California ProLife Council News 

Pro-Life News Briefs
Week of August 23, 2008
 

BARACK OBAMA'S OWN WORDS CONTRADICT CLAIMS ON OPPOSING ANTI-INFANTICIDE BILL
Washington, DC -- Barack Obama and his campaign have repeated the same excuse as to why he opposed a bill in the Illinois legislature that would have stopped infanticide. Obama is on record opposing a measure to give medical care to prematurely born babies who survive botched abortions. One columnist says Obama's own words during the debate on the bill contradict his current claims that he opposed it because it could have contradicted Roe v. Wade. Obama originally opposed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act in 2001 with concerns that it would impact the Roe decision and Illinois state law concerning when abortions were legal. But, by the time the bill came up for debate again in 2002, those concerns had been rectified yet Obama continued to oppose the common sense bill. "In 2002, Senator Obama was not concerned about Roe v. Wade. He was not concerned with undermining abortion laws in Illinois," writes Red State columnist Erick Erickson. "No, what Senator Obama today claims were his concerns were not his concerns back in 2002."
Source: LifeNews.com, August 21, 2008

AFRICAN AMERICAN PRO-LIFE LEADER TELLS BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: NO WE CAN'T OK ABORTION
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- An African-American pro-life leader has a message for Barack Obama that plays off on the informal theme that has become a chant at his rallies: No we can't. For Day Gardner, that means the black community can't continue supporting abortion and how it racially targets black Americans. Gardner has talked before about how abortion businesses unfairly target minority communities and how black women have abortions at much higher rates than white women or Hispanics. But Gardner says the last straw for her is the recent controversy surrounding Obama's votes in the Illinois legislature against bills that would have protected babies who survive botched abortions. "Barack Obama is an extremist who, in supporting what amounts to infanticide, would like to see all of us stand idle--twiddling our thumbs as unplanned children, who are born alive, die this terrible death," she told LifeNews.com Thursday. "We must realize this is definitely part of Mr. Obama's plan for America," Gardner explains. "But it is definitely not mine. In my America, all voices shout, 'No We Can't!' and 'No We Won't!'"
Source: LifeNews.com, August 21, 2008

JOHN McCAIN WILL NOT CHANGE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S PRO-LIFE PLATFORM ON ABORTION
Minneapolis, MN -- The McCain campaign confirmed on Thursday that presidential candidate John McCain will not touch the Republican Party's platform that calls for legal protection for unborn children from abortion. In years past, McCain had wanted minor changes to allow for exceptions in cases of rape or incest. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers told ABC News that McCain will not get involved in the platform debate. Instead, he will leave it to the platform committee, which is composed mostly of pro-life advocates, to draw up the language in that section of the party's statement of its views. "There's a process in place for the delegates to work on the platform and we are going to let that process work itself out," Rogers said. McCain campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker confirmed the news in an email to the Wall St. Journal. "The delegates are going through the process and we are going to let them work their will on the platform," she said. The decision is no surprise given that McCain aides said in April he wouldn't weaken the platform's position against abortion. "Do you think we are crazy? Why would we want to change the platform?" an unnamed advisor told the Washington Times at the time. During a March interview with Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes, McCain replied with a short "yes" that he would keep the abortion platform as it stands now.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 21, 2008

ABORTION CENTER IN MICHIGAN FACES CHARGES RELATED TO DUMPING BABIES, RECORDS
Lathrup Village, MI -- An abortion center in Michigan is facing 12 charges of illegal dumping related to the bodies of babies killed in abortions and patient medical records local pro-life advocates found in the dumpster outside the abortion facility. Members of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society made the discovery earlier this year. The incident caused a national controversy when the Womancare abortion business received only a slap on the wrist from state officials for violating illegal dumping laws. However, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for improperly disposing of medical records and filed it with Southfield’s 46th District Court. Albert Hodari, who runs the abortion center, received no fines from the state, which only issued him a letter of reprimand. The Detroit Free Press newspaper indicates an arraignment date for Hodari hasn't been set and the abortion center owner and abortion practitioner indicated he's not seen any charges. “I never received anything about being charged,” Hodari told the newspaper. “I don't have anything yet.” Monica Miller of the Citizens for a Pro-Life Society found the patient records, medical waste and bodies of unborn children in the dumpster. The organization held a solemn Requiem Mass for the babies in May with Bishop John Quinn, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 21, 2008

BARACK OBAMA SAYS PRO-LIFE GROUP IS LYING ABOUT HIS PRO-INFANTICIDE VOTES
Washington, DC -- Barack Obama has some harsh words for a leading pro-life group that has exposed his misrepresentations about his votes against two bills that would have stopped infanticides. Obama goes as far as saying the National Right to Life Committee is lying about his record. At issue are votes Obama cast during his tenure in the Illinois legislature. He voted repeatedly against a bill that would have made sure babies who survive botched abortions get adequate medical care. He did so, he maintains, because it contained a provision that could have gone against Roe v. Wade. As NRLC noted from official legislative documents, Obama supported an amendment that would have mitigated his concerns about Roe -- yet he voted against the bill anyway. As a result, NRLC says Obama has misrepresented his position and deceived the public. Obama lashed out against NRLC officials in a weekend interview with CBN News correspondent David Brody. "They have not been telling the truth," he said. "And I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying."
Source: LifeNews.com, August 17, 2008

BARACK OBAMA REPEATS FALSE CLAIM THAT ABORTIONS HAVEN'T DECLINED UNDER BUSH
Lake Forest, CA -- During the presidential forum on Saturday night, pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama repeated the erroneous claim that abortions have not declined under President Bush. The idea behind is the claim is to make it appear that pro-life policies don't reduce abortions. During a discussion of abortion, Obama declared his support for the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions. Following his statement, he made the attack on President Bush's pro-life policies. "The fact is that -- although we have a president who is opposed to abortion over the last eight years -- abortions have not gone down," Obama said. Yet that claim doesn't square with the latest national abortion numbers put forward by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a research firm associated with Planned Parenthood, the abortion business that has endorsed Obama. In January, AGI reported that the number of abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest point in 30 years and have declined 25 percent since 1990 -- with half of that time period coming under pro-life presidents.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 17, 2008

BARACK OBAMA WOULD REVERSE PRESIDENT BUSH'S STEM CELL RESEARCH POLICY
Washington, DC -- Voters can count on a President Barack Obama to expand abortions more than ever before with taxpayer funding, pro-abortion judges and overturning state pro-life laws. But they can also count on him to reverse President Bush's protections on embryonic stem cell research. While Bush has made sure taxpayers aren't forced to pay for the grisly research, an Obama representative says he will force them to fund the destruction of human life. Melody Barnes, the senior domestic policy adviser to the Obama campaign, told NPR that Bush has been the overseer of a so-called "war on science" because he won't fund research that has never helped a single patient. Barnes says Obama would immediately reverse Bush's policy of not funding new embryonic stem cell research after taking office should he become president. "[Obama] believes that upon being elected president of the United States, he could sign an executive order that would overturn the Bush position on stem-cell research and open up the avenues considerably," she told NPR.  While John McCain has opposed the pro-life movement on embryonic stem cell research, as LifeNews.com noted yesterday, he is moving in the pro-life direction and agrees with pro-life advocates on issues like human cloning and the purposeful creation of human embryos for destruction.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 17, 2008

STOPPING ABORTIONS, PROTECTING HUMAN LIFE NOT ABOVE A PRESIDENT'S PAY GRADE
by Deal Hudson --  It's a truism that anyone running for President shouldn't answer a question by saying "that's above my pay grade."  After all, if you want to occupy the White House there is no higher pay grade – you are the boss, and the buck stops with you.  But Barack Obama used precisely that expression when asked by Rick Warren when life begins. Obama said, "Whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity . . . is above my pay grade." How can a man who has voted three times on the Born Again Infant Protection Act be unable to answer that question with "specificity." Does he mean that he voted against BAIPA without having an answer to that question?  You would think someone casting a vote on BAIPA would know where he stands on when a human life begins. Otherwise, what is he basing his vote upon? What factor is more important? Obama made the telling mistake of pitting the truth of science against the truth of theology. That remark is almost more disturbing than his unwillingness to reveal his opinion on a matter of great importance to most Americans.  He evidently thinks there are two truths in contradiction to each other. And his implication is clear: Theology teaches life begins at conception, but science sees it differently.  Wait a minute; isn't this supposed to be the faith-friendly Democratic candidate for president? Why would Obama throw theology under the science bus?
Source: LifeNews.com, August 19, 2008
(LifeNews.com Note: Deal W. Hudson is the director of the Morley Institute for Church & Culture and InsideCatholic.com, and is the former publisher and editor of CRISIS Magazine, a Catholic monthly. He is the author of six books and his articles and comments have been published in many newspapers and magazines.)

GOP OFFICIALS SAY JOHN McCAIN WILL NOT PICK PRO-ABORTION RUNNING MATE
Washington, DC -- John McCain has reportedly confirmed he will not be picking a running mate who takes a pro-abortion position and has ruled out former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whom media outlets promoted as a possibility. McCain aides told Republican Party officials of the decision and they confirmed it to Fox News. The aides and officials indicated that McCain “got the message” from pro-life advocates that picking an abortion advocate like Ridge was non-negotiable and could cost him votes.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 19, 2008

PRO-LIFE EXPERT ON POPULATION ISSUES SAYS McCAIN BETTER ON ABORTION THAN OBAMA
Washington, DC -- A leading pro-life expert on population issues says he strongly favors John McCain for president because there is a significant contrast between his abortion position and Barack Obama's. They say voters concerned about pro-life issues have an easy choice this November.  In an article sent to LifeNews.com, Colin Mason, the media director for the Population Research Institute, says this is a "pivotal election for the pro-life movement" because of the position of the Supreme Court.  For pro-life advocates, overturning Roe and allowing states to ban abortions has been a decades-long goal and some say the court is just one vote away from doing that.  "The Supreme Court is currently effectively deadlocked on the life issues," Mason says, but with its abortion advocates aging and judicial appointments to be made, the Supreme Court is perhaps the highest priority.  "If a pro-lifer were to take the White House in 2009, he would have the opportunity to fill up to three Supreme Court seats with judges who share his views, creating a strong majority on the court," he explains.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 19, 2008

POTENTIAL BARACK OBAMA PICKS EVAN BAYH, JOE BIDEN HAVE PRO-ABORTION RECORDS
Washington, DC -- Barack Obama is slated to announce the selection of his running mate this week and if he picks either of two prominent senators thought to be highest on his list, he will have a vice-presidential candidate who has an even longer record of promoting abortion. LifeNews.com has already profiled Virginia governor Tim Kaine, one of the top three potential running mates, and his pro-abortion position. Senators Evan Bayh and Joe Biden are the other two likely considerations and, though they can't match Obama's track record of opposing a bill to stop infanticides, they each have a litany of pro-abortion votes in Congress. In Joe Biden, Obama would get one of the fiercest abortion proponents in the Senate and someone who has made a reputation of out badgering Supreme Court nominees about abortion during confirmation hearings. In fact, before he dropped out of the Democratic primary race Obama eventually won, Biden confirmed he would have a pro-abortion litmus test for his own possible judicial picks.
Source: LifeNews.com, August 19, 2008

DANCING WITH THE BABY STARS - THE AMAZING FEATS OF FETAL DEVELOPMENT
Opinion -- You may not think of yourself as the next Kristi Yamaguchi, but long before you could walk, you could dance. Not on the floor, mind you, but in the womb. If you want proof of an unborn baby's dancing ability, check out http://www.yourdevelopingbaby.com/sampleChapters/7.htm. There, under the headline "Baby aerobics," you'll see a baby 15 weeks after conception, doing a unique form of hip hop.

The incredible video comes courtesy of two Harvard radiology professors, Peter Doubilet and Carol Benson, a married couple who have written an eye-catching book called "Your Developing Baby." The work includes some 250 images which underscore the humanity of the unborn child. I think it can be argued that where there is dancing, there is life. Therefore, an abortion disrupts the dance of life, destroying the dancer's body and rendering him or her lifeless. When the debate over abortion is reduced to a woman's quest for control of her body, the invisible dancer is forgotten. If abortion is considered tantamount to a tooth extraction, the "pro-choice" argument can seem convincing to the uninformed.

But the rhetoric does not jive with the reality, especially when you can see clips of a child jive-dancing in her mother's belly. The rule of self-determination should apply to the human who makes her home in the womb, as well as the human who supplies the womb. If a pregnant woman has a right to bodily integrity, which she does, so does the little woman inside of her.
Source: LifeNews.com Note: Maria Vitale is a LifeNews.com Opinion Columnist and the Education Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. Vitale has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio.

DE-FUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTION BUSINESS, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SAY
Washington, DC -- On Wednesday night, several members of Congress lined up on the floor of the House of Representatives and issued a call for de-funding Planned Parenthood. They said taxpayers shouldn't be forced to fund the abortion business -- even if the money doesn't directly go towards abortions. Reps. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and Chris Smith of New Jersey, both Republicans, organized the special order speeches. In her testimony on the House floor, Bachmann referenced recent reports highlighting Planned Parenthood’s targeting more affluent young women in her congressional district. A Wall Street Journal article also cited opening of “express centers in wealthy Minnesota suburbs” with the purposes of appealing to women who are “already doing their grocery shopping, picking up their Starbucks, living their daily lives.”  Bachmann criticized Planned Parenthood for turning abortion into an industry and controlling it much the same way other corporations are accused of controlling other sectors of the economy. “They are big business. They are the Wal-Mart of big abortion,” she said. “They are the big box retailer. It’s time to end their tax exempt status. It’s a fraud. It is time to stop the public financing of Planned Parenthood -- it is the right thing to do.”
Source: LifeNews, July 10, 2008

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S ABORTION EXTREMISM

JOHN SIDNEY McCAIN'S PRO-LIFE RECORD

Past News Briefs

Facts of Life

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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)