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Federal Appeals Court Suggests Abortionists Reporting of Statutory Rape is Optional

DENVER, September 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Federal Appeals Court has dismissed a case brought by abortionists and other abortion supporters against Kansas for attempting to enforce their mandatory child sex abuse reporting law. Legislators had changed one word in the statute, rendering the case moot.

Kansas law requires that health care professionals, teachers, and other professionals who work with children must report all suspicion of sexual abuse. Aid for Women, a Kansas City abortion mill run by abortionist Sherman Zaremski, filed suit against former Attorney General Phill Kline after he issued an opinion indicating that abortion clinics were required to follow the law.

After hearing testimony that included that of a homosexual psychologist who claimed that sex with 10-year old girls was healthy, Judge Thomas Marten ruled at trial that abortion clinics and other health professionals need not report all suspected cases to the authorities and left reporting of such abuse discretionary. Kline appealed, but his predecessor, an abortion supporter, joined in the motion to dismiss the case at the appellate level due to the one-word change in the law.

"The implications of the original ruling are devastating. Even though the abortionist's case was dismissed, this impression that reporting is discretionary remains," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "This means that abortion mills will continue to cover up incidents of suspected underage child sex in order to protect child predators, as they have for years in Kansas."

A case in point was that of Robert Estrada, who was convicted of raping his two young step-daughters and impregnating them a total of four times. The first pregnancy resulted in an abortion on one of the girls at age 12 at a Wichita abortion clinic where Zaremski worked. Because Zaremski and his staff refused to report the sexual abuse, it was allowed to continue on for years.

"The case was misrepresented in the media as a 'kiss and tell' case that would endanger the privacy of teens, and was never completely understood by the general public," said Newman. "Abortionist are hiding child sexual predators on a daily basis and young girls who should be protected are exploited and abused. They have effectively made Kansas a safe haven for child rapists and declared 'open season' on little girls."

Operation Rescue filed a complaint in February with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts against Zaremski for not reporting the child rape in the Estrada case. An investigation is pending.

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Pro-Abortion Kerry’s Lecture Cancelled at CUA Due to “Scheduling Conflict”

CUA Vice-President denies that invitation was extended

By Meg Jalsevac

WASHINGTON, DC, September 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews.com reported last week that Catholic University of America's (CUA) newspaper 'The Tower' had revealed that the College Democrats at CUA had received the necessary permission from the administration and subsequently invited pro-abortion Senator Kerry to lecture at the University.

In its current issue released just today, The Tower newspaper is now reporting that according to both the Senator's congressional office and the College Democrats, "Sen. John Kerry will not speak at the University this semester due to scheduling conflicts[…]

Mark Arnone, president of the College Democrats at CUA, had initially been forbidden by officials at the University Center, Student Programs and Events (UCSPE) to invite the pro-abortion senator to lecture.  However, after appealing the decision with a six page explanation on the reasons why Kerry should be allowed, Arnone received permission from UCSPE director Bill Jonas.  

According to The Tower, Jonas stated that he had been trying to employ a "common sense approach" in his decision but acknowledged that "[s]ome people are going to see that John Kerry is speaking at Catholic University and be angry about it. We have to find a balance."

LifeSiteNews attempted multiple times to contact Jonas' office for clarification of his decision in light of the 2004 USCCB directive for Catholic Universities to refuse "awards, honors or platforms" to individuals who openly defy Catholic "fundamental moral principles."

While no response was ever received from Jonas' office, LifeSiteNew did receive an answer to a similar question from Victor Nakas, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs.  Mr. Nakas claimed that Senator Kerry was never issued a "formal" invitation but that "[t]he College Democrats decided to explore the possibility of inviting Senator Kerry."

Nakas however, explained that a Kerry lecture at CUA would not be a contradiction to the USCCB policy. "Unfortunately, some people are misinterpreting the bishops' statement on Catholic politicians. We verified with the bishops themselves that the intent of the statement was to refuse a platform to speakers who would be invited to speak on those specific issues for which they hold positions that are at variance with the fundamental moral teachings of the Catholic Church (emphasis in original email).

Nakas continued, "This means, for example, that we would be violating the letter and the intent of the bishops' statement were we to invite Sen. Kerry to speak on abortion. However, we would not be violating the letter and the spirit of the bishops' statement were we to permit the College Democrats to invite Sen. Kerry to speak on the environment or the Iraq war."

The Tower had previously reported that Kerry was invited to specifically address the issues of the environment and the Iraq war.

The Kerry lecture would not have been held as an officially school sponsored event. While the administration had to approve the speaker choice, the cost of the event would have been paid by the College Democrats who were to organize and host the lecture. However, funding for the political group comes, at least in part, from a student activity fee that all CUA students are required to pay each year.

Personnel in Senator Kerry's office would not comment on his schedule to LifeSiteNews. According to The Tower article, Kerry's Deputy Press Secretary Liz Richardson, said that "He would love to come visit some time in the future" but that his current schedule had not allowed him to officially confirm the CUA lecture this semester.

As is frequently done in such cases, the earlier LifeSiteNews story encouraged our readers to contact officials at Catholic University to express concern over such a prominent pro-abortion personality having a platform at a Catholic educational institution.  

Upon doing so, one LifeSiteNews reader was surprised to receive a terse email in response from Frank Persico, Vice President for University Relations and Chief of Staff simply stating "[Kerry] has never been invited."

Mr. Persico's denial of the invitation is especially puzzling when considered in light of the fact that both Mark Arnone, president of CUA's College Democrats and Senator Kerry's office had previously acknowledged that they were working together to decide on a mutually acceptable date for the lecture.  

One University source suggested that the administration's denial of the invitation was based on a mere technicality.  While the invitation had been approved, and communicated to Kerry's office for consideration, a formal invitation with an event date had not been sent.   

Nakas' response would seem to confirm this.  According to Nakas, "The lecture was never cancelled because it was never scheduled in the first place" because a "formal" invitation was never sent.

However, the recently announced cancellation of the lecture implies that an invitation was extended and, at least tentatively, accepted.  Without an invitation, there would be no need for a cancellation. There would also be no need for comments about Mr. Kerry's scheduling conflict.  

Multiple calls and emails placed over the course of three days to Mr. Persico's office by LifeSiteNews were not returned by press time.  

Read Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Pro-Abortion John Kerry to Speak at Catholic University of America
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07091105.html

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US Conference of Bishops Asserts New Appointee is Pro-Life

By John-Henry Westen and Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

WASHINGTON, DC, September 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Monday LifeSiteNews.com published a story on Kathy Saile, who was recently named Director of Domestic Policy for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  Evidence on the internet and commentary on various blogs pointed strongly to the possibility that the new USCCB Director supported abortion.  Calls to confirm or deny the allegations were not returned by USCCB communications official Sr. Mary Anne Walsh.

In response to queries from concerned LifeSiteNews.com readers, the USCCB has now indicated that Saile is in fact pro-life.  The USCCB offices did not make this assertion to LifeSiteNews.com.

On Wednesday Catholic News Service, the media arm of the USCCB, published a story on Saile highlighting her pro-life position.  The article explained that Saile's work in Washington brought her into contact with the pro-abortion group Women's Information Network (WIN).  The article reports that the speech Saile gave at a WIN conference - which LifeSiteNews.com had highlighted as one of the pieces of evidence suggesting a view in favour of abortion - was actually a speech challenging the left-leaning group to "be pro-life".

Also on Wednesday, the USCCB Director of Planning & Information Deirdre McQuade contacted LifeSiteNews.com and informed us of the Catholic News Service article.  However Sr. Mary Anne Walsh once again did not return another call for follow up comment on the story from LifeSiteNews.com.

Without comment from the USCCB, other than learning of USCCB communiqués to others and the Catholic News Service story, LifeSiteNews.com contacted Kaithy Saile directly at her current post at the Lutheran Services of America, an arm of the abortion supporting Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.  Saile was at first reluctant to speak with LifeSiteNews.com prior to her taking her position at the USCCB in mid-October.  "I would be happy to do interviews once I'm actually on staff at the USCCB.  I'm still employed by LSA", she said.

However when LifeSiteNews.com assured her that questions would involve her personal stands rather than USCCB policies she was more willing to answer.  Are you willing to say that you are pro-life.  "Absolutely," she replied.

The USCCB form letter sent to those who have contacted the organization with their concerns about Saile's seemingly pro-abortion position were told "please be assured that commitment to the Catholic Church and its teaching are a central consideration in recruiting, interviewing and selecting candidates for key USCCB positions."

While pro-life activists hope that is the case at the USCCB, it surely has not always been so. 

In March 2004 LifeSiteNews.com reported that the USCCB employed Ono Ekeh as program coordinator for the Secretariat for African-American Catholics.  Ekeh was moonlighting as the administrator of the "Catholics For Kerry" internet newsgroup. (See coverage:http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/mar/04030208.html )

In July 2002, the USCCB appointed two known associates of former President Clinton to its 12-member National Review Board to deal with the sexual abuse scandals. (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/jul/02073102.html )

In December 2005 Harry Forbes the head of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting published a glowingly positive review of the homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain.  The LifeSiteNews.com exposure of Forbes' glowing review caused the USCCB website to substantially alter the review.  (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05121607.html ). Forbes continues to head the USCCB office.

See LifeSiteNews.com's original coverage of the Saile story:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07091702.html

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New Pembroke Bishop: "Pro-life is an incredibly important issue for us in the Church today"

Adds, "It's a difficulty that's wreaking havoc in our spiritual lives, in our nation and throughout the world"

By John-Henry Westen and Steve Jalsevac

PEMBROKE, ON, September 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Immediately after his ordination today as the new bishop of the Catholic diocese of Pembroke, a small diocese in Canada's Ottawa Valley district, Bishop Michael Mulhall emphasized that the pro-life issue is a very high priority for him.

During a brief meeting with the press after the ordination LifeSiteNews asked the bishop for his views on the abortion issue. He unhesitatingly responded, "It is one of the most pressing difficulties, challenges of our time."

The bishop continued, "It's a difficulty that's unseen, it's a difficulty that's wreaking havoc in our spiritual lives, in our nation and throughout the world.  So to keep it in our minds and our hearts and in the forefront even of our political movements is very important. So I encourage them and will be supporting as much as I can."

The new bishop ended, "Pro-life is an incredibly important issue for us in the Church today."

Bishop Mulhall, who was born in Peterborough, was most recently the Vicar General and Chancellor for Spiritual Affairs of the Diocese of Peterborough under Bishop Nicola De Angelis. De Angelis is known for his fidelity to the Church's moral and spiritual teachings and was beaming over the ordination of his Vicar General.

Bishop De Angelis, Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast and Canada's Apostolic Nuncio (representative of the Pope) Archbishop Luigi Ventura were co-consecrators of the only 45-year-old Fr. Mulhall at St. Columbkille's Cathedral in Pembroke. Also present were 21 other Canadian bishops, over 100 priests and numerous well-wishers from the Pembroke and Peterborough dioceses.

In his homily Archbishop Ventura noted that today is the 125th anniversary of the Consecration of the first bishop of Pembroke on September 21, 1882.

Archbishop Ventura also stressed multiple times that it is the role of the bishop to be the "guarantor of faith".  He thanked the bishop's father and mother who were present for the ordination.

At the very end of his remarks after the ordination mass, newly elect Bishop Mulhall stated, "May the growth of His (God's) people in holiness be my abiding and eternal joy".

The diocese contains the internationally known Madonna House in Combermere, founded by Catherine de Hueck Doherty, and the growing young Catholic College, Our Lady of Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry's Bay. Both are known to share the bishop's strong emphasis on pro-life and fidelity to Church teaching and are undoubtedly delighted to have this young, faithful new bishop as their chief spiritual shepherd.

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Planned Parenthood Loses Court Case to Open Aurora "Abortion Fortress"

Making mass appeal to supporters for financial help and volunteers to fight to open facility

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

AURORA, September 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A federal judge yesterday struck down a motion by Planned Parenthood to force the opening of their newly-built abortion clinic in Aurora, Illinois against the will of city officials.

The clinic, which was built under a building permit that concealed the name of Planned Parenthood from the city, has been prohibited from opening while officials investigate charges of fraud. Thousands of Aurora citizens have protested the opening, and the issue has attracted national attention.
 
"This decision today demonstrates the tremendous power of prayer," said Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League, which has led massive protests against the clinic. "The prayers of the faithful people who have been in front of this clinic night and day and the thousands who have been praying around the country, have been answered. We know this battle in Aurora is not over and we will continue to protest Planned Parenthood's deceptions. This delay will save the lives of innocent children."

LifeSiteNews asked Scheidler how long he expected to delay the clinic's opening. "At this point, I'm really leaving it up to God because I'm just blown away at what we've been able to accomplish here," he said. "I wouldn't put anything past Him. I think it's possible that we'll shut this down altogether. I'm not counting on anything, and I'm not going to stop fighting as hard as I can."

Scheidler states that he believes that that current legal victory could "last a week, and maybe for good", although he assumes Planned Parenthood will attempt to reverse it.

The ruling will allow officials to proceed with the investigation into Planned Parenthood's allegedly deceptive permit filing, which concealed the true identity of the facility's occupants by using a front company, Gemini Office Development, and failing to identify the building as an abortion complex (it was called a "health center" on the application).  If it opens, the facility will be the largest Planned Parenthood abortion facilitiy in North America.  Aurora pro-lifers call the clinic the "Abortion Fortress".
 
In ruling against Planned Parenthood's motion to force the city of Aurora to grant them an operating permit, U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle stated that Planned Parenthood had not proven that the city of Aurora was treating them differently than it had treated other permit filers, but left open the possibility that they might submit such information in a future proceeding. "By no means is this case over. By no means,'' he said. 

According to a local television station, Planned Parenthood is already planning an amended filing in an attempt to reverse the ruling.  They are also making a mass appeal to their supporters for financial help and volunteers to aid in their fight to open the Aurora facility, stating in their appeal that "we are facing no less than the most emboldened protest by the most radical anti-choice people I've ever encountered".  Protests against the clinic have attracted up to 1,500 people at a time.

Read Previous LifeSiteNews.com Coverage:

See Pro-Life Action League's U-Tube video of Aug. 25 demonstration
http://www.prolifeaction.org/

Largest Abortion Center in the U.S. Refused Permission to Open http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07091709.html

Residents Say Planned Parenthood Lied on Giant Abortion Mill Application - City Investigates
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07082908.html

Largest Ever Planned Parenthood Abortion Mill Threatens to Open Near Chicago
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07082209.html

Chicago Planned Parenthood Faces Lawsuit Over Libelous Ad
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07091103.html

Chicago Pro-Lifers Launch Massive Effort to Stop New Abortion Clinic from Opening - 40 Day Vigil
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07081801.html

Residents Say Planned Parenthood Lied on Giant Abortion Mill Application - City Investigates
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07082908.html

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Top Scholar Predicts “Slow Motion Humanitarian Tragedy” in China

Stinging rebuke delivered during address to World Economic Forum in Dalian, China

By Samantha Singson

NEW YORK, September 21, 2007 (CFAM.org) - Likening the Chinese one-child policy to a “slow-motion humanitarian tragedy,” prominent demographer Nicholas Eberstadt urged the Chinese government to “immediately and without reservation” scrap the coercive population control program that has been “a tragic and historic mistake.” Eberstadt delivered the stinging rebuke during an address to the World Economic Forum held in Dalian, China earlier this month.

Eberstadt told officials that while the population control program has achieved its objective of lowering the number of births in China, it “directly undermine[s] the country’s future development potential.”

According to Eberstadt’s research, by 2015 China’s working-age population of 15-64 year olds will be in a prolonged decline and in a generation, China’s labor force will likely be smaller than it is today.  Between 2005 and 2030, China’s 15-24 year old population will decrease and face a projected 20 percent decline.  Eberstadt emphasizes “the only part of working age population that stands to increase in size between now and 2030 is the over-50 group.”  China’s aging population will experience a never-before-seen boom. By 2030, China’s 65-plus cohort could more than double and top 235 million.

Another startling outcome will be the undoing of 2500 years of Chinese cultural tradition, he projected. That is because the new face of Chinese culture would have a “4-2-1” composition: four grandparents, two parents and one child. The new equation will hamper economic development as it puts greater strains on the dwindling youth population. Unlike the situation in Japan, where a national pension system was already in place before the aging population began to rise, China has no such pension system. Elderly have depended on sons to provide for them in old age and with the rapid fertility decline, those sons will not exist. “How will the elderly in China get by in the world they will so soon be facing?” he asked.

Another consequence of China’s population policy has been the increasingly skewed gender imbalance. Naturally, about 105 baby boys are born for every 100 baby girls. Eberstadt reports that shortly after the advent of the one-child policy, China began to report biologically impossible disparities. Currently, the sex ratio at birth in China is 123 baby boys for every 100 girls.  In a generation or less, China will have to deal with the problem of tens of millions of unmarriageable young men.

Eberstadt urged the Chinese government to abandon their population control policy as a means of easing “China’s incipient aging crisis, its looming family structure problems, and its worrisome gender imbalances” and encouraged the government to embrace human resources as a blessing which could “be the key to whether China succeeds in abolishing poverty and attaining mass affluence in the decades and generations ahead.”

Eberstadt said he could not be sure, but felt this could have been the first time such a presentation had been made in China. Though many Chinese demographers might agree with Eberstadt analysis, they have been reluctant to openly criticize the policy.

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Murphy's Lesser-Known Laws

1. Light travels faster than sound.
   This is why some people appear bright
   until you hear them speak.

2. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

3. Those who live by the sword
    get shot by those who don't.

4. Nothing is foolproof
    to a sufficiently talented fool.

5. The 50-50-90 rule:
    Anytime you have a 50-50 chance
    of getting something right,
    there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

6. The things that come to those who wait
    will be the things left by those who got there first.

7. The shin bone is a device
    for finding furniture in a dark room.

8. A fine is a tax for doing wrong.
    A tax is a fine for doing well.

9. When you go into court, 
    you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people 
    who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes

Rotary Club criticized for supporting pro-abortion groups and promoting population control
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10456

Melbourne’s 328 Catholic schools asked to cut ties with Amnesty
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10453

Planned Parenthood-friendly Catholic university loses big donor alumnus
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/070921

Senator Brownback introduces Ultrasound Informed Consent Act
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU07I10

Pope Urges Slovakia To Ratify Treaty With 'Conscience Clause' That Critics Say Would Allow Physicians To Refuse Abortions
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/82758.php

Pope says the crisis of the family and idea that abortion and euthanasia are “legitimate” are worrisome developments
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10367&size=A

China's 'perfect child' generation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7001561.stm

China To Augment Fines For Couples Who Violate One-Child Policy According To Income Level
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/82902.php

Toronto Catholic trustees vote to allow HPV vaccine in schools
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070920.HPV20/TPStory/TPNation...

Clinics to grow human eggs
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/22/neggs122.xml

Bauer disappointed by Dobson memo 'savaging' Fred Thompson
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/09/bauer_disappointed_by_dobson_m.php

Global-warming scientist warned of freeze in 1971
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070919/NATION02/109190067

Archbishop of Canterbury'accused of 'dehumanizing gays'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/22/nrowan122.xml

Leading porn purveyor struggles after merger
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005530.cfm

Christian Actors: No One Mocks Jesus
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/235848.aspx

Unexpected: Rapper 'Ja Rule' Blasts MTV, Homosexuality
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2007/09/21/unexpected-rapper-ja-r...

The Great Bourgeois Sexual Revolution
http://www.newoxfordreview.org/note.jsp?did=0907-notes-bourgeois

Iranians Flocking to Christian Television
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070921/29396_Iranians_Flocking_to_Christi...

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