"Facts of Life" Email: November 7, 2003

Facts of Life--November 7, 2003

After 8 long years, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, S. 3, was finally signed into law November 5 by a grateful pro-life President--and was challenged in several Federal District Courts almost simultaneously. 

Read President George Bush's Remarks Here. 

Planned Parenthood Federation of America and PP Golden Gate filed in a federal district court in San Francisco (PPFA v. Ashcroft), the National Abortion Federation (NAF) in New York, and four abortionists filed in Nebraska. U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Nebraska blocked implementation of the law within half an hour of the signing, applying his order only to the four abortionists who brought the suit, and who practice in 6 states. They included Leroy Carhart, who successfully blocked state bans on partial-birth abortions in Stenholm v. Carhart, 2000. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Conway Casey of New York blocked enforcement the next day as to all physicians who are members of NAF.  NAF claims to represent more than half of America's abortionists. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in San Francisco ruled late on Thursday to halt implementation as to approximately 900 Planned Parenthood physicians nationwide. President Bush promised to "vigorously" defend the new law against legal challenges. For More Information Click Here

For comprehensive information about partial-birth abortions, the bill and answers to the myths and lies perpetuated in the media, go to the National Right to Life's website, www.nrlc.org.

On October 31 the Alameda County Coroner's office reported that Holly died on September 17 of "septic shock, due to endomyometritis due to therapeutic, drug-induced abortion" committed by Planned Parenthood. In other words, the RU486 "abortion caused inflammation, which caused the shock, which caused her death," said Frank Gentle, the supervising Coroner. Holly's death is also being investigated by the CA health department and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). PP has actually admitted and defended the fact that it does not follow the FDA guidelines, using the drugs later in pregnancy, providing a lower-dose pill, and administering the second drug, misoprostol, vaginally instead of orally.

For More Information Click Here 

There are two bills in Congress to address RU 486 abortions. HR 486 was introduced by Rep. David Vitter of Louisiana early this year. It would require among other things, that only physicians could administer them. Last year the state Legislature made California the first state to specifically authorize nurse midwives and others to commit drug-induced abortions, and it appears that Holly's abortion was by a nurse practitioner. The second bill, just introduced Thursday by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland and Jim DeMint of South Carolina and 59 co-sponsors would halt the use of RU 486 until another review of it's safety could be completed. It will be called "Holly's Law" at the request of her parents and they intend to lobby for its passage. It will technically be known as the "RU-486 Suspension and Review Act of 2003." Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas will introduce a companion bill in the U. S. Senate. Holly's parents will also support an effort to put a parental notification initiative on the ballot next year. 

For more information and to see the letter from Monty and Helen Patterson.

 

Justice Janice Rogers Brown of the California Supreme Court appears to be about to suffer the same fate as other well-qualified appointees of President George Bush to America's Courts of Appeal. Justice Brown enjoys support across the political spectrum from liberal Village Voice columnist, Nat Hentoff, to conservative economist and author, Thomas Sowell, who happens to be black, as is Justice Brown. Hentoff stated on WABC radio on November 2, that he finds her eminently qualified: "I've rarely seen such a sharp legal mind -- and clarity." He based this opinion on his reading of more than 20 of Justice Brown's opinions. "I've rarely seen a judge since William O. Douglas who writes so well so that people can understand it." Sowell, of Stanford's Hoover Institute, wrote a series of columns entitled "A Lynch Mob Gathers" part I: Part II: Part III
The latest demonstration of diverse support came from the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of the nine seeking the Democratic nomination for President, who has told Senate Democrats they should not filibuster Justice Brown. "I don't agree with her politics. I don't agree with some of her background, but she should get an up-or-down vote." Read Here.
A new charter school approved by the San Juan Unified School Board in Sacramento on October 14 will promote speciesism and animal rights. It will be the first-ever public "Humane Education" Charter School. "Humane Education" originates from the animal rights movement. Speciesism is the term that radical animal rights proponents have given to the belief that human beings should have more rights and be considered of greater value than non-human animals. It is a concept that originated with philosopher Peter Singer, the Yale professor who advocates the right to kill a newborn baby up to 28 days after birth if they don't conform to somebody's idea of a healthy baby. Yale Wishnick, who advocated for the new charter school is a board member, along with Peter Singer, of Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Wishnick is also with the California Teachers Association. Here is a website with a lot more information concerning this disturbing development, sponsored by some local community activists, who have been opposing this charter. www.taaps.net. This is a national movement, so look out for similar proposals at a school near you.

Check out the CPLC website "news" section to stay up with the latest in pro-life happenings. www.californiaprolife.org.

California ProLife Council (CPLC) (www.californiaprolife.org) is the largest statewide organization in California solely dedicated to pro-life issues. CPLC is a non-sectarian, non-partisan, non-profit grassroots organization of pro-life groups and individuals in California dedicated to protecting and fostering the most basic value of our society-respect for LIFE itself. We seek to educate our community in regard to abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide, to identify and organize the pro-life population of the state into an effective team, and to restore respect for human life to public policy. California ProLife Council is the California affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, Inc. (www.nrlc.org)