Monday, August 24, 2009

President Obama's Lame Duck Status Gets an Early Start Thanks to His Radical Pro-Abortion Policies and Health Care Reform

Not All Change is for the Better
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Dan McCullough, newsdesk editor with Christian Newswire: As reported by the Associated Press today(1) President Obama's approval rating is falling like a lead balloon. It seems clear that this can be attributed to his radical pro-abortion policies (which often differ from his words) and his currently failing attempt to cram a socialist health care plan down the throats of millions of Americans -- all who have a very strong and functioning gag reflex. His congressional cronies on the bleeding edge of liberalism throwing temper tantrums at local town hall meetings and referring to good willed Americans with opinions differing from their own as "un-American" and "Nazis" aren't doing a lot for his image or their own either. Further damage to his image was inflicted on Obama by Obama himself just two days ago when he referred to the ninth commandment in the bible and stated that critics of his plan for health care reform where "bearing false witness". This statement was made on a "faith" conference call that obviously the nation's evangelicals would be paying attention to. It's not to difficult to see that this statement was directed at those evangelicals who are concerned about tax funded abortion, something the President continues to insist won't happen under his plan. But without specifically stating that no public funds are to be used for elective abortions (as has been suggested over and over) what is to keep the funds from being used this way? To quote not the bible but instead a popular modern western "it appears his hypocrisy knows no bounds." President Obama has enjoyed a celebrity like status from the beginning of his presidential campaign. He gained that status thanks to a more than helpful left leaning media, his charming demeanor, and eloquent words, as long as a functioning tele-promtper was nearby. But slick words and an engaging smile can only get you so far. The American people expect, need, and demand performance and credible leadership from their commander in chief. Unfortunately, it seems that instead the American people have received a winsome actor with a charming personality (sort of) who is more intent on imposing his own socialist political agenda on the people rather than serving according to the will of the people. At one time the United States had an actor turned president; Ronald Reagan was an incredible president who brought us together as a nation and accomplished great things. Who knows, perhaps Obama has a great career ahead of him in Hollywood, his skill set would suggest it's a strong possibility. All of this being said it certainly doesn't seem to early to start thinking -- or rather dreaming, about the 2012 elections and having the opportunity to vote for something other than just "change" -- perhaps next time we will have the opportunity to vote for "change for the better." (1) http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_ POLL?SITE=MAQUI&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE= DEFAULT
Christian Newswire

CWA and Others: Stop the Abortion Mandate



WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerned Women for America (CWA) is joining with the largest pro-life coalition against healthcare, Stop the Abortion Mandate, to keep abortion out of health care. Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America, said, "Liberal religious leaders representing a dwindling population are siding with another dwindling population -- those that support the Obama/Reid/Pelosi government takeover of health care that requires Americans to fund abortions. Their leader, Jim Wallis, proclaimed a few weeks ago that he would never agree to a health care bill that mandates abortion. This last-minute rally for legislation that includes taxpayer funding for abortion and special privileges for abortionists to have access to school children (with Planned Parenthood in position to run school-based clinics) reveals that liberal religious leaders and Obama are not sincere in their claim to 'reduce abortions' and 'find common ground.' The vast majority of Americans, even those who call themselves pro-choice, do not want to fund abortions because they know that what the government funds, we get more of." Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.
Christian Newswire

Susan B. Anthony List on President Obama's Health Care Conference Call



WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser released the following statement in response to President Obama's remarks on his health care reform conference call with faith leaders today: "Public support for abortion is on decline, and the President knows that openly advancing an abortion mandate in health care reform is unpopular with the American people. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Obama's statements conflict with the proposed legislation. Americans demand an explicit exclusion of abortion coverage, not more obfuscation and confusion from the President and his allies." To date this year, Susan B. Anthony List activists have sent nearly 200,000 letters urging Congress to exclude abortion coverage from health care. Tonight, the Susan B. Anthony List is hosting "Keeping the Faith for the Unborn," a national teletownhall that will educate and mobilize over 350,000 pro-life households in key states to advocate for life-affirming health care reform that honors both mother and child. The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 162,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102676051973&s=20650&e=001lw_KvCEeqLr2N5VziVnBDM1zc7LUgs2iaxxkmTQ6doeo1Ru4gaqQjgcTWL42HdftaoFkxeCpGGnAAtOJ3b_67QesuRK4sYrW3N0qPDUTOPGWuNwpKqrcMw==
Christian Newswire

Suit Filed in Federal Court Against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Stop Federal Funding of Research



Involving the Destruction of Living Human Embryos WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- A lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia seeks to enjoin and overturn the controversial guidelines for public funding of embryonic stem cell research that the National Institutes of Health issued on July 7, 2009. The implementation of these guidelines marks the first time that taxpayer dollars will be used to fund research that will result in the destruction of human embryos. Since 1994, Congress has expressly banned NIH from funding research in which human embryos "are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death."
According to Thomas G. Hungar, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, "the language of the statute is clear. It bans public funding for any research that leads to the destruction of human embryos. NIH's attempt to avoid Congress's command by funding everything but the act of 'harvesting' is pure sophistry. The guidelines will result in the destruction of human embryos and are unlawful, unethical, and unnecessary." The plaintiffs contend that the NIH guidelines violate the congressional ban because they "necessarily condition funding on the destruction of human embryos." In addition, the plaintiffs also allege that the NIH guidelines were invalidly implemented, because the decision to fund human embryonic stem cell research was made without the proper procedures required by law and without properly considering the more effective and less ethically problematic forms of adult and induced pluripotent stem cell research.
President Obama, in announcing his Administration's policy stated he was determined to fund ethically "responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research...to the extent permitted by law". Sadly, these guidelines while claiming to "implement" the President's directions, fail his own test because they are not only unlawful, they are based upon an ethically irresponsible misunderstanding of available scientific evidence. One of the expert stem cell researcher plaintiffs, Dr. James L. Sherley, explained that "the great irony of the guidelines is that research involving stem cells safely derived from human adults and other sources presents the same if not greater potential for medical breakthroughs, without any of the troubling legal and ethical issues related to embryonic stem- cell research." Clinical trials using adult stem cells have successfully reversed the effects of diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The plaintiffs argue that because NIH promulgated its guidelines with a preconceived determination to fund human embryonic stem cell research and without considering these scientifically and ethically superior alternatives, the guidelines are invalid regulations and should be struck down.
Dr. David Stevens, Executive Director of Christian Medical Association, an organization of more than 16,000 doctors who are also plaintiffs in the case, said "we are opposed to this proposed illegal and unethical federal funding of destructive embryonic research that would compel every American to cooperate with such unlawful human experimentation and the violation of our fundamental medical research ethic never to lethally experiment on one human being simply to benefit the interests of other human beings."
Co-counsel for the plaintiffs, Sam Casey, General Counsel of Advocates International's Law of Life Project, a public interest legal project specializing in cutting-edge bio-ethical issues, added: "The majority of the almost 50,000 comments that the NIH received were opposed to funding this research, and by its own admission, NIH totally ignored these comments. The so-called spare human embryos being stored in IVF clinics around the United States are not 'in excess of need,' as the NIH in its guidelines callously assert. They are human beings in need of biological or adoptive parents."
The lawsuit is brought by a broad coalition of plaintiffs, including Dr. James L. Sherley, a former member of the MIT faculty, currently working as a senior scientist at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute; Dr. Theresa Deisher, the founder, managing member, and research and development director of AVM Biotechnology; Nightlight Christian Adoptions, a non-profit, licensed adoption agency dedicated to protecting and finding adoptive parents for human embryos conceived through in vitro fertilization; all individual human embryos whose lives are now at risk under NIH's guidelines; parents seeking to adopt human embryos; and the Christian Medical Association, a non-profit association of doctors dedicated to improving ethical standards of health care in the United States and abroad. The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending religious freedom and the sanctity of human life, is also serving as co-counsel on the case and providing financial support.
A copy of the complaint, as filed today, can be obtained by clicking the hyperlink here.
Christian Newswire

Beware of Compromise



With all the rumors about reaching a compromise on healthcare reform, let me say this. Don’t believe it! Recent developments provide absolutely no protection for unborn babies and their mothers from abortion, or our vulnerable citizens from rationing.
Life Issues Institute doesn’t oppose healthcare reform. But we firmly reject, and so should you, any plan that will facilitate and fund abortion-on-demand, or accommodate rationing healthcare services to our elderly, chronically ill or disabled.
The recent so-called compromises that have been discussed would still open the floodgates of funding and facilitating abortion-on-demand.
If someone says, “Abortion isn’t mentioned in these healthcare reform proposals, so there’s no abortion threat.” Here’s what you need to say. “Medicaid (designed to provide healthcare services to the poor) didn’t mention abortion either, but we were paying for more than 300,000 abortions a year until the Hyde Amendment excluded most abortion coverage.”
The same thing will happen to healthcare reform if abortion isn’t specifically excluded, but the death toll will increase dramatically. The only way to protect innocent human life is to specifically exclude abortion and rationing from any healthcare reform bill.
But Congress has repeatedly refused to exclude mandated abortion:
On July 17, 2009 the Ways and Means Committee voted down Congressman Sam Johnson’s amendment to prevent an abortion mandate by a vote of 18-23. And an amendment by Congressman Eric Cantor to prohibit taxpayer funding for abortion lost 19-22. The Education and Labor committee defeated the same amendments by Congressman Mark Souder by a vote of 19-29.
We must stay vigilant in our efforts to make sure abortion and rationing are not part of any healthcare reform. Right now there’s nothing more urgent than stopping mandated abortion in healthcare. Congressman Chris Smith, one of our leading pro-life members of the House, said, “This is the big one. Not since Roe v. Wade have our children and their moms been more at risk.”
The pro-life movement—made up of liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans—are united in an effort to keep abortion and rationing out of any healthcare reform. We’ve formed a group called Stop the Abortion Mandate and I’m a participating member. A brief 2-minute video has been produced to alert millions of Americans about the urgent danger to our nation’s unborn babies and vulnerable citizens. Please take a moment to watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RD7hJhwy5g Then share this email with others.
I’ll keep you posted,Bradley MattesExecutive DirectorLife Issues Institutehttp://www.lifeissues.org/

Statewide Campaign Against Tax-Funded Abortion Launched in California



RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust announced they will be organizing with pro- lifers throughout California to campaign against tax- funded abortion in Obama's Healthcare Reform bill. The campaign, which starts Thursday, Aug. 20th, will feature demonstrations and protests in cities across California, asking elected officials to guarantee that tax-funded abortion will specifically be excluded from the bill. Currently the Healthcare Reform bill includes wording that will allow for tax money to pay for abortion as "reproductive care." "Abortion is not health care," said Jeff White, founder of Survivors, "And the majority of Americans don't want to pay for it." He cites a recent Zogby poll which indicates that 71% of those polled did not want tax money paying for abortions. Last week Survivors attended a town hall meeting in Alhambra, CA hosted by Rep. Adam Schiff. After learning that questions were pre-screened by a moderator, the Survivors were forced to shout their questions to the panel. One Survivor was punched and choked by members of the audience, and all of them were removed by police. A video of the event is available at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102675458731&s=20650&e=001pr0U6LqqPWQe9n5HJi6-UZAHrWbvWANnL-ISnQn06gsnuR85sIuaQzD1wOBN_0NElsfB2lqCx1KBpXolzjiZDAonQeLTd4NgdI6WRzSvwiP0yGxBIG4Sx1JFzIrJm4sH2IB3SjCBD4hKP_yeEqQWJQ==. "Clearly questions about abortion are not welcome at town hall meetings," remarked Shara Guengrich, a Survivors activist at the Alhambra meeting. "If we are not allowed to ask about abortion at town hall meetings the next logical step is to take to the streets." The protests, which will take place Thursday, Aug. 20th - Saturday, Aug. 22nd will be the beginning of a larger campaign designed to bring light to the inclusion of tax-funded abortion in the Healthcare Reform bill. "It all comes down to the fact that congress wants us to pay for the destruction of preborn life," commented Jeff White, "And this is something Americans do not want to do. We will do everything in our power to make sure congress votes based on the will of the people."
Christian Newswire

Tonight: Keeping Faith with the Unborn, National Health Care Teletownhall Featuring Cong. Bachmann, Foxx, and Musgrave



Teletownhall on Health Care for 320,000 Pro-Life Activists in Key States
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by the Susan B. Anthony list: Teletownhall on Health Care for 320,000 Pro-Life Activists in Key States - Wednesday, August 19, 2009 -- 8:50 p.m. EST - Producers, Hosts, Reporters & Bloggers Encouraged to Dial-In WHO: Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List Marilyn Musgrave, Former Congresswoman (R-CO), Project Director, Votes Have Consequences, Susan B. Anthony List Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN)Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) WHAT: "Keeping the Faith with the Unborn" is a national teletownhall to motivate pro-life activists to make their voice heard in the health care reform debate. Over 320,000 identified pro-life voters in key states will be invited to participate in the call. Hosts will take questions about the health care debate and offer a pro-life alternative to President Obama's scheduled health care conference calls with the "American Faith Community" today and Organizing for America tomorrow. WHEN: Teletownhall takes place TODAY, Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at from 8:50 p.m. - 10:20p.m. EST. Toll-free Dial-in for Members of the Press - 1-877-229- 8493 Passcode: 14312 WHY:Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser states, "Tens of thousands of pro-lifers across America have already contacted their legislators to urge the preservation of our long- standing tradition of limiting taxpayer funds for abortion, but now is the time to turn up the heat. Without language to explicitly exclude an abortion mandate, the legislation will result in Americans footing the bill for abortion on-demand in the largest expansion of government-backed abortion since Roe v. Wade." INFO: This teletownhall event will challenge myths about health care reform and mobilize pro-life activists nationwide. By dialing in, reporters, producers, hosts and bloggers will gain access to news and views from some of the nation's leading pro-life advocates. A recording of the teletownhall will be made available on Friday, August 21, 2009. For interviews or more information please contact Joy Yearout at 703-380-6674 or email jyearout@sba- list.org. The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 162,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102674826022&s=20650&e=001OZfKMbrY-rZkNTGCI4RfOV92HC7pgjXxDFqJnEv4dKG0o7t5b0P1aO6SiOBzD8vGD1RM3pELN2ntW4E-QKGT2Nj8oE5-77zTYvTZIyIk-cMqC67wdWuR2Q==
Christian Newswire

Abortion Expansion Stopped in Knoxville



KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) is pleased to report that the proposed relocation and expansion of Planned Parenthood's (PP's) abortion business in Knoxville has been stopped. For now. This victory was made possible by the combined efforts of the Pro-Life Coalition of East Tennessee (ProCET), along with the various pro-life agencies and people that pulled together to make ProCET work. Special recognition to Tennessee Right to Life, the Diocese of Knoxville, several area Baptist churches, and area crisis pregnancy centers, just to name a few. CBR Southeast also acted independently to ensure all parties clearly understood the consequences of the PP relocation: pro-lifers displaying abortion pictures on sidewalks, on the sides of trucks, and on airplane tow-banners near PP and in front of businesses who enable their killing programs. They are the same kinds of disturbing photos that have historically been used by social reformers to dramatize injustice and educate the public. CBR Southeast Director Fletcher Armstrong wrote to the landowner, in part: "If you collaborate with baby-killers, large numbers of protestors will express their outrage on the public sidewalks and on streets near the proposed facility. People of good conscience will organize a constant presence that will not go away in a few days, weeks, nor even months. The influence of disturbing abortion photos will discourage patronage of business throughout the Bearden Business District. "Our extensive experience with the public display of these truly horrifying aborted-baby photos has taught us that viewers of every political persuasion will go to great lengths to avoid the areas in which the pictures are exhibited." This last statement demonstrates another way that exposing injustice can be an effective: fear of lost business. Business people instinctively understand that abortion images are so powerful, they will persuade even our most vocal opponents to participate in our "boycott," because they will go shopping elsewhere in order to avoid our pictures. CBR Executive Director Gregg Cunningham commented that "For the past 35 years, pro-life activists have been considered toxic. Even pro-life pastors view us with a certain amount of suspicion. We have tried in vain to make ourselves more palatable. It is time we started using our toxicity to our own advantage. We need to let them know that if they support abortion, they get us; and they don't want us." CBR Southeast Website: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102674825913&s=20650&e=001qtF2h_jjnWG6Texl47HZTjt3VmsxZ9tXv-Awe5mOqWvEyZW8UvoXnUkuNwqQBn5irLp04gssOYk5wSWGynWmSoq1Oc_4oP0vHPWdI0erZD3N2Wg5oIqgqg== ProCET Website: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102674825913&s=20650&e=001qtF2h_jjnWF69H9EohQnRwsvpOZC0Pz3Ydo7l9ycfXiYUy9lxAdCmQqy10u-9m8o0E1D6OQDk1NDzowstkBYlsIIzSxZ4JCyq2aqGgCOuQhNjCXOvuOuU-4EAI9bFfV0
Christian Newswire

Friday, August 7, 2009

Pro-Aborts Clouding Issue of Healthcare Reform-- Abortion



Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 8/6/2009 7:00:00 AM
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National Right to Life accuses the pro-abortion lobby of "creating smokescreens" intended to prevent Americans from finding out that their tax dollars will be used to fund abortion in the Democrats' government-run healthcare plan.

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards claimed earlier this week in a piece for the Huffington Post that taxpayers would not be forced to fund abortions in the government health insurance plan advocated by President Obama. "The public health insurance plan...would operate like any private insurance plan would," she wrote. "Therefore, there is no reason to treat any coverage issue, including abortion coverage, differently in the public health insurance plan than in private plans...." Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, notes that this is the same Cecile Richards, who on National Public Radio just a few months ago, said that the healthcare legislation would be "a platform to extend access to abortion to all women in the United States." "Now she spoke the truth on that occasion," he states. "That is what they are trying to do -- what they're putting out now is a lot of double-talk and misleading rhetoric." According to Johnson, changes to the House version of healthcare reform legislation make it abortion-friendly. "...[T]he fact is the language that the House committee adopted over our objections, and which [Richards'] side supports, would explicitly authorize the new government plan -- which would be available to every American -- to cover abortion on demand," the pro-life leader explains. "It would also allow federal subsidies to flow to private health plans that could cover abortion on demand." Family Research Council president Tony Perkins has challenged Cecile Richards to a debate on "the question of taxpayer-funded abortion and whether or not citizens would be forced to fund abortion under the current healthcare reform bills." Richards specifically targets Perkins' pro-family group in her column.