It is official. The most notorious anti-life bill ever — the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) — will be introduced in the new Congress. A spokesperson for the expected House author, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), says it will be “sooner rather than later…It is among the congressman’s priorities.” Even more onerous, Rep. Nadler is Chair of the House Judiciary subcommittee that could hear the bill.
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is expected to introduce the companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
FOCA would make unlimited abortions a national law and overturn all of the right-to-life laws and court decisions from the past 36 years. The main effect — the number of abortions will skyrocket.
Of particular concern to Catholic hospitals would be FOCA’s removal of conscience rights. Some of the nation’s bishops have threatened to close the 624 Catholic hospitals in the US rather than comply with a law forcing them to perform abortions. Other bishops are saying that a good strategy would be to just ignore the law and non-comply.
Wisconsin Reps. Gwen Moore and Tammy Baldwin were co-sponsors of FOCA in the last Congress.
Wisconsin Right to Life is conducting a major postcard campaign and other activities to defeat this monstrous legislation. To learn more about FOCA and what you can do, click here.
It’s all in the details. Yesterday, we commented on the expected Obama order to overturn the Bush policy which allowed embryonic stem cell research to continue, but prohibited funding for the destruction of new embryos.
The details of the new order yield new horrifying details and showcase Obama’s brilliant way of selling deception.
Obama’s order does not limit the destruction of living human embryos for experimentation to the “leftover” embryos in in vitro fertilization clinics. Scientists know there is a limited supply of these embryos so they want federal funds to create new embryos to destroy them for their stem cells through cloning and other methods.
Obama does not have the authority to overturn the Dickey-Wicker law which prohibits federal funding for “the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death…” He deftly opened the door for Congress to repeal of Dickey-Wicker in the appropriations process. This repeal would force taxpayers to support human cloning and other embryo creation for research purposes.
Obama made a big deal of the “safeguards” in his order. Baloney. Who is watching out for the embryos being destroyed?
To complete his anti-life fiat, Obama revoked Bush’s 2007 executive order encouraging the National Institutes of Health to explore alternative stem cell research not dependent on the destruction of human life. In fact, Obama virtually ignored the discovery of iPS cells which have the same pluripotent potential as embryonic stem cells. No one has to die in iPS cell creation.
Obama said on one hand that he respects those who disagree with him. Then he accused those who disagree of being divisive and wanting to politicize science. So, which is it?
Our own Congressman David Obey leads the appropriations process in the House. Wisconsin Right to Life is calling on all Obey constituents to call Obey’s office at 202-225-3365 and urge him to protect the Dickey-Wicker law. This is the only way to limit the horrendous damage inflicted on our nation using our tax dollars by the Obama order.
Today, President Obama will sign an expected executive order to overturn former President Bush’s policy to prohibit the use of federal tax dollars to destroy living human embryos.
At a time when science is rapidly moving in the direction of ethical alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, President Obama is turning back the clock to use the nation’s monies to fund destruction of living human embryos. This move proves what was stated repeatedly prior to his election, that Obama’s hard-core ideology will be used to promote and advance the destruction of human life in virtually any circumstance that involves unborn babies. There is not a single one that his ideology will protect.
In late 2007, scientists in Wisconsin and Japan coaxed ordinary human skin cells into becoming cells with the same potential qualities as embryonic stem cells. This discovery has been called the Holy Grail because iPS cells, as they are called, advance science without destroying life. Further, iPS cells are more practical to obtain and will result in patient-specific cells which will not be rejected by the recipient. Because embryonic stem cells have the DNA of another person, they would be rejected in the same manner that transplanted organs are rejected without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs.
Not only are iPS cells the future of stem cell science, advances are revealed virtually every day using ethical adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are benefiting real patients with real diseases, yet Obama and his allies want to pour money into what will eventually become useless science in terms of ethics and the benefit of real patients.
So, in Obama’s world, ideology trumps everything — including science.
It has taken three years but charges have finally been issued in the botched abortion death of baby Shanice Williams. The story is sordid.
Mother Sycloria Williams went to an abortion clinic just outside of Miami in 2006. Because it was a later abortion, the procedure was a two-day one. The first day, she had laminaria inserted to stretch the cervix. When she went back the second day to complete the abortion procedure, she instead gave birth to a living, breathing infant.
The abortionist, Pierre Renelique, was a no show. A staffer, Belkis Gonzalez, according to charges filed against her, cut the umbilical cord, placed the live baby in a bag and threw her in the trash. Later, Gonzalez retrieved the baby’s body and hid it on the roof of the abortion clinic.
Renelique’s medical license was revoked last month and Gonzalez has been charged with two felony counts. Williams has filed a civil lawsuit.
This case confirms why we have to keep abortions “safe” and legal. Wonder why we haven’t heard anything from abortion proponents on this one?
Four members of an elaborate assisted suicide ring run by Final Exit Network have been arrested in the death of a Georgia man. The group may have been involved in as many as 200 deaths, all outside of the law, and covering several states.
The group bases its suicide methods on a book authored by notorious euthanasia advocate, Derek Humphry. Humphry serves on the advisory board of Final Exit Network.
The ring was busted when an undercover agent infiltrated the group, posing as a man who wanted death as “relief” from his pancreatic cancer. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that “Two helium tanks were purchased, along with an ‘exit bag,’ or hood to be placed over the suicidal man’s head…”
Here’s the kicker — the one and only Jack Kevorkian has criticized the methods of the ring, even though he obviously agrees with their goal.
We wonder if the charges will stick and if these people will be fully prosecuted and go to jail.
In the meantime, today is a sad day in that the Washington State law legalizing assisted suicide goes into effect. The good news is that medical facilities and professionals all over the state are opting-out of participation. Stay tuned on this one as proponents of the law are insisting there should be no conscience rights — that the “right to die” trumps other concerns.
Oregon just released its 2008 report on the number of people killed via assisted suicide. 88 prescriptions for lethal drugs were written in 2008, compared to 85 in 2007 and 65 in 2006. 54 people used their lethal prescriptions in 2008. The main reasons — autonomy and dignity, not pain relief. Some believe these numbers are not accurate due to weak reporting requirements.
Wisconsin Right to Life is preparing for introduction of legislation to legalize assisted suicide in Wisconsin and will wage a vigorous fight so that Wisconsin does not become Oregon or Washington.
Just when we think it couldn’t get worse, Obama serves up another hardcore pro-abort for a key position. Governor Kathleen Sebelius has compiled an abortion record second to none.
Of particular note is her cozy relationships with abortionists. I guess it’s more than cozy — it is outright scandalous. Sebelius received numerous campaign contributions from the nation’s number one late-term abortion serial killer George Tiller. Tiller is currently under indictment in Kansas. According to LifeNews.com, Sebelius coordinated a dinner with Tiller at the governor’s mansion.
Sebelius appointed abortionist Howard Ellis to the Kansas Board of Healing Arts. Ellis was later charged by the Board with attempting to falsify records. Then, there was her appointment of a supporter of the Tiller political action committee to the Human Rights Commission.
According to LifeNews.com, “Sebelius’ hand-picked attorney general, Paul Morrison, ran for office as a defender of the abortion industry. After only a few months in office, he was forced to resign amid reports of having sex in public buildings with a subordinate and abusing his authority to obstruct the investigation of abortion practitioners.”
Is it “coincidence” that Sebelius twice vetoed legislation establishing regulation of abortion clinics? That she vetoed legislation strengthening limits on late-term abortions? Or, was she trying to protect her friends and benefactors? As a state rep, Sebelius voted solidly pro-abortion, even on common sense bills like parental notification.
A Catholic, Sebelius has been rebuked by three Kansas bishops with Archbishop Joseph Naumann calling on her to stop receiving communion until she reverses her extreme abortion views and actions.
What is incredibly disappointing is the support given to the Sebelius nomination by pro-life Kansas Senator Sam Brownback. Having the support of her own Senator pretty much assures her confirmation.
In a news release just issued, Wisconsin Right to Life demanded that Governor James Doyle return $33,000 in tainted abortion money to the abortionist and his wife who gave it to him. Governor Doyle was AWOL when the UW Hospital Authority Board recently approved a plan to perform late-term abortions at one of its affiliated facilities. Doyle is in the pocket of radical pro-abortionists, banking $33,000 in tainted campaign funds from the notorious late-term abortionist Dennis Christensen and Christensen’s wife. It’s no surprise that Doyle looked the other way when the university and its allies moved late-term abortions into an outpatient facility. Doyle is bought and paid for by those who make their living by killing unborn babies.
Since 2001 Doyle received $17,000 from Dennis Christensen and $16,000 from Christensen’s wife, Lynn. In September of 2006, a critical time before the November gubernatorial election, Lynn Christensen gave $8,000 to Doyle. Christensen is the “dean” of Wisconsin’s abortionists, having performed abortions for 36 years, 31 of them in Wisconsin.
Christensen submitted a declaration in 1998 to a Wisconsin federal court in which he admitted performing one to two partial-birth abortions each year. The declaration was entered when Christensen sued to keep partial-birth abortions legal in Wisconsin after the Wisconsin legislature had enacted a law to prohibit partial-birth abortions.
Christensen told a Michigan court in the late 1990s that he had performed 60,000 abortions in his career at that time, with 9,000 of them beyond the first trimester. Christensen performed abortions up to 24 weeks (six months) of pregnancy. He referred women wanting abortions after 24 weeks to an abortionist in Wichita, Kansas, most likely the notorious George Tiller who is under indictment in Kansas at this time.
Wisconsin Right to Life is urging the residents of Wisconsin to call Governor Doyle and demand that this tainted money which helped put him into office be returned.
A complete record of Christensen donations to Doyle can be found here.
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