Monday January 26, 2004

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South Dakota Set To Pass Legislation Making Abortion a Crime

ANN ARBOR, MI, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With legal assistance from the Thomas More Law Center, South Dakota State Representative Matt McCaulley introduced a bill Thursday making abortion a crime unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother. House Bill 1191, which already has the support of a majority in the state house and senate, directly confronts the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which gave women a constitutional right to abort their babies.

Representative McCaulley presented the legislation on the 31st anniversary of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, saying, "Medical and scientific discoveries over the last 30 years have confirmed that life begins at conception, a question the Roe Court said they could not answer."

HB1192 provides for exceptions to protect the life of the mother if birth or continued pregnancy constitutes a clear and immediate threat of death to the mother or serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. The bill would make the crime of abortion punishable by up to 5 years in state prison.

Support for the legislation has been building during the past few days, with 47 representatives and 18 state senators co-sponsoring the bill. The bill is supported by majority leaders in both the house and the senate including the minority leader in the state senate. With the sponsors alone, the legislature has the majority votes needed to pass the bill. Once approved, HB1192 would ultimately be sent to South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds who has previously vowed to protect life under all circumstances.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, acknowledging the likely court battle that would ensue if the legislation is passed commented, "Roe v. Wade was an exercise of raw judicial power, not based on any reasonable interpretation of the Constitutional text. The Roe decision carries the same moral implications as the Dredd Scott decision that upheld slavery by regarding a segment of our population as non-persons. The Court was wrong then, and the court is wrong now. We have a moral responsibility to confront this lawless decision whenever the opportunity presents itself."

A copy of this bill can be found at
http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2004/1191.htm

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Shameful Bias Again in This Year's March for Life Coverage by Mainstream Media

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Last week's Washington DC March for Life attended by over 100,000 pro-lifers and addressed by the President via telephone, numerous congressmen, cardinals, bishops and pro-life leaders, was basically ignored by major media outlets. Pro-lifers in Canada who were searching the American networks on the day of the March were frustrated to find no coverage on any of the evening news broadcasts. LifeSite staff attending the March witnessed first-hand the immense pro-life crowd and only a tiny handful of pro-abortion opponents.

LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Tim Graham, the Director of Media Analysis for the Media Research Center (MRC) who told LifeSite of a newly completed report on media bias in 2003, which demonstrated similar media distortions.

Pro-abortion media bias is never more evident than television coverage, or lack thereof, of the annual Washington March for Life. Analyzing newscasts of the major networks ABC, CBS and NBC for 2003, MRC reported on distortions which can only be described as outright lies. For instance, one of the most popular news personalities in America, CBS' Dan Rather, uttered a blatant falsehood when he said of the 2003 Roe v Wade anniversary, "Tens of thousands of demonstrators on both sides of the issue filled the streets of Washington today." MRC commented, "In fact, the pro-life side consisted of tens of thousands, while the pro-abortion side could only muster a few tens."

MRC's 2003 report compared the major networks' coverage of an anti-war march held in Washington a few days before the March for Life. "ABC, CBS, and NBC aired 26 segments on the anti-war march, 14 of them before the rally began, stories which emphasized the protesters' diversity, including political diversity. 'Braving frigid temperatures,' ABC's Lisa Sylvester proclaimed on the January 19 World News Tonight, 'they traveled across the country - black and white, Democrat and Republican, young and old.'"

In contrast, "While they offered nine stories (four of them pre-rally) on the wider news angle of the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the stories made only oblique references to marches protesting Roe v. Wade. Not one network news story had the pro-life demonstrations as its central topic, in contrast to 26 that featured left-wing, anti-war protesters." Moreover, when covering the March the reporters linked it to the 1998 shooting death of abortionist Barnett Slepian.

See the full MRC research report on media bias:
http://www.mediaresearch.org/SpecialReports/2004/report0104_p1.asp

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Jewish Rabbi Delivers Most Rousing Speech at Washington March for Life

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Of all the speeches delivered just before the 31st annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. last week, the one delivered with the most vigor and which roused the most passion was that of Rabbi Yehuda Levin.

Pulling no punches, Rabbi Levin began, "Three decades ago, in 1973, a decadent Supreme Court, in this city of Washington, D.C., issued a shameful decree-the ROE vs. WADE ruling that empowered the abortion establishment to murder and mutilate tens of millions of G-D's children in cold blood." He spoke of America's promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, adding, "It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this guarantee, as far as her unborn children are concerned."

Calling for immediate action from political leaders he said, "This is no time to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to open the doors of life to all of G-D's children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the consequences of the continued murder of millions of unborn children."

After a few lines mirroring the famous "I have a dream" speech of Martin Luther King, Rabbi Levin concluded, "Let us speed up the day when all of G-D's children: White, Black, Brown, Gentile, Catholic, Protestant, and Jew alike will be able to sing the words of that old Negro spiritual: 'Born at last! Born at last! -- Thank G-D Almighty, we are born at last!'"

See Rabbi Levin's full speech at:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jan/040126a.html

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British Medical Association "Preferred Bioethicist" Says Infanticide Justifiable

WESTMINSTER, UK, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - John Harris, the British Medical Association's "preferred bioethicist" and Manchester University professor of ethics revealed yesterday that he felt infanticide was justifiable for disabled children.

During an unreported debate last week on sex selection, Harris told the Commons Science and Technology Committee that he did not see a difference between killing a child at 40 weeks gestation versus killing the child after it was born. He also said that infanticide is accepted in most countries and that it was for families to decide the fate of their child. "I don't think infanticide is always unjustifiable. I don't think it is plausible to think that there is any moral change that occurs during the journey down the birth canal," he said.

The comments sparked fury from Pro life groups. Spokeswoman for the UK ProLife Party, Julia Millington, who posed the question, said "It is frightening to think that university students are being educated by somebody who endorses the killing of new-born babies, and equally worrying to discover that such a person is the establishment's 'preferred' bioethicist. Prof. Harris is a member of the Human Genetics Commission, and has acted as ethical consultant to the Department of Health and to numerous international bodies. In such a climate is it any wonder that a baby has been aborted in the UK at seven months for a cleft palate?"

Reverend Joanna Jepson, curate of the Church of England, who is going to the High Court to try to block late abortions for trivial reasons such as a cleft palate, said "It is frightening to hear anyone endorsing infanticide but it is shocking when the person is responsible for teaching others."

Read local coverage at:
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=93982004

Also read prior LifeSiteNews.com coverage of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children's report on Dr. James Watson’s support of infanticide. Watson, father of modern genetics, wrote in 1973 that “...most defects are not discovered until birth. If a child were not declared alive until three days after birth, then all parents could be allowed the choice... the doctor could allow the child to die if the parents so choose and save a lot of misery and suffering,” at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/apr/010419.html

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Harvard-MIT Study Shows State Pro-Life Laws Responsible for Lower Abortion Rates

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study by a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-MIT Data Center indicates that state laws against abortion reduce the number of abortions.

The research, by Harvard-MIT Data Center post-doctoral fellow Michael J. New, is published by the Heritage Foundation (www.heritage.org). It explains the key role of life- affirming state laws in the substantial decline in the number of abortions during the 1990s-after a rise in abortions during the 1970s and 1980s.

"Dr. New's research shows that when politicians and judges decide against life-affirming legislation, they are like lifeguards turning their backs to the water," said Denise Burke, Esq., staff counsel with Americans United for Life (AUL).

Using regression analysis, Dr. New's research shows that, by the end of the 1990s, four common types of state pro-life legislation were effective at reducing the number of abortions. Looking at state abortion data for every year from 1985 to 1999 (while holding a variety of economic and demographic factors constant), the Heritage study examines the impact of parental-involvement laws, Medicaid-funding restrictions, informed-consent laws and partial-birth-abortion bans.

By the end of the 1990s, more states had passed and enforced these types of laws compared to earlier in the decade. For example, according to New's research, in 1992, virtually no states were enforcing informed-consent laws, but by 2000, 27 states had informed-consent laws in effect. And in 1992 only 20 states were enforcing parental-involvement statutes, but by 2000, 32 states were enforcing these laws.

AUL, the national leader in drafting model state pro-life legislation was encouraged by the study. "We welcome this report from Dr. New and the Heritage Foundation-a report that clearly shows our model legislation saves lives now," said Clarke Forsythe, AUL president. "In spite of Roe v. Wade, in spite of activist judges, in spite of often-biased media, the pro-life community is helping thousands of women choose life. Working together, AUL, other national and state pro-life groups, and crisis pregnancy centers have never given up showing women that their lives are lived better by choosing life for their unborn children."

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Morning-After Pill Legalized in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The International Consortium on Emergency Contraception, a group of abortion supporters, are succeeding in their mandate to proliferate abortifacient "emergency contraception" world-wide, as Mexico announced on Thursday its decision to legalize the chemical abortion drug.

There was strangely little opposition voiced from pro-life, Catholic or other religious organizations in this predominately Catholic country.

Read local coverage at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/23/international2218EST6043.DTL

Also read the LifeSiteNews.com report on the UN & IPPF being behind the international promotion of "emergency contraception" at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/1999/dec/991210a.html

Read about the many negative side effects of the morning-after pill in the LifeSiteNews.com report: "Potent Drug Receives Revolutionary Exemption from Usual Doctors' Risk Assessment" at: http://lsn.ca/ldn/1999/sept/990922a.html

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"Domestic Partner Registry" Opens in Ohio

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Less than one week after the Ohio Legislature made one of the U.S.'s most vocal statements in opposition to the legalization of same-sex "marriage," a Cleveland suburb has voted to open a "domestic partner registry" for unmarried couples. The first 16 of 17 registrants were same-sex "couples."

Although the registration carries no legal rights binding on governments or employers, opponents worry that it will usher in same-sex benefits such as pensions and health care, and erode the traditional idea of marriage which the majority of U.S. citizens support.

Eventually, the city will offer online and mail registration, the mayor said.

The domestic registry idea is not new. California created a state-wide registry for same-sex couples, allowing similar legal standing as married spouses have in the state.

In a city-wide referendum, 55 percent of voters were in favour of the new registry.

Cleveland Heights Family First Initiative told reporters that it is wrong for a city to legitimize a lifestyle many are in disagreement with. A group statement said that the registry attempts to redefine marriage and that "will have very serious negative effects on our society as a whole."

Following the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the Ohio Senate passed the Defense of Marriage Act on Wednesday, re-affirming the state position which does not recognize same-sex marriage. The ban on domestic partner benefits, which applies to gay and unmarried heterosexual couples, makes the law the strongest of same-sex 'marriage' bans passed in 37 states. The bill provides exceptions on the ban for cities, so supporters say that it shouldn't have any effect on the Cleveland Heights registry.

Read the CNN coverage at: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/01/26/domestic.registry.ap/

Read Fridays LifeSiteNews.com coverage "Ohio Passes Strongest Same-Sex 'Marriage' Ban in U.S." at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jan/04012306.html

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Another IVF Risk: Tripled Rates of Very Premature Births in IVF Babies

LEIDEN, Netherlands, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at the Netherlands Leiden University and Flinders University have revealed today that IVF children are at a tripled risk for very premature birth -- a baby born prior to 32 weeks gestation -- and, in addition, a doubled risk of a "mildly" premature baby, born between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation.

The study also found that there was an increased risk of "small for dates" babies, babies that are underweight at birth, in IVF children compared with children who were conceived naturally and born after the same period of gestation.

The findings prompted one collaborator in the study to say that "Singletons from assisted conception are significantly disadvantaged."

This latest finding is one in a string of similar findings as revealed by LifeSiteNews.com in past issues, including studies from Washington University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention -- showing greater likelihood of complications such as Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome; rare urological defects including bladder development outside the body; heart or central nervous system abnormalities; and "ambiguous genitalia."

Read the BBC coverage of the Netherlands study at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3420265.stm

Also read prior LifeSiteNews.com coverage "Researchers Admit IVF Carries Higher Birth Defect Risk," at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/sep/03092206.html

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LifeSite NewsBytes

Four Golden Globes for Return of the King
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040126/D80A9TLG0.html

Pro-Abortion Attitudes At FDA under Bush has Even the New York Times Suprised
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/25/national/25FDA.html

Oregon Governor's Wife Gives Public Pro-abortion Rant
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1075035307226101.xml

Peggy Noonan on the Kafuffle over Gibson's Passion of Christ
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004587

Court Rules Doc Didn't Have to Stop Abortion When Woman Asked
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/7800469.htm

Europe's Problem-and Ours - George Weigel
"their" European problem is also ours-a cautionary tale that, unless understood in its depth, can and likely will be replayed on this side of the Atlantic, with unhappy consequences for American democracy and for the future of freedom in the world.
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0402/articles/weigel.html

A Long Road to Recovery for Fr. Groeschel
http://www.ncregister.com/current/NCRWEB/LEAD10125.htm

CBS "The Early Show" Twists Mel Gibson's Remarks
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/1/26/220457.shtml

Mel Gibson's 'Christ' Reveals Crucifixion
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/1/25/145119.shtml

Many Outraged Arlington Diocese Parents Reject "Sexual-Abuse Prevention" Program
http://thewandererpress.com/a1-22-2004.htm

Gay B.C. cabinet minister marries partner
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040126.wgayy0126/BNStory/National/

Quebec says doctors should disclose HIV status
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1075160914692_52///?hub=Health

Parents sue over 'illegal' organ removals
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$SSOSUH3O4SOB5QFIQMFSFFOAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2004/01/27/norg27.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/01/27/ixportal.html

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