Facts of Life Email: February 23, 2006

CURRENT LIFE ISSUES:

u Six years after its much criticized ruling that Roe v. Wade fully protects the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take another look at the issue. The justices announced that they would review a lower-court ruling that has blocked enforcement of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a bill signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 5, 2003. The Bush Administration had urged the Court to accept the appeal, most recently in a brief filed by the Solicitor General on February 14. The Court will hear arguments and decide the case during its next term, which begins in October. Read the complete story!

u If Assembly members Berg and Levine have their way, AB 651, the "Compassionate Care Act," will head to the Senate Judiciary Committee next month. If the bill passes in the Senate  it will be returned to the Assembly for concurrence. Senator George Runner (R-Antelope Valley), who has signed a letter of opposition to physician-assisted suicide along with all the members of the Senate Republican Caucus, said he believes AB 651 has enough Senate support to pass since abortion rights legislators "view this issue through the same basic lens." According to Senator Runner, "if we are able to defeat this, it will be in the Assembly." Click here to order materials you can send to your Senate and Assembly representatives!

u Members of the Supreme Court met behind closed doors this week to do which handful of cases they will hear out of 800 appeals that have been filed there. Attorneys for President Bush want the high court to hear a case on the partial-birth abortion ban. The announcement about which cases will be heard is expected next week. The Bush administration filed paperwork with the court earlier this week asking it to take the partial-birth abortion case. Three appeals courts have ruled the ban unconstitutional because it lacks a health exception -- even though the three-day long abortion procedure is never necessary to protect a woman's life or health. Read the complete story.

u The committee that oversees the $3 billion in taxpayer funds that will be spent on embryonic stem cell research says the state of California will be entitled to 25 percent of the profits that result from any therapies it develops. The board also set up ground rules to make sure scientists do not take advantage of women who donate their human eggs for research. The committee, which was created after voters approved Proposition 71, was struggling with how to repay the state should the controversial research actually develop any treatments. Thus far, adult stem cells have yielded dozens of therapies while embryonic stem cell research has yet to help a single patient. For more information about Prop 71's effect on California and about stem cell research, check out our documentary, The Human Experiment.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CPLC:

u Help us give CA students the opportunity to stand up for LIFE! Plans are already underway for the 2006 CPLC Youth Oratory Contest, but we need your help to make sure every pro-life student has the chance to speak! Can you host a contest in your hometown? It's easier than you think! Visit www.californiaprolife.org/speak for all the details!

JOIN THE ADVENTURE!
CPLC has a variety of educational resources for you to share with your community. Learn more about all the current issues and how to get involved!

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"There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity."
Tom Peters