October 2005 Archives

Howard Dean made this comment this evening on Fox News:

"We outta find out whether he believes that a woman has a right to make up her own mind about her health care or whether the government should be doing that for her"

Surprise, the media lies!

Okay, so that was no great surprise, but it's not just the lies that we should worry about.

Barbara Simpson wrote an article at Worldnetdaily.com which shows how getting involved in the political process can make our governments, (local, state and federal) address issues of Life even if they don't want to.

At issue is Proposition 73 facing California voters on Nov. 8. Officially, the measure is called "Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minors Pregnancy."

As Barbara says, "That's the title the state gave it."

The Family Research Council states that the President "has followed through with his promise to promote a strict constructionist to the Supreme Court" and that "there is every reason to believe that Judge Alito will make a fine Supreme Court justice and we look forward to his confirmation hearings."

From an interview with Tony Snow posted at the Corner:

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Obstructing judicial nominees should be a thing of the past. If the Democrats want to obstruct a nominee and not give us our constitutional right of advice and consent, an up-or-down vote, we'll take it to the mat. If a filibuster comes back, I'm not going to hesitate to employ the constitutional option to get an up-or-down vote.

Liberty Counsel praised the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, stating that President Bush kept his campaign promise that he would appoint Justices like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

Among the reasons site in the organizations press release is Judge Alito’s dissent in Planned Parenthood v. Casey at the Third Circuit, in which he wrote that he would have found a state law constitutional that required women to notify their husbands prior to having an abortion. Judge Alito's opinion was not adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court, but Justice Rehnquist, who dissented at the Supreme Court on Casey, quoted Alito's dissent.

In a press release today, Pro-Life Wisconsin commended St. Luke Catholic Parish in Brookfield, WI for cancelling an upcoming ‘American Girl’ fundraiser that featured the company’s dolls and clothing.

American Girl has come under increased public pressure from Christians and others concerned about moral issues after it decided to fund Girls, Inc., an organization that promotes legalized abortion and contraception.

These are the Republicans who explicitly rejected the use of the filibuster against judicial nominations except in "extraordinary circumstances."

Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island) 202-224-2921

Susan Collins (Maine) 202-224-2523

Mike DeWine (Ohio) 202-224-2315

Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) 202-224-5972

John McCain (Arizona) 202-224-2235

John Warner (Virginia) 202-224-2023

Olympia Snowe (Maine) 202-224-5344

HT: GOPBloggers

No matter whom President Bush picks as nominee for the Supreme Court, if he doesn't ask for confirmation from the Democrats and the Gang of 14 beforehand, that person wouldn't be supported by Democrats.

So what is a confirmation hearing for anyway? I thought this was the place where Democrats and Republicans were supposed to discuss the qualifications of a presidential nominee for the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON, October 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - This morning US President George W. Bush nominated Samuel A. Alito as Supreme Court Justice. The announcement was well received by conservative groups as well as pro-life and pro-family groups.

Alito, 55, is known to pro-lifers for his dissent in the 1991 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The case involved a Pennsylvania law that required women to inform their husbands prior to getting an abortion. While the 3rd circuit court struck down the law, Alito argued that problems leading a woman to abortion may be resolved by discussion with her husband, and thus dissented from the ruling.
See the ruling here.

It's not a surprise, but just minutes after President Bush named federal appeals court Judge Samuel Alito to become the next Supreme Court justice, pro-abortion groups announced a campaign to oppose his nomination.

Update: Jay at StoptheACLU reports that People for the United Way, MoveOn, NARAL, and the ACLU are all attacking the Alito nomination. "What a wonderful nominee!"

As everyone knows by now, President Bush, has nominated veteran judge Samuel Alito Jr., and "Ready-to-rumble" Democrats have warned that Alito may be an "extremist" who would curb abortion rights. What else would we expect the Democrats to say? They're wrong, as usual!

And while Senator Lindey Graham tells the Democrats - to "Forget The Filibuster.", Senator Ted Kennedy said, "Alito has “a distinguished record” ... “[w]e look forward to supporting you,” (OOPS Ted - that was in 1990). And of course let's not leave out the customary dribble of Harry Reid who already has heartburn over the nomination (what else would we expect) and says Alito will cause complications - but of course, that's a good reason for getting behind Alito.

Redstate writes:

Conservatives around Washington are delighted and the base is rapidly uniting behind Alito. On another point, as Alito wrote a dissent in Casey, as heard by the appellate court, we can expect his hearing to stand out as the Democrats go to war. In John Kerry's own words, "Bring It On!"

Sam Alito has spent his entire professional career defending the Constitution. The president and Alito deserve our strong support. It is clear the media this morning are urging Democrats to fight this nomination, not that they need that much encouragement. We are already hearing the usual superficial analyses about how Judge Alito will vote on specific issues, and so forth. We must be prepared to explain and defend our judicial philosophy, and contrast it with the left's lawlessness.

Christian Coalition of America in a press releasee commended President George W. Bush for nominating Judge Samuel A. Alito to the United States Supreme Court, who is a strict constitutionalist in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

This is the first time, since Robert Bork in 1987, that we have a Supreme Court nominee who everyone thinks will likely overturn Roe v. Wade. Are there 50 votes in the Senate to confirm Alito? Politpundit does the analysis and concludes,

That makes the roll call tally 50-54 votes in favor of this nomination. With the vice president’s tie-breaking vote, confirmation is almost certainly assured.

One of the best thing about Alito is that he is on the record against Roe. If you are serious about the Constitution you have to be. No one doubts him on this issue. What this means?

... the biggest battle about Roe is probably about to take place. Now is the time to stand up for life if there ever has been a time in the last 20 years and save those who are innocently stuck in "death Roe."

The nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court appears to be pleasing some of the most ardent (pro-life) Bush skeptics. Today Stephen Peroutka and Paul Schenck issued a press release applauding the nomination.

Paul Chaim Schenck, director of the National Pro-Life Action Center (NPLAC)-- the uncompromising voice of pro-life America on Capitol Hill--and Stephen G. Peroutka, NPLAC chairman, have issued the following joint statement in response to President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court of the United States:

"We applaud the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States. Had the current nomination cycle begun with his nomination on July 19 of this year, we believe that the country would be well on its way to truly returning the Court to its constitutional foundation.

"Judge Alito's professional qualifications for this position are clear, but his lone dissent in the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision leads us to believe that he also has a firm grasp of an American view of law and justice that is necessary to fulfill his duties.

Hugh Hewitt writes that the best way to preempt a filibuster is for the "nine Republicans thought lukewarm or hostile to the constitutional option to announce, early and often, that they will vote for the constitutional option if Democrats attempt a filibuster based upon ideology. "

It is critical that every nominee get an up or down vote. Hugh has phone numbers here and links to BeyondtheNews for activism tools.

Conservatives are already rallying behind Samuel Alito, Jr, President George Bush's latest nominee to the Supreme Court.

Mypoic Zeal has a great introduction - if it’s a fight for what’s right, I say, bring it on.

Michelle Malkin is tracking the story here and notes the Confirm Alito Coalition is already up (see their banner to the right).

ScrappleFace fans with enjoy: Schumer: Judge Alito ‘Hopelessly Overqualified’

Hugh Hewitt writes, "Judge Alito is a great nominee, and as a result a great political battle lies ahead."

Concerned Women for America (CWA) expressed its wholehearted support for President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito Jr., 55, to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Alito is eminently qualified and has a consistent record as a conservative constitutionalist during the past 15 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

"Judge Alito has always been one of our top choices for the Supreme Court," said Jan LaRue, CWA's chief counsel. "He has all of the qualifications needed: intellect, knowledge and experience in constitutional law, integrity, competence, humility and judicial temperament."

Operation Rescue will support the nomination of Samuel Alito, Jr. to the Supreme Court of the United States.

“We believe that this nomination may fulfill Bush’s promise to appoint Justices in the mold of Scalia and Thomas,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Alito’s judicial philosophy reflects the views of the majority of Americans who are increasingly outraged by the current liberal activist court.”

“We are trusting that we are now on the fast-track to derailing Roe v. Wade as the law of the land,” said Newman.

Pro-Life posts on Alito are aggregated here. Also, see Conservatives Rally Behind Alito

Here's the story from the Associated Press.

Confirm Them has posted various information on how he has ruled on various abortion cases. Here's his opinion on Planned Parenthood v. Casey, his opinion on a case dealing with tax-funded abortions, his bio and a prolife on him from USNews.

Some excerpts from the US News story:

Nicknamed "Scalito" for views resembling those of conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito Jr. is a favorite son of the political right. Appointed in 1990 by George H.W. Bush to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Alito has earned a reputation for intellectual rigor and polite but frequent dissent in a court that has been historically liberal.....

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito was the sole dissenter on the Third Circuit, which struck a Pennsylvania law that required women seeking abortions to consult their husbands. He argued that many of the potential reasons for an abortion, such as "economic constraints, future plans, or the husbands' previously expressed opposition . . . may be obviated by discussion prior to abortion." The case went on to the Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court's decision 6 to 3.

By now many of you know that the MarchTogether.com project was set up to unite Pro-Life organizations and Pro-Life bloggers in order to end abortion. We are uniting regardless of our differences of religion, politics, race and gender.

Think about this the next time you flip over a product to see the label that probably 90% of American products have on the bottom...

Made in China

Lifesite Article

Almost everything in America is made in China now, but the one thing the Chinese government doesn't want their population to make is children.

"No one has the right to choose to do what is wrong."

4,000 people died today at the hands of an abortion "doctor." Help save others from that fate.

This Friday is the next Monthly Call for Life at http://www.marchtogether.com.

> Join us at the Supreme Court from noon to 2:00 pm
> or march at your own local government buildings
> or call, email, fax or write your representatives

Even if you are already involved in another Pro-Life movement, join us once a month.

Every little bit counts.

Pass it on

Do we really think that teens are having less sex resulting in less pregnancies?

AP Article

"People have the impression that teens and unmarried mothers are synonymous," said Stephanie Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics.

But last year teens accounted for just 24 percent of unwed births, down from 50 percent in 1970, she commented.

In the article Pro Life Regardless I showed how our Republican Senator of Virginia showed that he isn't Pro-Life. My daughter got a letter from Representative Frank R. Wolf (R) who has also bailed from defending Life.

He said:

The John Roberts confirmation process revealed that abortion proponents in the US Senate require nominees to the Supreme Court to support abortion on demand. C-FAM reports that the same individuals intend to impose an abortion litmus test on a State Department job that has nothing to do with abortion.

Crossposted from Stop The ACLU

(Washington, DC) - The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), specializing in constitutional law, said today it is pleased that the Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to take a case involving the use of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute against pro-life demonstrators – a case that the Supreme Court tackled two years ago and at that time determined RICO could not be used against demonstrators. The case was kept alive after the 2003 decision by the National Organization for Women (NOW). The ACLJ represents Operation Rescue (OR) in the case and is hopeful the high court will settle this issue once and for all.

From Science Daily

Louisiana has subpoenaed 73 people as part of an investigation as to whether euthanasia was used in a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina.

On the orders of Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, the subpoenas went to employees of Memorial Medical Center, which is owned by Tenet Healthcare, CNN reported.

Life Canada has a national billboard campaign going on that alerts women to the abortion-breast cancer cover-up. According to Women’s Health News, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation doesn’t like it.

An anti-abortion group, Life Canada, has put up three billboards in Alberta that display a large pink ribbon and the words “stop the cover up.” The group contend[s] that having an abortion is a factor in getting breast cancer.

We are losing major battles in the scientific and medical communities. We are losing them because we aren't taking serious the extent to which these evil geniuses will go.

Lifesite.net writes that we have begun trials for gender selection in the United States using a process called PGD or preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05102707.html

I've pointed out in the past how China and India have been using this method or others, like infanticide and abortion, to make sure that only men are born.

We have to stand up to the scientific and medical communities. We have to challenge our doctors and scientists to be moral people, because let's face it, many of our medical, scientific and political leaders are not moral now! If we don't put walls up around them they will go in whatever directions they want to go.

Duquesne University student Ryan Miner has been threatened with expulsion for expressing his disgust with the gay lifestyle in a private forum, Facebook.com. The biggest surprise is not that his conservative views are being censored, but that they are being censored by the administration of a Catholic university! This university seems not to understand the role they have in preserving and upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church in the running of their institution of higher education.

Read the rest of the story at The Revolution.

Bryan Kemper from StandTrue.com says that the "Day of Silence" on Tuesday was very successful. The annual Day of Silence is an effort to encourage students to take Pro-Life action across America.

"Tens of thousands of students at over 1,200 campuses helped bring a voice to the horrible violence that takes place in this nation every day."

(Article also posted at http://prolifeprogress.blogspot.com/)

For President Bush to unite his base and nominate someone who conservatives can stand behind. Someone with a clearly articulated judicial philosophy. Someone with the intellectual firepower to overwhelm the judiciary committee. Someone who the average citizen can recognize as being highly qualified. There are a bevy of candidates who fit these criteria (Alito, Brown, Owen, Luttig, McConnell, Corrigan, etc., etc.). Will Bush go with one of these nominees? He can't really be scared of the likes of NARAL, can he? We all remember how some pro-choice advocates felt compelled to embarrass themselves with misleading commercials about John Roberts, don't we?

Matthew Franck in Bench Memos points to something I've been thinking:

The Saddest Thing? Wasted time. Three and a half weeks since the Miers nomination. Nearly eight weeks since the death of William Rehnquist. And we still don't have a nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, who announced her intention to retire on July 1. Every stumble and delay along the way means O'Connor remains on the Court that much longer, and that's bad for the law, the Constitution, and the country.

Will this new nominee be on the court in time to be involved in important cases like Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood? Or will the Miers mess mean that O'Connor gets to have a say?

The SCOTUSblog notes that: "The President said on Thursday he would name a new nominee "in a timely manner." Even if that occurs promptly, there is no chance the Senate would be able to clear the nomination in time for a new Justice to join the Court for the early November sitting, and little chance for the late November-early December sitting. Thus, it is very likely that Justice O'Connor will be on the bench through at least the end of the year. And as a result, the desire of Bush followers to have O'Connor replaced before the Justices take up the new abortion cases on Nov. 30 appears to have been frustrated by Miers' withdrawal."

I don’t envy the political environment and scrutiny the next nominee to the Supreme Court faces from both sides of the political aisle. Conservatives, however, appear ready to unite and get behind the President, relieved that Harriet Miers has stepped aside.

Who will be the next nominee? Hugh Hewitt was one of the first to step out, suggesting that it makes sense to nominate "a judge who has recently been vetted and FBI-checked." In a hurry (before the upcoming abortion cases), Judge Michael McConnell is his prediction. Otherwise, Michael Luttig or Edith Jones are "obvious choices".

Charmaine Yoest has a survey everyone should take and lists a number of excellent choices in a post that begins:

Ironically, the President this next time needs to nominate a divisive figure: someone, that is, who is drawing fire from the right quarters.

Or actually the Left quarters.

Someone whose name is not anywhere near Harry Reid's short list.

More pro-Life Reactions are tracked here.

Call the White House now and let them know you want a Pro-Life person to be nominated for the Supreme Court.

Click here for White House contact information

I just called. Remember to be nice.

Email contact information:
vice_president@whitehouse.gov

comments@whitehouse.gov

Peter

In a debate, we always get asked, "what about cruel foster homes, incest, poverty, overpopulation, rape, drug addicted babies and the unwanted"?

The answer should always be, abortion kills an innocent person.

It's that simple.

Unite with us on the 4th of November for the next Call for Life at MarchTogether.com.

Call, fax, email or write your representatives and let them know that you support House Bill H.R. 552, the "Right to Life" bill.

Go to MarchTogether.com for everything you need to know in order to participate in the next Call for Life.

If the Senate offices get smart with you and tell you "that's a house bill", tell them "that's right, don't you think it's time the Senate got working on a "Right to Life" bill?"

You can also march on your local government buildings with MarchTogether.com posters. We have the free graphics on the web site for you to download and print. Kinkos will laminate two pictures back to back for about $5.00.

We will be at the Supreme Court in Washington DC from noon to 2:00 pm on the 4th. Meet us there every first Friday of the month. We have signs for you.

From LifeNews.com:

A Planned Parenthood watchdog group says an article written by a top Planned Parenthood executive has the national abortion business admitting that it is engaging in “social marketing” of abortion and sex.

Continue reading the surprising confessions of Mr. McGee at Choose Life.

Fox News is reporting that Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination and President Bush has reluctantly accepted this decision.

Here's the story from the Associated Press.

Bench Memos has posted her letter to President Bush requesting to be withdrawn.

Updates (by Tim): Pro-Life Reactions are tracked here. See Michelle Malkin for a round-up.

According to British newspaper, The Guardian, fertility specialists at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas have been given the "green light" for a "clinical trial into the effects of allowing couples to choose the sex of their babies."

Researchers will use PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) to determine whether the human embryos are male or female and then only implant children of the desired sex.

In a lame attempt to make child sex selection more ethical, researchers will only accept "couples who have already had one child and want another of the opposite sex."

Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, recently visited the parents and siblings of Terri Schiavo, and was able to visit Terri's grave. Here are his reactions on this visit to her tomb.

Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer, Lutheran pastor from Pittsburgh, points out the sick irony of the news that human remains are being used to create cosmetics.

Rev. Stiegemeyer also provides a brief reflection on the origins of our human nature, in light of the current debates over the place of the Intelligent Design theory in our nation's schools.

Papijoe highlights the current activity of euthanasia promoter Lord Joel Joffe. Lord Joffe is portrayed in a recent article as seemingly heroic.

Sean McConeghy writes this bit of satire in light of some other not-so-wise decisions that have recent come out of the White House.

Mary Worthington (Carnival host this week!) writes about the situation surrounding a Missouri inmate who aborted her child last week. This story is far from over!

Thanks for reading the Carnival this week!

Pro-life organizations are expressing concern over statements made by Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers in 1993 to the Executive Women of Dallas in 1993.

During the speech, which was recently provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Miers gave several examples of contentious issues, including abortion, which she said involved religion and law. She stated,

"The ongoing debate continues surrounding the attempt to once again criminalize abortions or to once and for all guarantee the freedom of the individual women’s right to decide for herself whether she will have an abortion."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist made a deal with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter to schedule a vote on the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Destruction bill in 2006.

The bill would loosen President Bush's 2001 ban on federal funding for research on new human embryo stem cell lines. Such research destroys fertilized human embryos, research which has produced no successes whatsoever in the curing of diseases.

See Christian Coaltion Blog for more information and action items.

As reported earlier, the Washington Post published an article that presents Harriet Miers as an abortion proponent (or at least supporting the right of women to "choose" abortion) based upon a 1993 speech to the Executive Women of Dallas. Without comment, here are a few interesting portions of Miers' talk:

What I see about all of this is the most disturbing is that there has evolved a “government by non-action” or a shifting to the judicial system of the responsibility for making all of the hard decisions…. Sometimes I believe that elected officials would rather abandon to the Courts the hard questions so they can respond to the constituents: I did not want to do that – the Court is making me. Many of the decisions that really need to be made are hard and unpopular. So its just politically advantageous to not make them”

[snip – examples given]

Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International (LDI), today blasted Planned Parenthood for its ongoing efforts to "morally bankrupt" society. "Planned Parenthood's hierarchy has confessed to being involved in social engineering," Scott said. "When an empire that is rapidly approaching $1 billion in annual revenue openly employs a person responsible for 'education and social marketing,' every person of good will should take notice and speak out. Every man, woman and child is a potential victim. Planned Parenthood wants to remake society in its own image."

With less than two weeks left before the special election in California, battle lines are being drawn in the showdown that will decide if a minor girl can choose to have an abortion without the knowledge of her parents. Passage of Proposition 73, or the Parents’ Right To Know and Child Protection Initiative, will require a doctor to notify a parent or guardian forty-eight hours before performing an abortion on a minor daughter, yet many groups such as the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, claim that passage of the initiative would endanger the lives of our teen girls. In spite of the scare tactics used by these groups, new surveys reveal that California voters seem to be strongly in favor of Prop 73.

Continue reading at Choose Life.

What does it mean to say "I am Pro-Life"?

I've mentioned in the past how some will say they are Pro-Life and yet claim that abortion is Pro-Life or believe that when a baby is born, allowing it to live is Pro-Life, so I think the term must be defined.

Not only does "Pro-Life" have to be defined, those of us who say the words must define what our responsibilities are if we accept the definition.

An abortion clinic in Springfield, Missouri has closed its doors for good. Dave Plemmons, chairman of the Springfield chapter of Missouri Right to Life and head of the statewide group's political action committee had this to say:

"Wow. They're tired of fighting"

Fixed links...sorry, computer crashed before I could fix them quickly

Click here for the link and more at proLifeProgress.blogspot.com

LifeNews.com | New Study: Abortion More Than Doubles the Risk of Child Abuse:

For decades, evidence has existed showing abortion contributes to a rise in child abuse. Now a new study by a post-abortion research institute and Bowling Green State University professors finds that women who have abortions are more likely to abuse their children.

Published in the medical journal Acta Paediatrica, the study found that women who have had abortions are 2.4 times more likely to physically abuse their children. Pro-life advocates say it proves the need for providing women with post-abortion counseling to help deal with the emotional trauma of the abortion.

Led by Priscilla Coleman, a professor at Bowling Green, researchers looked at data taken from a survey of 518 low-income women in Baltimore who were receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children and who had at least one child aged 12 years or younger.

The data compared rates of child abuse and neglect among women who had experienced either an involuntary (miscarriage or stillbirth) or voluntary (induced abortion) pregnancy loss.

Women who had a miscarriage or stillbirth were more likely to physically abuse their children as well, but the increase was much less significant than for women who had abortions.

Wesley J Smith posted this piece on his blog Monday, regarding a different sort of poll on ESCR.

This poll taken by the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) demonstrates that most people still oppose human cloning for biomedical research (and, of course, as a means of reproduction).

While majorities support embryonic stem cell research, which was sold successfully to the public as only involving the use of leftover IVF embryos due to be tossed out anyway. About therapeutic cloning, however, people are opposed. Even when the question is asked inaccurately, (leaving out the creation of a human embryo through cloning), a small majority opposes. "Do you favor or oppose using human cloning technology IF it is used ONLY to help medical research develop new treatments for disease?" The results were 43% support, 51% opposed.

More at Marlowe's Shade

Early this year, Cheryl Ford and Dr. J.E. Craddock fought furiously for the life of Terri Schiavo as leading activists who worked along side the Schindler family conducting research, publishing information and protesting.

Ford is a Registered Nurse who runs her own healthcare company and Craddock is a licensed practicing dentist with interest in forensic analysis of medical records. As concerned citizens, they devoted their time and energy to communicate the value of Terri Schiavo’s life and expose the injustice that led to her death.

Following their hard fought yet unsuccessful battle, the two collaborated to publish a book based on their extensive research and experience that purportedly reveals "new interpretations" of the events surrounding Terri’s collapse. "Our Fight4Terri introduces the truth behind Terri's injuries, and the failure of our legal system to protect Terri," Ford's website states.

"We hope that this book will finally enlighten many to the true FACTS about what happened to Terri," Ford stated in a recent email. "All that we can do now, is to pray that others will never have to experience what Terri went through here in Fla, and help to spread her story so that her death will never be in vain."

The book can be ordered from Ford’s website, Fight4Terri.com.

In general, I’ve found the information and editorial commentary regarding Harriet Miers contradictory and difficult to interpret. While Miers clearly represented herself as a pro-life candidate during a 1989 campaign that let to her election to the Dallas City Council, the Washington Post today reports that she espoused a position which appears to be consistent with that of abortion advocates:

Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers said in a speech more than a decade ago that "self-determination" should guide decisions about abortion and school prayer and that in cases where scientific facts are disputed and religious beliefs vary, "government should not act."

In a 1993 speech to a Dallas women's group, Miers talked about abortion, the separation of church and state, and how the issues play out in the legal system. "The underlying theme in most of these cases is the insistence of more self-determination," she said. "And the more I think about these issues, the more self-determination makes sense."

Rosa Parks died today at the age of 92. I wish she would have become an advocate for the unborn, but instead she was a Planned Parenthood Board of Advocates member. (Click here to read Planned Parenthood's praise of her service.)

If she had read the history of PP, formerly known as the “American Birth Control League”, I doubt she would have supported the same organization whose founder, Margaret Sanger, was a proponent of racially motivated eugenics.

WASHINGTON, October 25, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On February 2, 2005, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) introduced the Right to Life Act of 2005, which, if passed, would amend the U.S. Constitution to provide for the right to life for each born and pre-born human person, according to an Operation Rescue (OR) news release. “This legislation would literally STOP abortion in America – all abortion – because the Constitution would guarantee the right to life for the pre-born,” OR emphasized.

The proposed legislation to make abortion illegal has been introduced to Congress by Hunter every year since 1997 after he agreed to take over from former Orange County Rep. Bob Dornan, who introduced the measure each year throughout his tenure in the 1990s. The proposed bill, HR 552, aims, “To implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.”

Jivinjehoshaphat wrote an excellent review of A Distant Thunder, a film centering on a successful pro-choice prosecutor who is asked to take a complex case involving partial birth abortion.

I think this video could be a great tool for classrooms. It's much higher quality than most prolife videos I've seen and could lead to a number of interesting discussions after the video because there are a number of things that are left unanswered.

On a side note, congratulations to the formerly unborn actor Benjamin Flora for his role as the sonogram baby.

Fifty-six percent of Americans oppose approximately 97 percent of the abortions performed annually in the United States and fewer than 4 in 10 support abortion. - Virginia Commonwealth University Poll (HT: Catholic Fire)

Someone asked me "why do you have to be a religious nut to be Pro-Life"?

You don't

The Pro Life movement welcomes all those who are for Life and against abortion. I just happen to be a "religious nut" Christian.

The Guardian ran this puff piece on Lord Joel Joffe, the peer who is pushing the current euthanasia bill through Parliment. Although the blurb claims he tells the reporter "how the right to die became a lifetime's work" don't expect a lot of insight on his motives. However in his own words Lord Joffe does unintentionally expose some of the bill's biggest flaws.

Read the rest at Marlowe's Shade

In the days since we first heard about the partnering of the Mattel company, American Girl, with the radical pro-abortion, pro-lesbian group Girls Inc., there has been such an outcry from concerned citizens via calls and email that American Girl is now de-emphasizing the "I Can" project on their website, and they have removed the link to Girls, Inc.

While this is all very gratifying, I have learned of another company that seems to be more in keeping with the values most of us want to be teaching our young girls (and just in time for the holidays). It's called "A Life of Faith," and their line of books, dolls, and accessories is much like their counterpart, but with an emphasis on providing role models that help girls imagine and experience a lifestyle of faith.

Continue reading at Choose Life.

Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, says that "Eventually, cancer fundraising businesses will have to acknowledge the elephant in their living room - the abortion-breast cancer (ABC) link."

But the disclosure Malec refers to, that there is indeed an abortion-breast cancer link, hasn't yet come, and meanwhile women continue to swallow the corporate establishment line that abortion is safe and it has nothing to do with breast cancer. Yet two U.S. women have already successfully sued their abortion providers for neglecting to disclose the risks of breast cancer and emotional harm, and cancer businesses continue to raise billions for breast cancer.

Stand True Ministries is gearing up for the second annual Students' Day of Silent Solidarity (www.silentday.org) on Tuesday, October 25. On this date, students from over 1,000 campuses in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, England and Germany will take a vow of silence to express their contempt for the murderous act of abortion that has claimed one-third of their generation and continues to take the lives of over 4,000 babies per day in the United States alone.

The White House said Monday that President Bush is confident Harriet Miers will be confirmed to the Supreme Court, even though a Democrat on the Senate panel that will hold hearings on her nomination said she doesn't have the votes.

If the Senate judiciary committee were directed by bloggers Miers wouldn't stand a chance. In the most comprehensive survey to date, the TruthLaidBear reports that 73% percent of bloggers oppose the nomination, with the remaining 27% evenly split between neutral and supportive positions. Add your blog to the survey by following the instructions on this post.

In a fascinating article from the September-November 2005 issue of Creation magazine, author Alex Williams details for us how the unborn child defends itself against its mother, confirming that it is a separate human being from the start.

In a landmark 1998 paper, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, USA, found that the mammalian embryo (they worked with mice) produces a special enzyme, called indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, or “IDO,” which suppresses the mother’s T cell reaction and allows pregnancy to proceed. Follow-up work in humans revealed the same effect, and it was also demonstrated that the IDO was produced on the embryo side of the placental membrane (which separates mother from child) and not on the mother’s side. Further work in mice showed that IDO production peaked during the formation of the placenta—the most crucial time for establishing that vital link between mother and child. And the most recent work in humans has established beyond doubt that IDO is a specific mechanism at the mother-child interface for preventing the mother’s immune system from rejecting the child.

But what does this have to do with abortion? Well, a common argument in favour of abortion is that a mother has the right to control what happens to her own body. However, this research shows very clearly that the baby is not part of the mother’s body.

LifeSite posted a link to this invaluable new site opposing Canadian euthanasia bill C-407. Every Canadian should be informed about what is one of the most poorly conceived pieces of legislation ever proposed to advance the right-to-die agenda. Basically it skips the slippery slope and goes directly to ethical free-fall.

More at Marlowe's Shade

The Feminist movement was taken over by proDeath women who believe that killing their children is more liberating then doing what women are supposed to do, namely deliver their children into the world.

Susan B. Anthony, one of the first women in America to challenge the dominance of men openly and to get arrested for doing so, knew what abortion was and wasn't shy about telling us.

Every month, one of the things we do to participate in the Monthly Call for Life at http://www.marchtogether.com is email our representatives, which is certain to elicit a response by letter from a state representative. One of our state representatives is a Republican, so we expect to get the token "we're doing all we can to end abortion" speech.

STEM CELLS from aborted foetuses are to be injected directly into human brains in a procedure that could open the door to treating a host of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and motor neurone disease.

Scientists in the United States have been given the go-ahead to transplant stem cells into six children who suffer from Batten disease, a rare but fatal genetic disorder.

[snip]

The idea is to inject the sick children with healthy, immature neural stem cells that will "engraft" in a brain and turn into cells able to produce the missing enzyme.

Such an experiment showed promise in Batten-afflicted mice, but such an ethically charged test has never been tried in humans.

"I'm sure there is no threat to anyone's identity," said Arthur Caplan, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Centre for Bioethics. "But we are starting down that road."

What's more, some of the brain cells to be implanted will be derived from aborted foetuses, which Mr Caplan said raised ethical concerns.

In the time since the Terri Schindler-Schiavo tragedy euthanasia, or mercy killing, has received a great deal of press coverage. An article in the National Catholic Register suggests that the “death with dignity” movement has created such a slippery slope that some doctors in emergency situations automatically kill patients they once might have tried to save.

Consider how much assisted suicide has been in the news:

— An attorney who helped the family of Terri Schindler-Schiavo claims euthanasia is “happening every day.”

— Authorities in New Orleans are investigating hospitals and nursing homes for reports of “mercy killings” of elderly and infirm patients in the hours before Hurricane Katrina approached

— Over the summer, a soldier who was severely wounded in Iraq died in a hospital in Wisconsin because he had signed a living will stating he would not want to be kept alive “artificially” on a feeding tube.

Continue reading at Choose Life.

Interstate Batteries' Norm Miller and NASCAR star Bobby Labonte are teaming up to raise both money and public awareness for the outstanding ministries performed by the preganancy aid centers affiliated with Care Net. Here's the story from LifeNews.com

Go Big Green!

Now that the South Koreans are busy building their monument to the human usurpation of creation, we are once again subjected to calls to loosen our laws (and forget about our "ethical qualms") in order that the United States may "keep our competitive edge".

Given that, you may be interested to know some actual statistics on world-wide funding of stem cell (and embryonic stem cell) research. The following stats are from a Financial Times and Scientific American Special Report - The Future of Stem Cells, from July 2005.

The US:
Federal government funding: About $550m for all stem cell research ($24m for hESC)
Private funding: About $200m
Public funding at state level:
California: $3bn over 10 years
New Jersey: $11.5m (another $380m proposed)
Wisconsin: $375m proposed
Illinois: $1bn proposed
Connecticut: $20m proposed

The UK:
Government funding: About $80m
Private funding: $15m-$20m

South Korea:
Government funding: About $10m
Private funding: About $50m

Did you catch that? US - $750 million SK- $70 million
And what is more, the vast majority of our money is being spent on actual cures. Not hype.

The Washington Post has a follow-up article to JivinJ's post (This will irk some prolifers) which noted Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers chaired the advisory committee of Girls, Inc., a non-profit organization that supports abortion (more here).

Conservatives who oppose a youth organization that supports abortion rights and acceptance of lesbians said Friday that Harriet Miers' service with the Dallas chapter in 1987 had no bearing on her Supreme Court nomination.

Questioned about Miers' past involvement with the group, Tim Wildmon, president of the AFA, said it was not an issue.

"That's been so long ago," Wildmon said in a telephone interview. "I don't think that factors in with her current situation. It was 18 years ago, people change, organizations change."

The only way to affect change and prevent the complete moral degradation of our culture is for us to unite and speak out against the things we disagree with and vote for people who support the things we believe in. We must do both. Simply voting people into office is passive. It only involves pushing a button, and then we are tempted to turn away and believe we have done our part to solve the problems of the world. We must speak out when there are extreme situations which need addressing, like abortion, which will not go away without our involvement.

Matthew Eppinette of World's 2BHuman blog points me in the direction of this error filled editorial by the Boston Globe in favor of the embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.

A few highlights:

"But by any reasonable definition, embryos at the earliest stage of development are not human beings,..."

Hmmm.... They are organisms who have human parents and human DNA. Human beings sounds like a reasonable definition to me, not to mention experts in embryology and embryology textbooks. I guess the definition provided by science textbooks and experts in embryology isn't "reasonable" for the journalists of the Boston Globe.

"Frist, a physician, knows that disease knows no delay, and stem cell treatment has the potential to alleviate much suffering."

I wonder if they would have pointed to Frist's medical expertise and opinion before he officially came out in favor of this bill. I also wonder why they didn't consult the expertise and opinion of Congressman Dave Weldon who also happens to be a medical doctor.

Read the rest at JivinJehoshaphat

From around the blogosphere I rounded up a number of articles by pro-life bloggers and their friends. Positive posts (toward the top of my list) are few and far between as momentum continues to build against Harriet Miers' nomination.

Bush's Defense Of Miers - It's A Good Start - Hyscience

I may be wrong about Miers (but maybe not) - we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the sky is not falling, and may actually be lifting a bit. - Right Wing Agenda

Rod Dreher warns all anti-anti-Miers GOPers that they will be struck dead by George Will on Sunday. - Hugh Hewitt

Spotlight on Miers' 'Inadequate and Insulting Answers' - ScrappleFace

This morning's news has administration aides choking on their morning coffee regarding the Harriet Miers nomination... this water torture of daily missteps and revelations make it difficult for all but the most rabid partisans to continue supporting Miers' confirmation, even for the party's sake. - Captain's Quarters

Charlotte Wyatt was born prematurely at St. Mary's hospital on the 21st of October 2003. She weighed 458 grams (about a pound) and was barely five inches long. Three times in her short life she had to be re-ventilated. Despite her doctor's predictions and a court ruling last Fall imposing a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order on her, Charlotte lived and is thriving.

Earlier this year a Judge decided against removing the DNR from Charlotte and her parents appealed.

Today, after a long and well fought battle, British High Court Mr. Justice Hedley lifted the Do Not Resuscitate Order!

Charlotte’s parents issued this statement:

Darren and Debbie are very happy that the order what has been hanging over Charlotte for over a year now has been lifted as this has caused a huge strain on their lives.

Hat Tip: jacquefromtexas - Today, Justice Hedley lifted the order refusing her emergency medical care--today is also Charlotte's second birthday.

Update: Winterr has more

In what could be the first official boycott of the hugely popular American Girl doll company, the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League has announced that it will give the doll company two weeks to sever ties with a pro-abortion "sister" organization known as Girls Inc. - MichNews (more information here)

Now we discover that the parent company is taking some of the proceeds and directing them to Girls Inc., an organization with far different values than those we teach and try to model. However, it takes a bit of looking to find the problems; on the surface, supporting Girls Inc. sounds like a fine idea for a values-conscious company. Aardvark Alley

Vacation posting Hugh Hewitt suggests we read this by Marvin Olasky on Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. Olasky opines:

Her pro-life record is good, and in 1989 (when running for the city council), she said she favored a Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But no pre-appointment record guarantees Supreme Court votes -- and conservatives are making the same mistake as liberals if our primary question about a justice is, will she vote our way?

Michael Fumento reports on an amazing breakthrough with Adult stem cells that could save thousands of lives and millions of dollars.

Did you hear about it in the news?

No? I didn't think so.

Until now, the only hope for persons with irreversible liver failure from such diseases as cirrhosis, which kills about 27,000 Americans yearly, was transplantation. This requires permanent use of immunosuppressive drugs which can lead to opportunistic infections and cancer. Most importantly, it requires a new liver. About a thousand Americans are now on a waiting list for one and many will die there.

But scientists from London's Imperial College report in The New Scientist that they have repaired patients' own damaged livers by using bone marrow adult stem cells painlessly collected from their own blood. Five were injected with a drug that stimulated their marrow to produce extra stem cells that were then injected into a blood vessel leading directly to the liver.

It is extremely dangerous to be conceived a girl in India. Or Nepal. Or China. Or so many other places in the world.

This situation (described in a news story from Middle East Times) is about as tragic and inhumane as one can imagine.

Charles Krauthammer continues his criticism of the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination in a Washington Post column suggesting an exit strategy (irreconcilable differences over documents). What I find interesting is his analysis of the President's underlying motivation:

The idea that Bush is looking to appoint some kind of closet liberal David Souter or even some rudderless Sandra Day O'Connor clone is wildly off the mark. The president's mistake was thinking he could sneak a reliable conservative past the liberal litmus tests (on abortion, above all) by nominating a candidate at once exceptionally obscure and exceptionally well known to him.

Hat tip Stop the ACLU

Via Thomas More Law Center

ANN ARBOR, MI — The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has submitted a friend of the court brief with the Supreme Court of the United States supporting Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s efforts to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Nebraska had previously found the Act to be unconstitutional. The Act bans the abortion procedure wherein an unborn baby, generally twenty weeks or longer in gestation, is removed from her mother’s womb, except for the head. The doctor punctures the child’s head, sucks out the child’s brains in order to collapse the skull, and then removes the dead child from the mother.

According to Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel of the Law Center, “Partial-birth abortion is a gruesome procedure. It is nothing other than infanticide and must be prohibited in this country.”

In the brief, the Law Center exposes the rhetoric of the pro-abortion movement, which is designed to distract the public and the courts from the reality that each time an abortion is performed, a human life is destroyed. As medical science demonstrates, life begins at the moment of conception, and abortion advocates have tried to blur this reality in an attempt to sedate the public into believing that the atrocity of abortion is acceptable.

How can a civilized society even entertain the idea that stabbing a baby in the head and sucking its brains out with a vaccum hose is a right guaranteed by the Constitution? This is just pure murder, as all abortion is, but with more psychotic element to it. How could anyone support this barbaric and cruel act of killing the defensless, most innocent and precious form of life? Money talks to some, and for some organizations it is top priority.

The nomination of Harriet Miers continues to suffer one setback after another, and for good reason. Yesterday, both Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked her to resubmit parts of her judicial questionnaire, saying various members had found her responses "inadequate," "insufficient" and "insulting."

Legal conservatives, upon reviewing the questionnaire, have responded with increasing concerns. Michelle Malkin has a summary and is skeptical that Miers will make it the Nov. 7 Senate hearing.

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers told a senator her opposition to abortion during a 1989 political campaign doesn't provide a clue to how she would decide the issue as a justice, the lawmaker said.

In a private meeting, Kohl tried to elicit Miers' views on the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Supporters of Pro-Life Wisconsin have been calling, writing and e-mailing the Governor’s office urging him to sign AB 499, the comprehensive ban on human cloning. Many Pro-Life Wisconsin supporters have laughed at the irony of the Governor’s own website.

On the form to send an e-mail message to the Governor is a warning, “Please DO NOT send multiple copies of the same email. One copy is sufficient.”

Other bloggers have been commenting about Marie Bain, the Catholic-school teacher who was fired for being a Planned Parenthood escort. My previous post about her was quick, emotional, and unsettled. With a little more information, I am even more supportive of the firing, even as my concern for Bain deepens.

First, let's get the facts straight from the source. Katelyn Sills, a sophomore at Loretto, has a great blog called Stand Up and Speak Out. Katelyn announced herself in my comments, so I just had to check out her post:

While I am thankful for Bishop Weigand's actions, I am confused about my own school's position. All of the students, including myself, received a letter from our school administration about this matter during the last few minutes of school on Friday. There was a mixed reaction from my classmates. Some thought that dismissing this teacher was completely understandable, but others thought that the whole affair was "stupid." Still others could not figure out what Planned Parenthood had to do with abortion. I am writing to clarify some of these misunderstandings and to share my own opinion.

A Certain Slant of Light has been working hard to shine just that on the Bush-Miers controversy. Here is his latest regarding the preoccupation with "Roe v. Wade" in the context of President Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers:

Abortion, when the mother's health is not directly threatened by the continuation of her pregnancy, is in my view unalterably immoral and contrary to the laws of nature and of nature's God. And that is why, as a right-of-center conservative and traditionalist, I have no compunction whatsoever about applying a right-to-life litmus test to any SCOTUS nominee.

For an absolutely stunning peek into the world of a child in utero, check out this interview with Dr. Carlo Bellieni, Department of Neonatal Intensive Therapy of the University Polyclinic Santa Maria Le Scotte of Siena.

The child's senses, experience of pain, capability of memory and dreams, and more -- it is a fascinating piece which dramatically illustrates the oft-quoted truths from Psalm 139. Very cool!

The Christian Medical Association has come out against the two recently reported developments in embryonic stem cell research that are purportedly designed to allay ethical concerns over treatment of human life. Both methods were reported in the October 17 online edition of Nature.

While applauding the search for ethical alternatives, the association's leaders say the procedures do not circumvent the moral dilemmas of destroying living human beings or exposing them to harm.

A New York Times article reports on the recently disclosed 1989 survey in which Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers stated she supported a constitutional amendment that would protect the life of the unborn. [more here, HT: StoptheACLU]

The survey asked, "If Congress passes a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution that would prohibit abortion except when it was necessary to protect the death of the mother, would you actively support its ratification by the Texas Legislature?" Miers answered "yes" and also told the group she would support a state ban on abortion, oppose public financing for abortions, participate in "pro-life" events and use her "influence as an elected official" to "promote the pro-life cause."

With the release of Harriet Miers' 1989 prolife questionnaire from Texans United for Life, pro-choice organizations have begun to speak out against the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court of the United States. The standard line all these organizations seem to take is that if Ms. Miers doesn't support Roe v. Wade in her judiciary committee hearings then they will oppose her.

From the Feminist Majority Foundation: "With the O'Connor seat as the decisive vote on numerous 5-4 decisions, the public, especially women, deserves to know much more about Harriet Miers," said Eleanor Smeal. "This time, the Senate must not only ask tough questions, but if there are no answers, Senators must not confirm her for a lifetime appointment."

Planned Parenthood: "The questionnaire raises serious doubts about Miers' commitment to upholding constitutional protections for women's health and safety. The U.S. public has been given a confusing picture of Miers' position on vital issues — even the right of married couples to use contraception.

This nominee must be questioned closely about a record that seems to clearly oppose basic American freedoms."

NARAL: "Harriet Miers' inconsistency and evasiveness continue to generate confusion and concern. Miers must give direct answers on these critical questions as she pursues a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court"

Patricia Bauer, former Washington Post reporter and bureau chief, honestly talks about how people see her child, Margaret, who was born with Down syndrome, and about what those attitudes tell us about us. She also speculates how she might have responded had she known in advance that her child would be born with disabilities.

From the Washington Post:

If it's unacceptable for William Bennett to link abortion even conversationally with a whole class of people (and, of course, it is), why then do we as a society view abortion as justified and unremarkable in the case of another class of people: children with disabilities?

I have struggled with this question almost since our daughter Margaret was born, since she opened her big blue eyes and we got our first inkling that there was a full-fledged person behind them.

[snip]

Imagine. As Margaret bounces through life, especially out here in the land of the perfect body, I see the way people look at her: curious, surprised, sometimes wary, occasionally disapproving or alarmed. I know that most women of childbearing age that we may encounter have judged her and her cohort, and have found their lives to be not worth living.

To them, Margaret falls into the category of avoidable human suffering. At best, a tragic mistake. At worst, a living embodiment of the pro-life movement. Less than human. A drain on society. That someone I love is regarded this way is unspeakably painful to me. More . . .

This is the second column in less than a month written by a current or former Post staffer to challenge the reigning pro-abortion tenets. It highlights the tendency of our culture to write off a whole group of people as having no value simply because they are not "perfect."

Thanks to National Right to Life.

I think Wesley J Smith is spot on in putting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the vanguard of the Culture of Death. For those who believe that PETA is simply a Humane Society with good PR and nudity, Wesley has written what I think is the definitive indictment of their philosophy and agenda.

In a post this past Monday at his blog Secondhand Smoke he follows up on the story of two PETA employees who were indicted for euthanizing animals and illegally disposing of the bodies.

The two PETA workers who were charged with killing dogs and cats and dumping them in trash cans have been charged with more crimes. The biggest news is that these new charges include three counts of obtaining property under false pretenses. The property are cats and dogs. The false pretenses are, allegedly, that PETA would find them homes when the intent was always to kill them.

More at Marlowe's Shade

The answers Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee (page 9) show that she was affiliated with the currently pro-choice Girls, Inc. back in the late 1980's.

Under community groups section for Miers' memberships after law school included this:

1987: Chair, Advisory Committee, Girls, Inc. of Dallas, a national non-profit youth organization. Contact: Cecilia Boone, Dallas Chair, (214) 654-4530.

Here's another perfect example of how the "only the ‘leftover' frozen embryos destined to die" argument in favor of embryonic stem cell research was only a ploy for many researchers.

A dozen times over the past one year, fertility specialist Indira Hinduja has reached into a canister of liquid nitrogen and pulled out thin plastic straws that hold live human embryos frozen at minus 196 degrees Celsius....

Each time, Hinduja and her research collaborator Deepa Bhartiya have waited for the embryo to thaw, grow and yield stem cells — an extraordinary class of cells that medical researchers hope to use to treat cancer, diabetes, heart disease and brain damage, among other illnesses.

But after a year of trying, they don't have a single set of embryonic stem cells.

Now they want to try and harvest stem cells from fresh human embryos, not frozen ones. Bhartiya and Hinduja are among scientists in India who want national ethical guidelines revised to allow the creation of human embryos exclusively for research.

Read the rest at JivinJehoshaphat.

By Cliff Zarsky

For many years Supreme Court justices have been allowed to render final judgment on social and moral issues including the death penalty, abortion, homosexual agendas, religious displays, the Pledge of Allegiance and other matters. Indeed, the "checks and balances" designed by our forefathers have been overruled by a judiciary who attempts to seize total control of our true rights. That’s why Thomas Jefferson warned that an out-of-control judiciary would destroy the Constitution and Americans’ fundamental freedoms. Likewise, our first president George Washington warned that no branch of government should encroach on the others, for it could lead to despotism. Yet this power takeover is a judges’ war on our country.

It's groundbreaking science. Two different laboratories have published techniques for producing embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos in Nature science journal (not available online without subscription). One technique doesn't destroy embryos, but the other method does in a way.

While there has been some commendable work done in researching the possible applications of human adult stem cells for therapeutic use, the reality is that embryonic stem cells have more utility. The reason is their totipotency - their ability to differentiate and develop into a huge variety of cell types. In contrast, adult stem cells are committed - they develop into the type of cell in the tissue they are part of. So adult muscle stem cells will rebuild muscle tissue, adult blood cells will replenish the blood and so on. Adult stem cells thus are more limited in their application than embryonic stem cells, and harder to harvest and grow in culture. But to date harvesting or producing embryonic stem cells has meant the destruction of embryos - an unethical technique.

Now two techniques have been presented which claim to avoid the unwanted destruction of embryos in the production of embryonic stem cells. You can read about those techniques in these articles from New Scientist and Nature News.

The first technique, reported by Rudolf Jaenisch and Alexander Meissner of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is called ANT (altered nuclear transfer).

Continue reading...

The AP headline reads "Miers Supported Ban on Most Abortions", and it's been picked up earliest by The Guardian (UK), ABC NEWS (who truncated the story online), San Francisco Chronicle, and Salon.com (requires registration).

HT Jay at Stop the ACLU.

From LifeSiteNews:

The US Supreme Court confirmed a lower court order granting a Missouri prisoner access to an abortion, despite a law that forbids state funds from being used to pay for the procedure. The Supreme Court decision was published without comment.

[snip]

Gov. Matt Blunt blasted US District Judge Dean Whipple after he ruled earlier Friday that he would not grant the state’s appeal. “This is an outrageous order from an activist federal judge that offends Missouri values,” he said in a statement. “I call on the attorney general to vigorously pursue all available legal options to overturn this offensive federal mandate. It is time for him to aggressively argue that this is an inappropriate use of taxpayer resources and contrary to state law.”

On the surface this looks like a "pro-choice" decision by the highest court, but let's wait and see how it plays out.

From Family Research Council:

Two embryonic stem cell studies in mice are receiving wide media attention today, because embryonic-like stem cells have been derived reportedly without killing embryos. In one study, a single cell was removed from an eight-cell mouse embryo. That one cell was developed into embryonic-like stem cells, while the remaining embryo was implanted and developed to term. However, it is not clear what effect this would have on children who are born after having had one of their cells removed while still an early embryo.Read more . . .

Additional Resource:Mice Stem Cells Made Without Harm to Embryos

Spotlight on Darfur 2 is now online. There are posts from 16 diverse bloggers covering various aspects of the current situation in Darfur and the genocide crisis there. Posts cover the political problems, social issues, the international community's responsibility, poetry and more. First time host Eddie, who blogs at Live from the FDNF, has done a great job of bringing together the latest news and views on this important issue - over 2 million people have been affected by the genocide in Darfur.

Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International, today called on Girls Incorporated to "end its ties to Planned Parenthood, the world's primary abortion-advocacy empire." He also urged Girls Inc.'s leadership to "immediately stop pushing a pro-abortion agenda on young girls."

Hugh Hewitt comments on Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers’ pro-life critics:

NationalReview.com and The Wall Street Journal are being used as the platforms from which to put forward the argument that Miers is a weak nominee because her friends may have said she will overturn Roe v. Wade.

But the critics of Miers wanted a nominee with a paper record that was obvious in its path to a reversal of Roe.

Right.

WASHINGTON, October 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Kansas Senator Sam Brownback is hoping that resurgence in faith and traditional values among US voters will work in his favour in a bid for the 2008 Republican nomination for president.

Nothing like starting a Monday off with a smackdown of the UN courtesy of LifeSite:

The United Nations envoy to Africa, Canadian Stephen Lewis, is highly critical of an abstinence campaign that has downplayed the role of condoms but been hugely successful at reducing HIV transmission in Uganda. Population Researcher Institute's Joseph A. D'Agostino suggests that the success in combating AIDS in Uganda "isn't good enough for UN officials, whose love affair with condoms knows no bounds, and who are also angry with America for funding her own AIDS initiative in Africa instead of giving the money to them."

Read the rest at Marlowe's Shade

JacqueFromTexas has created a new blog for sidewalk counselors. She writes, "I am looking for a cadre of sidewalk counselors to contribute regularly, posting stories of saves and hope but also alerting the prolife community of prayer needs." For more information click here

In today's Wall Street Journal, John Fund asks, "Did Christian conservatives receive assurances that Miers would oppose Roe v. Wade?" The question is asked rhetorically as his column details a conversation between evangelical leaders and friends of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

Based on "detailed notes" taken during the meeting by an individual Fund does not reveal, "two of Ms. Miers's close friends--both sitting judges--said during the call that she would vote to overturn Roe." Here is how the conversation was described:

Then an unidentified voice asked the two men, "Based on your personal knowledge of her, if she had the opportunity, do you believe she would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade?"

"Absolutely," said Judge Kinkeade.

"I agree with that," said Justice Hecht. "I concur."

The benign interpretation of the comments is that the two judges were speaking on behalf of themselves, not Ms. Miers or the White House, and they were therefore offering a prediction, not an assurance, about how she would come down on Roe v. Wade. But the people I interviewed who were on the call took the comments as an assurance, and at least one based his support for Ms. Miers on them.

Once again, the ACLU are confused on who is truly the victim.

Stephanie E. Robbins, 24, was arrested Tuesday at her home in the rural community of Wittman. She is charged with reckless endangerment and possession of drugs. Test results showed drugs in the bloodstream of Robbins' child, who was born at a Baltimore hospital, authorities said.

The baby is being cared for by the county's Department of Social Services, officials said.

Without responsibility, all of our rights will crumble before our eyes. The ACLU obviously does not believe in responsibility. This woman needs help with her drug problem for sure, but she also needs to be held accountable for her actions. This fragile little life was born into this world addicted to drugs, and the ACLU thinks the mother is the victim.

Here was the ACLU's compassionate response to this.

The ACLU says that because Maryland law does not define a fetus as a person, a mother shouldn't be prosecuted for conduct that could endanger her unborn child.

The ACLU have fought similar cases in the past, expect to see them take this one too. What ever happened to responsibility in America? The true victim here is a defenseless baby, but the ACLU had rather play the victim card for an irresponsible drug addict, that has put her own child's life at risk for her fix.

Crossposted at Stop The ACLU

As much as I'd like to give a positive update on the situation in Darfur, the reality is that the situation has deteriorated. And Russian news agency Pravda recently gave one of the best commentaries on the situation available:

"The sheer scale of the problem is witnessed by the numbers of those affected: two and a half million people displaced and tens of thousands shot dead, burnt alive, raped or hacked to pieces. The story was true to its two-week slot in the media, complete with front-page photographs of starving children and the TV images showing mothers cradling skeletal babies. The world grunted, said "How sad", shrugged its shoulders and moved on, to the start of the soccer season, the build-up to FIFA 2006 and the atrocities in Iraq. Yet Darfur never went away. Today, the 11,000 humanitarian aid workers in the region are unable to fulfill their duties because of attacks on a daily basis. They are being robbed, they are being attacked, they are being threatened and they are being abducted. Civilians are being raped and killed. Every day. Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General of the UNO for Humanitarian Affairs, declared on Thursday in Geneva that the 5,000 troops supplied by the African Union are not enough, and that three times this number is required to stop the violence."

"The United Nations has ordered all non-essential staff out of Sudan's West Darfur region because of increasing violence aimed at aid workers and continuing clashes between government forces and rebels. Spokesperson Radhia Achouri said only core staff will remain at the UN's local headquarters in West Darfur. Almost 11,000 aid workers are in the troubled region of Sudan, trying to deliver relief supplies to hundreds of thousands of displaced and hungry people."

"Darfur has descended into total anarchy with many areas now no go areas even for the people of Darfur themselves. In Tawilah, thousands of displaced people have been put on flight again and over 2,500 are now spending their nights in makeshift camps, as a result of violent attacks. In Tina, about 40 African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) forces were abducted, although most of them have been set free and in southern Darfur at least 34 displaced persons were massacred in their camp at Aro Sharow and in the village of Gosmeina."

Why?

And here I am, treading carefully because I don't want to guilt trip anyone or have people think I'm being too heavy. I'm not saying I want to guilt trip you - I just noticed something about my priorities.

Cross-posted at Allthings2all

I'm way late in announcing this, and apologise for that. Spotlight on Darfur 2 is going to be held on 17 October and posts are invited. Here's the details:

"Submissions can be a simple post, a detailed essay, a briefing, a constructive criticism of nation-states, groups and individuals involved (or not involved, as is usually the problem) or a proposal for a radical or innovative idea to help stem the violence, save lives, address Islamic fundamentalism, etc etc. There are an incredible number of intelligent individuals with blogs, I would be humbled to have a few of them participate in this noble effort.

Spotlight on Darfur 2 will be hosted here on Monday 17 October. Please send the following info to this e-mail addres ( eddie080183 ATT yahoo DOT com alternate e-mail: eddie DOT beaver ATT gmail DOT com )for your post by noon (1200) EST Sunday 16 October:

1. The name of your blog
2. The URL of your blog
3. The title of your post
4. The URL of your post
5. A description of your post

As children often read these posts, I only ask that any posts containing profanity carry a warning."

The host will be Eddie at Live from the FDNF. If you have posted on Darfur in the last month, or post between now and Monday 17, please send him your details. Don't tell him I said this - but I think he'll take them a bit late on Sunday night.

The U.S. Supreme Court late Friday temporarily blocked a federal judge's order that Missouri prison officials drive a pregnant inmate to a clinic on Saturday for an abortion.

Justice Clarence Thomas, acting alone, granted the temporary stay pending a further decision by himself or the full court.

Missouri state law forbids spending tax dollars to facilitate an abortion. However, U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple ruled Thursday that the prison system was blocking the woman from exercising her right to an abortion and ordered that the woman be taken to the clinic Saturday.

An appeals court on Friday refused to stay the ruling.

American Girl, manufacturer of a highly popular line of dolls and children's books, has inserted itself into a national controversy by funding a youth organization that supports abortion and homosexuality.

Eric, in a post on prolifeblogs.com, writes,

I want to encourage everyone to keep up the pressure on the American Girl doll company to sever their ties with the anti-family group Girls Inc. With the Christmas shopping season on the horizon, a large outcry over their link to abortion, birth control and lesbianism may bring results.

The League is urging parents, grandparents and other family members to write and call American Girl President Ellen L. Brothers to object to the company's support for Girls Inc. Letters, phone calls and e-mails should be directed to:

Ellen L. Brothers, President
American Girl
8400 Fairway Place
Middleton, WI 53562
Tel: 1-800-845-0005
Fax: 608-828-4790
E-Mail: ellen.brothers@americangirl.com

Scheidler and the League hope American Girl will sever ties with Girls Inc. before the League calls for a boycott of American Girl products and launches a picketing campaign at the American Girl Place retail stores in Chicago and New York.