304.html )
"The state legislature of South Dakota has just passed a new law which allows abortion in case of threat to the mother's life, but denies it to all ages in cases of rape and incest, said the reporter. He then asked, "Does the President believe that rape and incest victims should be denied the right to an abortion?" McLellan responded saying, "the President has made very clear that he is pro-life with three exceptions." While McLellan did not state those exceptions they are widely assumed to be rape, incest and the life of the mother.
McLellan premised those remarks noting, "The President believes we ought to be working to build a culture of life in America. And we have taken practical, common-sense steps to help reduce the number of abortions in America. It is a strong record that is based on building a culture of life."
The remarks were taken to indicate that the President would oppose the South Dakota (SD) legislation, however that was never said.
Physicians have noted that the notion of abortion to save the life of the mother is unnecessary with modern medicine. Moreover, pro-life philosophers have long warned of the dangers of allowing for rape and incest exceptions to abortion since it devalues the lives of unborn children. They are no less children because of the unfortunate circumstances of their conception. Even though most pro-life activists oppose capital punishment, a thought provoking saying on the issue runs: "Why kill the innocent child and not the guilty rapist?"
Back to TopJoe Scheidler Wins Unanimous Supreme Court Ruling against N.O.W.
by Hilary White
CHICAGO, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Longtime Chicago pro-life activist, Joseph Scheidler, has again won in the Supreme Court in a twenty-year-old case brought against him by the National Organization for Women, the leading US radical feminist activist organization. The Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that the charge of extortion could not be applied to pro-life demonstrations outside abortion facilities.
The case dates to 1986 when NOW claimed that pro-life protests outside abortion facilities constituted extortion and could be prosecuted under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) and Hobbs Acts, laws designed to combat drug dealers and organized crime.
“I am mystified that I had to go to the trouble and expense of appearing before the Supreme Court three times,” said Scheidler, National Director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. “The Court was right when they ruled for us 8-1 in 2003, but the National Organization for Women refused to acknowledge defeat. They convinced the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to keep the case alive, in spite of the Supreme Court's clear mandate to end it.”
NOW brought the case back to the appeals court arguing that the RICO statute still applied and that an injunction to keep pro-life sidewalk counselors and picketers away from abortion facilities should still be in effect. The head of the three-judge panel at the Circuit Court of Appeals is Judge Diane Wood, who throughout the duration of the Scheidler case admitted her affiliation with Chicago NOW and Planned Parenthood.
“Naturally I am gratified to be vindicated once again by the United States Supreme Court,” said Scheidler who is considered a folk hero among North American pro-lifers.
Scheidler told LifeSiteNews.com he thinks this is finally the end of it. “I think they’ve definitely been badly beaten. The ruling makes it clear they would be pretty ambitious to think they’ve got a chance of bringing it back.”
He said that the decision is going to be a boon for pro-lifers in the US. “It’s going to open up the floodgates of activism,” he said. “People have been afraid they would face the RICO and the huge triple damages. People are going to feel free to get involved now.”
Social activists and the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) had sided with Scheidler arguing that similar lawsuits and injunctions could be used to thwart their efforts to change public policy or agitate for better wages and working conditions.
Scheidler's attorney Thomas Brejcha said, "This unanimous ruling is not just a victory for pro-life activists, but for anyone who chooses to exercise his First Amendment rights to effect social change." Brejcha is chief counsel of the Chicago-based Thomas More Society Pro-Life Law Center and has led Scheidler's battle with NOW since it inception in 1986.
Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05112205.html
Abortion not on Canadian PM’s Agenda Now or in Future
Harper Says Abortion “has not been my issue in my entire career”
by Hilary White
OTTAWA, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in an interview with Canada’s leading weekly newsmagazine, Maclean’s, has again insisted that he will do nothing to change the legal status of abortion in Canada.
“In my entire career, I've made it clear that I have no intention of getting into the abortion issue. It has not been my issue in my entire career. And it won't be in the future,” he said.
Throughout the last election campaign, the Liberal party attempted to revise their previously successful strategy of accusing the opposition of a “hidden agenda” of social conservatism. The plan worked well during the 2000 federal election when Stockwell Day was shredded in the media for his traditional values, even though Day himself rarely brought it up.
The charge could not stick to Harper, however, who repeatedly said that abortion would not be an issue of his government. Far from harbouring a hidden agenda, Harper did everything he could to distance himself from his large support base of “small-c” conservatives during the election.
In response to the “hidden agenda” he told Maclean’s, “There's no evidence that it's true. And it will become very apparent now that I am prime minister that this argument was a lie. And it will not be me having to explain this next time. It will be the other party, when it engages in misrepresentation.”
Harper’s announcement in Maclean’s is no surprise to pro-life advocates who were disappointed with his stated promise to do everything in his power to stop abortion from coming to the floor of the House.
He told reporters January 17, “The Conservative government won't be initiating or supporting abortion legislation, and I'll use whatever influence I have in Parliament to be sure that such a matter doesn't come to a vote.”
Numerous polls have shown that, despite strong mainstream media support for abortion on demand, a majority of Canadians do not support the status quo situation and would welcome restrictions.
The national pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, has repeatedly emphasized that Harper is not pro-life and that it is only through cooperative, courageous action by individual pro-life MPs from all the parties that legislative protection of the unborn will come about.
In every election CLC has been encouraging support and voting for individual pro-life candidates as opposed to voting for a party or leader since none of the parties in Parliament are pro-life.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Conservative Leader Harper Vows to Shut Down Abortion Debate in Canada's Parliament
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06011707.html
Calgary Herald: It’s Time for Canada to Place Gestational Limits on Abortion
By Gudrun Schultz and Steve Jalsevac
CALGARY, Alberta, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of Calgary’s mainstream newspapers wants to see a limit on how far into pregnancies abortions may be done in Canada.
In an editorial published on Sunday, Feb. 26, the Calgary Herald said it’s time Canada follows the example of most western nations in imposing some legal restrictions on abortions. The article relates the various limits of 12 to 24 weeks gestation in place in European nations as examples to emulate.
“It is absurd that alone among its peers, Canadians cannot create a moderate, well-conceived law regulating when, and under what circumstances, a pregnancy can be terminated,” the editorial ran.
The Herald points out that 52 percent of all Canadians think there should be some laws restricting abortion access (14 percent don’t think abortion is acceptable at any time). Canada’s present policy of allowing abortions at any time during pregnancy, for any reason, represents the viewpoint of only one third of the country’s population.
The paper calls for some legal accountability on when, in a pregnancy, the decision to abort can be made.
“…It is a matter of asking for that choice to be made in a timely and responsible manner; and recognition that there is a date after which the state has a legitimate interest in the life of the fetus.”
The Herald points out that even those socially liberal countries such as Sweden and Norway limit abortions to 18 weeks gestation. In France, Germany and Belgium, abortions are illegal after 12 weeks. “These are not countries known for oppressing women,” says the Herald.
The Herald says the resurgence of the partial abortion debate in the U.S,. as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision to review the partial birth abortion ban, should prompt new discussions in Canada.
The partial birth abortion ban is the prohibition of a procedure rather than a gestational limit on abortion. Partial birth abortion is considered by many to be more of an infanticide procedure than an abortion. The campaign to ban it has been very successful in conveying the humanity of the unborn child. This is because of the obvious humanity of the partial birth victim who is brutally killed while partially in and mostly out of the birth canal during what would otherwise be a normal birth procedure of a viable or almost viable infant.
In the US, numerous successful restrictions on abortion have been implemented by state legislatures in recent years and have so far avoided the gestational approach.
US incremental measures have instead emphasized publicly supported restrictions such as informed consent with a mandatory waiting period, parental consent, penalties for adults who coerce minors to abort, removal of all taxpayer funding, strict regulation of abortion facilities, facilitating lawsuits and charges against abortionists, state support for organizations promoting alternatives to abortion and for organizations promoting abstinence, plus many other measures.
Read full Calgary Herald article here:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/story.html?id=97f74d26...
Abortion Laws Do Not Always Require Health Exceptions Says Sixth Circuit Appeals Ruling
CINCINNATI, Ohio, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On February 24, 2006, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a "per se" requirement that all abortion statutes must contain an exception to protect the health or life of the mother in order to be constitutional.
In September 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifespristone (RU-486) to induce abortion without surgical intervention. Absent state regulation, once a drug is approved by the FDA, doctors may prescribe it for indications and in dosages other than those expressly approved by the FDA. This practice is called "off-label" use. In 2004, Ohio passed a law that prohibited off-label use of RU-486, thus requiring that any use of RU-486 be in strict compliance with the FDA approved use.
The trial court blocked the entire law from going into effect, in part, because it did not contain a health exception. In Planned Parenthood Cincinnati Region v. Taft, the appeals court ruled that laws which regulate abortion are not always required to have a health exception. Relying on the Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood issued on January 18, 2006, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled that lower courts may not strike down entire statutes when a narrow ruling is possible.
The Planned Parenthood Cincinnati Region v. Taft case is significant for two reasons: (1) the court ruled that a health exception is not always necessary for laws restricting abortion, and (2) the ruling is the first application of the Supreme Court's decision in Ayotte. When the High Court handed down Ayotte several weeks ago, Liberty Counsel stated that the decision will make it more difficult to strike down abortion laws in their entirety based on actual or hypothetical applications when only a small portion of the law conflicts with current Supreme Court precedent. This case illustrates that striking down abortion laws will become much more difficult in the future.
Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, commented on the case: "Roe v. Wade is being chipped away one case at a time. The time will soon come when we will look back on the Roe v. Wade decision with disgust, in the same way we disdain past Supreme Court cases that once established the 'separate but equal' doctrine or that sanctioned the internment of Japanese-Americans."
HBO Promotes Polygamy With “Big Love” Series
Contains numerous references to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered themes
By Gudrun Schultz
NEW YORK, New York, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – HBO is set to launch an entertainment series that openly promotes polygamy. Beginning March 12, the “bold new series” Big Love will replace the Sopranos on the station’s Sunday night line-up.
Starring Hollywood’s Jim Paxton, Big Love attempts to show the “endearingly normal” side of a typical American man who “happens” to have three wives. The producers worked hard to ensure they found an All-American actor to play the lead role, reports the Star Telegraph, to minimize any potential “creepiness” of the material.
Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, the show’s scriptwriters, are both gay. Although the producers deny there was any pro-gay agenda behind making the show, reviews have said the show’s material contains numerous references to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered themes, and is a showcase for “gay apologia.” Even before the release date, gay activists have seized upon the show as a vehicle for promoting the legitimacy of gay “marriage.”
Tom Hanks’ production company produces the show, with Hanks acting as executive producer. Hanks’ recent work includes his starring role in the anti-Catholic movie The Da Vinci Code, which will be released in the U.S. on May 19.
The Mormon community has distanced itself from the series. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a press release in response to media coverage of the series, stating that polygamy has been banned by the Mormon Church since 1890, and any groups continuing the practice today “have no association whatever” with the church.
"The Church has long been concerned about the continued illegal practice of polygamy, and in particular about reports of child and wife abuse emanating from polygamous communities today. It will be regrettable if this program, by making polygamy the subject of entertainment, minimizes the seriousness of that problem,” the press release said.
The church requested that HBO issue a disclaimer at the beginning of the program, dissociating the practice of polygamy from the Mormon community. HBO has agreed to comply with that request.
Along with a humorous and approving portrayal of polygamy, and a tacit promotion of homosexuality, reviewers have stated the program relies on raunchy and explicit sexual “humor” to carry the story along. Jokes about the lead character’s reliance on Viagra to help him cope with three wives are central to the humor.
An excerpt from the program’s opening scene contains a crude and sexually explicit conversation between four teenage girls, and ends with an implied lesbian exchange between two of the girls. (See transcript here: http://www.ldsfilm.com/TVchars/BigLove.html)
U.S. Opposes Establishment of U.N. “Human Rights Council”
By Terry Vanderheyden
WASHINGTON, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US is opposed to the establishment of a proposed new United Nations body to replace the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission. Ambassador to the UN, John R. Bolton, said Monday that the US would oppose a proposal to form the new human rights watchdog.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had billed the creation of a new human rights organ as a key priority when he launched his agenda for extensive United Nations reform early last year. A major change proposed by the new Human Rights Council is the requirement that its members, elected “directly and individually” by the 191-member General Assembly, would be judged on their human rights records, with the provision that they could be suspended if they themselves commit violations.
“We were looking for something that would show muscle in cases of gross violations,” said UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson of Sweden. The new Council would have a higher standing as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, would meet year-round, as opposed to the six-week annual session of the Commission, and conduct a “universal periodic review” of all States’ adherence to human rights norms, including by scrutinizing its members.
Bolton criticised the proposal for not being tough enough to ensure that nations that abuse human rights would be prevented from joining. The Human Rights Commission has been the target of criticism for its frequent election of members from countries with poor human rights records, such as Sudan.
“I say this really more in sorrow than in anger, but we’re very disappointed with the draft that was produced last Thursday,” Bolton said, according to a Washington Post report. “We don’t think it's acceptable. My understanding is that the president of the General Assembly intends to bring this matter to the General Assembly within a day or two for a vote,” he added. “If he continues on that course, we will call for a vote and vote no.”
Archdiocese Facing Parent Complaints over “Talking about Touching” Sex-Ed Program
By Terry Vanderheyden
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Minnesota, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Archdioces of St. Paul and Minneapolis is the latest to incorporate a controversial child education program that many parents argue is too sexually explicit for their children.
Talking about Touching, the program in question, is one recently approved by Archbishop Harry Flynn for parochial schools in the diocese, yet many parents don’t want schools corrupting their pre-kindergarten to grade 8 kids with discussions about sexuality.
The curriculum is part of a “safe environment” program aimed ostensibly at preventing the sexual abuse of children, mandated for all U.S. diocese’ by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
St. Paul attorney and member of Catholic Parents Online, John Trojack, described the program as sex education, because it talks about “private body parts or the sexual organs and the proper or improper touching of the same,” as reported by the Minneapolis Star/Tribune. He argued that the program violates official Church teaching that calls on parents to be the primary educators of their children.
Talking about Touching “follows secular guidelines in exposing children 18 months or older to sexually explicit descriptions of private body parts and descriptions of sexual situations,” Trojack wrote. Children, during their “years of innocence (until puberty) . . . must never be disturbed by unnecessary information about sex,” Trojack stated, quoting from Pope John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation, Familiaris Consortio.
The Talking about Touching curriculum was produced by the Washington State group Committee for Children. The Committee was originally called Judicial Advocates for Women and was formed in the 1970’s “to work for the repeal of the prostitution laws and an end to the stigma associated with sexual work.”
One concerned parent’s group, led by John Murphy, has organized to oppose the program. He said the good news is that the Archbishop is allowing pastors to petition him for an alternate program if desired. The group has suggested an alternate program created by the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA, called the Formation in Christian Chastity. (See details: http://www.hbgdiocese.org/education_index.htm)
Murphy is also encouraging parents to write a respectful letter to Archbishop Flynn to let him know their displeasure with the program. He also encourages parents to contact their pastors about the alternate program.
Archbishop Flynn is one of four US Catholic bishops praised by the homosexual activist Rainbow Sash Movement in 2004 for welcoming RSM members to receive communion. The other three very liberal bishops praised by RSM in its press release were Cardinal Roger Mahony (Los Angeles, CA), Bishop Mathew Clark (Rochester, NY) and Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton (Detroit).
Office of the Archbishop:
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
226 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-4400
See related coverage:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/april2004/anderson.htm
http://www.bettnet.com/blog/index.php/forums/viewthread/7/
http://www.girlsandboystown.org/news/releases/TalkingAbout.asp
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=22707
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Parents Continue to Object to Diocesan Child Protection Programs
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/feb/04020605.html
U.S. Government Funded Programs Teach Masturbation to Five-Year-Olds
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/sep/03090905.html
Focus on the Family Warns of Stealth Tactics to Spread Sexual Liberalism in Christianity
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/dec/03121106.html
Catholic parents unsuccessful in persuading Flynn to stop homosexual propaganda campaigns in Catholic parishes and schools
http://www.thewandererpress.com/b4-1-2004.htm
Vatican Prefect Says Difficult for Gay Priests to Represent Christ
By Terry Vanderheyden
ROME, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Cardinal-designate William J. Levada said it is difficult for homosexual priests, especially those who make their disorder public, to be seen as representatives of Christ by Catholic faithful.
Public declaration in particular puts priests “at odds with the spousal character of love as revealed by God and imaged in humanity,” said the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, during a sermon, as reported by the Catholic News Service.
“I think we must ask, ‘Does [a priest who makes his homosexuality public] recognize how this act places an obstacle to his ability to represent Christ the bridegroom to his bride, the people of God? Does he not see how his declaration places him at odds with the spousal character of love as revealed by God and imaged in humanity?” said the cardinal-designate.
“Sadly, this provides a good example of the wisdom of the new Vatican instruction,” he said, referring to the Vatican order that bans those with homosexual inclination from being ordained as priests.
Preaching to approximately 170 seminarians at a Mass where the new rector of Rome’s Pontifical North American College was installed, Levada added that “It is important for our people to hear us priests preach and teach about the fundamental character of God’s love imprinted upon humanity in the original act of creation: ‘God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.’”
Canadian Supreme Court Nominee Says Judges Should Not Decide Policy
By Gudrun Schultz
OTTAWA, Ontario, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –The judge first in line to fill a vacancy in Canada’s Supreme Court said in a nomination hearing yesterday that it is not up to judges to decide on social policy issues.
During questioning by a committee of MP’s under the new judicial appointment process Mr. Justice Marshall Rothstein, who was nominated to the Supreme Court by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said he does not support judicial activism.
"I'm not sure that I would be comfortable thinking that judges should be advancing the law with a social agenda in mind," he said. "It seems to me that the social agenda is the agenda for Parliament.”
"Where Parliament wants to advance the law in social terms, that's their job — that's your job. The courts' job is really to take what you say about social issues and try to interpret it as best we can and apply it to the facts."
Judge Rothstein said that although the Charter of Rights may sometimes “force” judges into policy decisions by allowing legislation that may violate a right when “demonstrably justified,” most laws passed by democratically elected legislatures do not intend to violate the Charter.
"Therefore, [judges] have to approach the matter with some restraint," he said. "But the most important thing is that they apply a rigorous and thorough analysis and if they do that, then I'd say that they're doing their job. If they depart from that, it might be a different thing."
Prime Minister Harper has said in the past that justices who pursue a social activist agenda unduly influence Canada’s court system. He accused the Liberal government of deliberately using justice appointments to bypass the Canadian public in pushing through controversial legislation, such as the legalization of same-sex “marriage.”
In the final days of the 2006 election, Harper said the qualities he would look for in judicial appointees would include “the ability to competently and shrewdly and wisely apply the laws that are passed by the Parliament of Canada.”
Judge Rothstein, 65, is a Federal Court of Appeal judge from Manitoba. The Globe and Mail described his demeanour at the hearing as ”quiet, respectful and occasionally witty.”
Justice Minister Vic Toews, who chaired the committee, said he would recommend that Mr. Harper confirm Judge Rothstein's appointment, which the Prime Minister is expected to do on Wednesday.
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
Courts Stacked With Liberal Judges says Conservative Leader Harper
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06011905.html
Abortionists Admit Humanity of Unborn; Now Claiming Right to Feel Good About Killing
by Hilary White
WASHINGTON, February 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The pro-life movement has made such gains in arguing for the humanity of the unborn, that abortionists and their apologists are finding their rhetoric is too harsh, even in traditionally supportive political circles.
The campaign slogans familiar to everyone who has read a news report on abortion: “my body my choice,” “women's choice is a human right,” are no longer resonating with the US public that is increasingly confronted with the devastating psychological and social aftermath of abortion. With even such politicians as notorious abortion campaigner Hillary Clinton trying to position herself as a moderate, the abortion industry is worried for its PR and clout.
Francis Kissling, head of the abortion industry front organization, Catholics for a Free Choice, said the movement is losing on what it used to consider its own ground. “There is a deep-seated fear (in the abortion lobby) that if you address the moral issues, you're going to lose,” Kissling said.
“But we're losing anyway. It's only by addressing the moral issues that we'll get some relief on the political questions.”
The problem is becoming so dire, that a leftist think tank, the Center for American Progress, is hosting a summit for abortionists, lobbyists and activists of all kinds to talk about how to address the situation. The meeting this Friday in Washington DC will attempt to forge a new public relations strategy.
An article in the current edition of Newsweek featured Peg Johnston, an abortionist in upstate New York who will be attending the Washington meeting. Johnston said that she eschews the euphemisms and jargon of the abortion lobby when speaking to clients. She says that her patients speak in terms of “babies” and “killing” so she uses those terms as well.
“At first I thought they were picking up the language from [anti-abortion protesters] outside. But then I started really tuning in to my patients, and I realized, 'She really feels that way'.” Johnston says.
But the shift to a warmer, more “compassionate” public image by abortionists has been developing for some time. George Tiller, the abortionist in Wichita, Kansas who specializes in killing late-term babies, features on his website photos of a macabre ‘baptism’ ceremony for the dead child which clients can have for an extra fee.
Claire Keyes told Newsweek that she plans to establish a “sanctuary space” in the abortion facility she directs in Pittsburgh and has offered ‘baptismal’ ceremonies.
Many abortion organizations, including Planned Parenthood now include a “chaplain” on the payroll whose job it is to help clients overcome their “guilt feelings” for having killed what few now deny is a human child.
Advances in sonogram technology were hailed by the pro-life movement as a great help in the argument for the humanity of the unborn, but this has not necessarily translated into moral comprehension.
Kirsten Moore, spokesman for the Reproductive Health Technologies Project says a focus group showed that women who see the pictures of their unborn child on a sonogram are as ready to kill as they ever were. “Women who are thinking about ending a pregnancy are not asking, ‘Is this a life?’ They know that it is. They are asking, ‘Can I take care of this baby?” Moore told Newsweek.
Despite the best efforts of pro-lifers the result, at least among committed abortion activists, is a further distancing from the fundamental notion that it is wrong to kill. The shift may be one that pro-lifers are not prepared for.
“We’ve really moved onto the next rung of the ladder haven’t we?” Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition commented to LifeSiteNews.com. “What do you do when they admit that they are killing babies and claim the right to feel good about it?”
“Abortion was bound to lead to this and the idea has finally sunk in,” Hughes said. “We have made the case for the humanity of the unborn only to convince the abortionists to claim the right to kill human beings without guilt. It’s a moral shrug. How do you argue with a shrug?”
Read the Newsweek article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11590468/site/newsweek/page/2/
LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes
$3 billion California stem cell agency fights for life in court
http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/51/02-27-2006/a8400031842a9314.html
Abortion in America is not about women’s health, it is about a woman’s sexual independence.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpcolumn.asp?ID=2163
There’s no refuting the claim that same-sex partnerships harm marriage - Stanley Kurtz
http://www.nationalreview.com/kurtz/kurtz200602280810.asp
Families Sue to Opt Their Kids Out of School-Mandated Pro-Homosexual Seminar
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/282006e.asp
Pro-family Judiciary Committee members say it's time to fill appeals-court vacancies.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039658.cfm
Casino Reopens in New Orleans - Opponents of gambling say it will just add to the devastation.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039671.cfm
Teacher to Return to School After Having Sex Change
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2006/feb/28/022800306.html
Rival writers start last chapter in war of words over Da Vinci Code
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2061521,00.html
Convicted sex-offender abortionist still practicing
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49028
Communist Party in crisis: 20 million members go to church or temple
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=5509
Power, maturity steer Christian movement - Brokeback Mountain - Michael Medved
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060227/cm_usatoday/powermaturitysteerchristia...--
Michigan Finds New Way to Fight Nudity on Cable
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0039674.cfm
HHS Removes Gay Advice Section
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0039677.cfm
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.