April 2011 Archives

Did you ever notice that there is a different tone and feel to a wedding and the celebration that follows when a couple has been living together prior to taking their vows?

Something is missing.

Oh, it's not the guests, the music, the cake, or the decorations. There is always plenty of that to go around.

But something is lacking.

I will go so far as to say that there is a special look that is absent in the way a co-habitating bride and groom even look at each other.

There is no anticipation and no excitement of a new 'beginning'.

Cohabitation makes a mockery of a sacred vow and sacrament, and leaves the bride and groom without that tangible sense of the life-long vocation and commitment that they are entering into.

Some 750 million people flocked to their televisions to watch the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. This was in a time when cohabitation would have been a royal embarrassment. Despite an increase of accessibility to view the ceremony, is it possible that the widespread knowledge that the Royal Couple, Prince William and Kate, have been cohabitating for 8 years, is the reason for America's notable lack of excitement about this royal wedding?

Where is the mention or outrage of this public scandal and embarrassment? The Dallas Morning News of April 9 captured the mood well when reporting "William and Kate's cohabitation elicits a shrug."

Is this a clear example that children grow up and live what they learned? Or are the sins of the father (Prince Charles' long accepted affair with Camilla) being visited upon the son (Prince William)?

It is, in fact, a myth that cohabitation is a good way to determine compatibility.

Switching over to a full commitment after finally taking marriage vows can be difficult if not impossible after a couple lives together first. .

The US Bureau of Census (2000) tells us that 60-75% of first marriages are now preceded by cohabitation. A Canadian Study (Wu, 2000) found that prior cohabitation doubles the chances that a marriage would end in divorce. This may explain the utter chaos we see today within society and the Church....

Read article in its entirety here.

TRENTON, N.J., April 28, 2011/Christian Newswire --

A resolution voted on today by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) shareholders asked JNJ not to discriminate against a job applicant because of her health status. The resolution, which was opposed by JNJ, was voted down by shareholders.

Offered by Human Life International, the resolution was prompted, in part, by the numerous breast cancer survivors who have gone public with their travails to better educate woman about breast cancer and its prevention. In addition to their physical concerns, these courageous women face possible job discrimination because of potential medical liabilities they may pose to future employers. The resolution asks JNJ not to discriminate against these women or others, like AIDS victims, because of their health status. In a letter to shareholders, JNJ recommended shareholders vote against this policy because "The Board (of JNJ) does not believe it is necessary...."

In addition, the resolution highlighted the connection between breast cancer and oral contraceptives by citing a meta-analysis study by Dr. Chris Kahlenborn, which showed 21 out of 23 studies indicated a link between breast cancer and oral contraceptive use. The International Agency on Cancer Research, a branch of the World Health Organization, classified hormonal contraceptives in 2005 as a group one carcinogen, along with asbestos and radium. JNJ sells hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oral contraceptives every year. Dr. Kahlenborn gave a short presentation (text available here) of his findings at the shareholder meeting, which was held in New Jersey.

"I took birth control for years, and I have to wonder if it caused my breast cancer. I also have a niece who was on birth control and at 19 had a stroke due to blood clotting aggravated by the pill," said Bonnie Borel-Donohue, a breast cancer survivor, in response to the vote. "Having profited for years from the sale of carcinogenic and stroke-provoking birth control products, JNJ should see that this resolution is but the smallest step it could have taken to rectify the injustices and harms suffered by unsuspecting users/victims of their birth control products."

DES MOINES, IA/Christian Newswire --

Operation Rescue will join Iowa Right to Life and other groups in a press conference to be held tomorrow at the Iowa State Capitol to support the passage of House File 5, the Fetal Pain Bill, in light of new information was released yesterday that gives new urgency to the passage of this bill.

Press Conference details:

When: Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at 1:00 PM
Where: Room 116 on the 1st floor, Iowa State Capitol, located at East 9th and Grand, Des Moines, Iowa.

Operation Rescue has announced that the Maryland Board of Physicians has launched a full investigation into LeRoy Carhart's late-term abortion business in Germantown, Maryland, that could result in the loss of his medical license in that state. The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Operation Rescue.

Carhart moved his late-term abortion business to Maryland after his home state of Nebraska passed the first Fetal Pain law that bans abortions after 20 weeks when studies show that a pre-born baby can feel pain. Iowa's HF 5 is modeled after that ground-breaking law.

Carhart announced plans to open a late-term abortion clinic in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the next few months even though the community has expressed overwhelming opposition to the location of an abortion clinic there. With his license in jeopardy in Maryland, Carhart seeks to reestablish his lucrative and risky late-term abortion business in Iowa, one of the last states to provide protections for late-term babies.

HF 5 passed in the House and now is stalled in the Senate. The Legislative session ends on Friday, compounding the urgency of the situation.

"We are asking Iowa to join the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho in enacting protections for women and their viable babies, which can feel the pain of abortion," said Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger. "Carhart was driven out of Nebraska, blocked from relocating to Kansas, and now faces discipline in Maryland. Iowa needs to take quick action to avoid becoming a 'safe haven' state for dangerous and unscrupulous abortionists like Carhart. The last thing Iowa needs is to become the nation's Late-term Abortion Capital."

Sullenger will be present at the press conference to discuss her complaint, and present evidence of the dangers of late-term abortions, such as the ones Carhart plans to bring to Iowa.

AUSTIN, TX/April 26, 2011/AUL -

Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson will testify today before the Texas Senate on behalf of legislation that would further regulate abortion-causing drugs, such as RU486. The measure, HB 3408 and SB1780, was inspired by model legislation developed by Americans United for Life and sponsored by Rep. Jodie Laubenberg and Sen. Dan Patrick.

AUL President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest noted that increasingly, abortionists are expanding their market share of abortions through prescription drugs. "Women and girls are vulnerable to dangerous drugs cavalierly distributed in ways that the drug manufacturers do not advise. This kind of off-label drug use can have deadly consequences," she noted.

The bill before the Senate would regulate the dispensing of abortion inducing drugs and would require that they can only be dispensed in accordance with the FDA drug label. The bill would further require that a physician must do a physical examination of the woman before prescribing the sometimes-deadly drugs.

Now a pro-life heroine, Abby Johnson will address the legislation both from her professional experience as a clinic operator in Bryan, Texas, and from her personal life story, having gone through an RU486 abortion herself.

"It is a real privilege for us at AUL to partner with Abby Johnson and to have someone of her first-hand experience testify on behalf of this important legislation that will protect women and save lives in Texas," said AUL VP for Government Affairs Dan McConchie. "Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers routinely dispense RU486 off-label in a manner that expands their profits while undermining women's health. It is important for the legislature to take action now to rein in these dangerous practices."

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011/Christian Newswire --

Late-term abortion provider LeRoy Carhart is under investigation by the Board of Physicians of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

A letter sent by the Board of Physicians states, "...a full investigation has resulted from your complaint." Also, sworn testimony has been taken by the Board of Physicians in their investigation.

Pro-life and faith leaders plan to discuss this investigation at a news conference on Tuesday, April 26 at 11:00 A.M.

News Conference Details--

When: Tuesday, April 26 at 11:00 A.M.

Where: Public sidewalk on Wisteria Dr., near 13233 Executive Park Terrace, Germantown, MD

The group will also conduct a prayer vigil outside of Carhart's late-term abortion clinic after the news conference.

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Washington, D.C. based Christian Defense Coalition states,

"We are gratified the Board of Physicians of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is taking the complaint against LeRoy Carhart very seriously and has opened a full investigation.

"We will continue to use every peaceful and prayerful avenue available to protect human rights in Maryland and see that women are no longer being diminished by LeRoy Carhart.

"The faith community will also continue to work and pray to ensure that Maryland does not become the late-term abortion capital of America and that the violence of all abortions will end."

Wilmington, DE/April 19, 2011/Operation Rescue --

A scheduled hearing was called off yesterday after the Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline reached an undisclosed agreement with Panzy Myrie, the owner of two Delaware abortion clinics that had ties to accused murderer Kermit Gosnell.

Authorities had sought a cease and desist order against Myrie, the sole owner of two Atlantic Women's Medical Services abortion clinics in Dover and Wilmington, who had portrayed herself as a medical doctor in clinic advertisements even though she holds no license in Delaware. Instead, Myrie plans to place the clinics up for sale and "move on." The two clinics have been closed since March and will not reopen.

Both clinics were members of the National Abortion Federation, an association of particularly troubled abortionists and dangerous abortion clinics. The NAF suspended the clinics' membership only after embarrassing details of abortion abuses there were reported by the news media.

Kermit Gosnell, a Pennsylvania abortionist who is being held without bond on 8 murder charges, worked at Myrie's Wilmington clinic one day per week. He allegedly began late-term abortions there and told patients to cross state lines to have their abortions completed at his "House of Horrors" mill in Philadelphia.

Two other Delaware abortionists, Albert Dworkin and Arturo Apolinario, also had their licenses suspended for not reporting Gosnell's illegal activities and allowing him to improperly take or destroy patient medical records that contained evidence of his crimes. Dworkin's suspension has been partially lifted, but he still faces a formal hearing at a later date.

Also postponed yesterday was a hearing on a list of violations discovered at the two Atlantic Women's Services abortion mills. The clinics faced fines of $10,000 for the first offense and $50,000 for each offense thereafter. It is unknown if that postponement was related to the Myrie agreement.

The Grand Jury Report that recommended charges for Gosnell and eight of his workers listed Leroy Brinkley as the owner of the Atlantic Women's Medical Services clinics instead of Myrie. Brinkley owns a troubled abortion clinic in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that once employed Eileen O'Neill. He introduced her to Gosnell, who hired her to work at his Philadelphia clinic. She pretending to be a licensed physician, and was later arrested and charged with him. It is possible that Brinkley sold the Atlantic mills to Myrie.

"The Atlantic Women's Services case is one of unlicensed abortionists, illegal late-term abortions, disappearing medical records, gross clinic violations, and aiding in the murder of newborns. It really does not get much worse than this," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "We are grateful that the Delaware clinics will not reopen and pray the authorities will follow through with criminal charges for those responsible for the massive abortion abuses that took place there."

ATLANTA, April 11, 2011/Christian Newswire --

The national pro-life movement is engaged in a fresh debate of an old issue. The issue is Personhood. The debate is whether it is the best strategy for defending the sanctity of life in the 21st century.

For the third time in four decades, the movement is split over the issue of Personhood as a strategy for achieving our political and public policy objectives. Daniel Becker, in his newly released book, "Personhood: A Pragmatic Guide to Prolife Victory in the 21st Century and the Return to First Principles in Politics" speaks to the issue from a position of experience. As President of Georgia Right to Life (GRTL), he draws from a decade of empirical data and details how GRTL pragmatically leveraged the Personhood strategy, both politically and legislatively-- transforming Georgia from one of the least pro-life states to one of the most prolife states in the nation, in just over 10 years.

"The elections last November resulted in a remarkable victory for our GRTL PAC, every statewide officer--ALL 9 (Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, etc.)--hold a pro-life position WITHOUT exceptions for 'rape and incest' AND publicly call for a Personhood Amendment to our state constitution! To my knowledge this is unprecedented," said Becker.

Based on this success, national pro-family leaders are joining Becker in calling for a new debate. Dr. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association says, "Dan Becker's book is a great blend of prudence, pragmatism and principled politics, it is certain to cause us to re-think pro-life strategy in the 21st century."

Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs at Family Research Council Action says, "The push for personhood across the United States is motivating the pro-life movement while also inspiring others to take up the cause. Dan Becker has been out front in leading the personhood charge and his book gives special insight on how we can all work together to make the US a true pro-life nation." Dr. Alveda King, Morton Blackwell, Professor Charles Rice and others joins Wildmon and McClusky in calling the movement to reconsider its long held practices and strategies.

Mathew D. Staver, Dean of Law, Liberty University School of Law says, "History will one day look upon the movement to affirm the personhood of unborn children in the same way we now look upon the abolition of slavery and the end of the Holocaust. Dan Becker has been a reliable and principled voice for the unborn. His book advancing personhood for the most vulnerable among us is like a sound of the trumpet that will reverberate throughout time. The Holocaust of the unborn is the darkest chapter in American history and Dan Becker's book is a call to turn the page and restore a culture of life. It is a must read."

To read excerpts from book: www.tkspublications.com

April 14, 2011/WASHINGTON, D.C--

Family Research Council Action sent a letter to Senate and House Members informing them that FRC Action will include in its annual vote scorecard today's vote on a resolution offered by U.S. Reps. Diane Black (R-TN) and Martha Rob (R-AL) to defund America's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood. The funds would be re-directed to health clinics that do not perform abortions. The scorecard will also include a resolution offered by U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA) to defund the President's health care law.

FRC Action President Tony Perkins made the following comments:

It has never been more critical for Congress to end federal funding for scandal-plagued Planned Parenthood, an organization that uses taxpayer funds to pad its profit line while performing more than 330,000 abortions each year.

Taxpayers send Planned Parenthood more than $360 million each year, more than one-third of their $1 billion income. At a time when the federal deficit is growing to suffocating proportions, taxpayers should not be subsidizing an abortion giant, especially when they have demonstrated they do not need the funds.

This money would be much better served going to the more than 8,000 health clinics that do not have abortion as their central product, and have not been caught on tape explaining to undercover reporters how to avoid child prostitution laws.

The fact that 97% of pregnant women who walk into a Planned Parenthood clinic obtain an abortion demonstrates Planned Parenthood's purposeful commitment to abortion as its central objective. Planned Parenthood has repeatedly failed to comply with state statutory rape reporting laws, and often ignored parental consent laws.

Additionally, we urge Congress to prevent federal funding for the Obama health care law which funds abortion and will lead to government rationing of health care. This is not health care but rather more government control over those most vulnerable.

To read the score letters, click below:

House score letter:

http://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF11D12.pdf

New Orleans, LA/April 13, 2011/Liberty Counsel --

Unmarried same-sex partners unsuccessfully sued to change an adopted boy's birth certificate to state that the child had two fathers. The ruling by the en banc (16 judges) Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stated that two same-sex partners from New York who adopted a Louisiana-born infant could not force Louisiana to change the birth certificate to state that the child had two "dads." This decision is a huge victory for natural family and for states to protect marriage and family. Liberty Counsel, which filed an amicus brief in the case, has been litigating similar issues, including the Lisa Miller case, for more than six years.

Mickey Smith and Oren Adar, an unmarried same-sex male couple, adopted a Louisiana-born infant in New York in 2006. They sought to have the child's birth certificate reissued in Louisiana, replacing the names of his biological parents with their own. The registrar refused the request, taking the position that "adoptive parents" means married parents, because in Louisiana only married couples may jointly adopt a child. Adar and Smith sued the registrar, claiming that her decision denies full faith and credit to the NY adoption decree and violates their equal protection guarantees.

After concluding that the two men should have brought their case in state, rather than federal, court, the federal court of appeals discussed the Full Faith and Credit Clause. Tracing a long line of Supreme Court cases, the court explained that while Louisiana cannot re-litigate whether the two properly adopted the child, the state is not required to enforce the adoption contrary to Louisiana law. Thus, the court ruled "the full faith and credit clause does not oblige Louisiana to confer particular benefits on unmarried parents contrary to its law."

This ruling is important because it affirms the distinction between "recognizing" the existence of an out-of-state order versus "enforcing" the out-of-state order on a state in which it conflicts with the state's law. In other words, one state that allows same-sex marriage or same-sex adoption cannot force another state to enforce such an out-of-state law or order against its own law. This is the precise issue that was litigated in the Lisa Miller case, which the Virginia courts would not acknowledge.

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "This decision is an incredible victory against the relentless efforts of activists to export their same-sex relationships to states that affirm the mother-father paradigm for family. The Full Faith and Credit Clause can no longer be used as a club to beat states into submission to the activist homosexual agenda."

MILWAUKEE, WI, April 12, 2011/Christian Newswire --

As the National Abortion Federation prepared for its annual conference in Chicago this week, one of its former Board members sent two abortion patients to the hospital. Two women were transported for emergency care in one day from the Affiliated Medical Services abortion clinic located at 1428 North Farwell Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The condition of the two women is currently unknown.

Both incidents took place on Friday, April 8, 2011, less than two hours apart.

The first ambulance arrived with sirens blaring and lights flashing at about 10:50 AM. Pro-life participants in a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil witnessed the incident. One recorded it on his telephone video recorder. Dan Miller, Milwaukee coordinator for 40 Days for Life provided Operation Rescue with the raw video.

After some time, emergency workers emerged from the abortion clinic with a woman on a gurney. Clinic escorts held up a blanket or dark sheet to hide the incident from the pro-life witnesses who were documenting it. The woman was rushed to Columbia St. Mary's Hospital.

At approximately 12:55 PM, the second ambulance arrived, this time without lights or sirens. The video shows an ambulance of a different color and parked in a different place, leaving no doubt that there were two separate incidents. Again, clinic escorts held up a dark sheet to conceal the woman on a gurney that was loaded into the awaiting ambulance and taken to an unknown location.

"The abortionist cannot hide his dirty work behind 'sheets of shame.' While we only see a small fraction of the abortion injuries inflicted upon women, the truth about unsafe clinics and shoddy abortionists continues to come out," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "These are two more urgent reasons why our tax dollars must not fund abortion providers."

The abortionist reportedly on duty was Bernard Smith, a current member of the NAF, who boasts on his abortion clinic web site of having "expertise in Quality Assurance and safe clinical practice." Unfortunately, that so-called expertise failed the 2 women and their babies who landed in the hospital.

"Smith sent two women to the hospital. Now it's time for the authorities to hold him accountable for the injuries he caused," said Newman. "We will be filing a complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing based on these two emergency transports."

WATCH THE VIDEO

WASHINGTON/April 11, 2011 --

On Saturday, April 9, Carol Tobias was elected president of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the national federation of 50 state affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters. Tobias, who becomes the 8th NRLC president since Roe v. Wade, succeeds Wanda Franz, Ph.D. of West Virginia.

"I am extremely humbled and honored to be elected president by the National Right to Life board, which represents our nationwide network of state affiliates and local chapters," said Mrs. Tobias. "As the late pro-life Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois said, National Right to Life 'is the flagship of the pro-life movement.' I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help our pro-life network in its continuing effort to educate the public and pass laws protecting mothers and their unborn children."

A native of North Dakota, Tobias has served on the NRLC board of directors since 1987. From 1983 to 1991 she was executive director of North Dakota Right to Life and in 1991 was hired as NRLC political director, a position she held until 2005. During her tenure as NRLC political director, pro-life majorities were elected to both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. In both 2000 and 2004, she oversaw the efforts of NRLC's political action committee on behalf of George W. Bush.

Mrs. Tobias was elected by the NRLC board of directors at its spring board meeting. The board of directors is comprised of representatives from each of NRLC's 50 state affiliates and 8 directors elected at-large. NRLC is the nation's pro-life organization which is representative of the country's grassroots pro-life citizens and activists.

"The pro-life movement is the greatest social cause of our time," added Tobias. "I am eager to continue National Right to Life's educational, legislative and political efforts to advance the right to life of the most vulnerable members of our human family - the unborn, the elderly, and the medically dependent and disabled."

Other officers and executive committee members elected at the spring board meeting include: Executive Vice-President: Anthony J. Lauinger of Oklahoma; Vice-President for International Affairs: Jeanne E. Head, R.N. of New York; Vice-President for Medical Ethics: John Wayne Cockfield, USMC Ret. of South Carolina; Secretary: Holly Gatling of South Carolina; Treasurer: Rev. Dennis C. Day of Idaho; Chairman of the Board: Hon. Geline B. Williams of Virginia; Vice-Chairman of the Board: Hon. Lynda Bell of Florida; and Chet Rucinski of Wisconsin.

LANSDOWNE, Va., April 8, 2011/Christian Newswire --

Care Net, a national network of 1,130 pregnancy centers, celebrated the defeat of an Oregon bill that was designed to direct pregnant women away from pregnancy centers and toward abortion providers. The bill, SB 769, was prompted by abortion advocacy groups that have launched a nationwide campaign against pregnancy centers that help women choose alternatives to abortion. The bill was defeated Wednesday when a Senate Committee passed over the bill after hearing strong testimony from pregnancy center directors, former clients, and other advocates.

Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde praised the Oregon legislators for refusing to lend support to the bill:

Care Net commends Oregon legislators for recognizing the truth about SB 769 -- that it was a biased attack by one industry on its competition....

Women in Oregon deserve to make their own choice of where they go for help with an unexpected pregnancy. This bill would have eliminated that choice and had the government pointing them solely to abortion providers.

"Women whose lives were touched by the compassionate, caring work of pregnancy centers are speaking out. It's difficult for anyone to argue with their stories and the powerful truth revealed about the sanctity of human life.

In addition, Oregon pregnancy centers have a strong record of service to the state. In 2010, they received zero federal or state funding and provided more than $6 million dollars worth of free services to more than 45,000 women.

Care Net would like to thank everyone who came to the support of pregnancy centers in opposition to this bill -- you made a difference!

LINYI CITY, SHANDONG PROVINCE, China, April 7, 2011/Standard Newswire--

The following is submitted by Reggie Littlejohn, President, Women's Rights Without Frontiers:

On March 21, 2011, Family Planning Officials entered the home of Xu Shuaishuai to seize his sister for a forced sterilization. Unable to find her, they beat Xu's father. When Xu defended his father, one of the Family Planning Officials stabbed him twice in the heart with a long knife. Xu died on the way to the hospital.

This murder is a shocking and extreme example of how coercive family planning presses fear into the hearts of the Chinese people every day. Women who become pregnant without a birth permit - illegally pregnant - are terrified of discovery and forced abortion. Fathers feel helpless to protect their wives and children. Paid informants - friends, neighbors, co-workers - tear down trust in Chinese society. Family members are detained and tortured.

The One Child Policy, moreover, is causing a demographic disaster for China. Due to the traditional preference for boys, girls are disproportionately aborted. This "gendercide" has given rise to a critical gender imbalance: there are now an estimated 37 million more men than women in China. This gender imbalance is a driving force behind sexual slavery, not only in China but in the surrounding countries as well.

How does this affect us? We (the people of the United States, England, and other nations) are helping finance the infrastructure used in coercive family planning in China. The international community funds UNFPA, United Nations Family Planning Fund, as well as IPPF, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and Marie Stopes International. These organizations are operative "abortion providers" in China. How many of these abortions are forced?

In 2008, then Secretary of State Colin Powell found that UNFPA was complicit in coercive family planning in China. The IPPF website openly declares, "The China Family Planning Association (CFPA) plays a very important role in China's family planning programme. It supports the present family planning policy of the government, which is appropriate for the present national situation . . ." The website for Marie Stopes International, lists as "major partners" the Family Planning Commissions of several provinces in China.

Why are we financing the infrastructure of forced abortion in China with taxpayer money?

Sign a petition against forced abortion and sexual slavery in China.

Watch a four-minute video, "Stop Forced Abortion in China!"

I find the contention that abortion should simply be treated as a health issue, the topic of a "blogswarm" being organised by pro-choice organisations in honor of World Health Day today, to be a little curious; claiming that abortion is simply a health issue is an assertion which is supposed to mean that abortion is not a moral issue in any way. However, an assertion is not an argument and proves nothing.

If a fetus is a human being then feticide is homicide and this obviously makes abortion more than a health issue. But suppose (contrary to what I think is the case) a fetus is not a human being. How does it follow that abortion is a health issue? ...

Read article in its entirety here.

Austin, TX/April 5, 2011/Operation Rescue --

The Texas Medical Board has notified Operation Rescue that investigations of 12 TX abortionists are now underway based on complaints filed by Troy Newman last month. The complaints were filed after a 3-month undercover investigation of abortion clinics across Texas revealed numerous violations, including illegal dumping of private patient medical records and biohazardous waste, a disregard for informed consent and 24-hour waiting period laws, mishandling of drugs and prescription forms, and a willingness to help minors evade parental notification laws.

"This represents a mammoth investigation of the abortion industry in Texas," said Newman, who serves as President of Operation Rescue. "Based on our investigation, we have no doubt that these abortionists are playing fast and loose with the health, safety, and privacy of women and that makes them a danger to the public. We pray that the Medical Board looks carefully into these serious allegations and takes appropriate disciplinary action."

The Texas Medical Board indicated in letters to Newman dated March 31, 2011, that the cases have been placed with a senior investigator and that Operation Rescue will be sent a status letter on each case every 90 days.

Abortionists currently under investigation are Jasbir Ahlwualia, Arthur John Brock, Robert Hanson, Margaret Kini, Pedro Kowalyszyn, Sherwood C. Lynn, Jr., Lester Minto, Alan Molson, Robert L. Prince, Lamar Robinson, Franz Theard, and William West.

Complaints were also filed against abortionists Douglas A. Karpen and Brook Randal, but there has so far been no word on whether the Board will add them to the massive investigation.

Read Operation Rescue's Special Report: Widespread Abortion Abuses in Texas Exposed

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2011/Christian Newswire --

This week, the Susan B. Anthony List contacted Republican presidential hopefuls to ask them where they stand on defunding Planned Parenthood. Several potential candidates, including Gov. Haley Barbour, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Gov. Sarah Palin, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty provided statements directly to the SBA List. Rep. Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum had already publicly spoken out or provided statements to media outlets in support of defunding America's largest abortion provider, which receives a third of its income from taxpayers' pockets.

Gov. Haley Barbour:
"I support a halt to any federal funds going to America's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood."
--Statement provided to SBA List

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee:
"We need to demand this Congress vote to defund Planned Parenthood. Our tax dollars should never be used to provide abortions and our government should put an end to it immediately."
--Statement provided to SBA List

Former Gov. Sarah Palin:
"I join Rep. Mike Pence and others of conscience and common sense who are leading the charge to end the taxpayer funding of the nation's largest abortion provider. We recognize that not only is our country buried under Mt. McKinley-sized debt, but that the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves."
--Statement provided to SBA List

Gov. Tim Pawlenty:
"Washington has a massive spending problem, and we need to set priorities. Recent undercover videos show that employees of America's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, aided alleged human traffickers wishing to exploit young girls. Yet, they continue to receive significant taxpayer funding. That should come to an end."
--Statement provided to SBA List, April 1, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN):
"...one thing that we can do, quite simply, is to withhold funding from Planned Parenthood."
--CNS News, "Rep. Michele Bachmann: De-Fund Planned Parenthood," December 6, 2010

Herman Cain:
"I absolutely would defund Planned Parenthood...people who know the history of Margaret Sanger, who started Planned Parenthood, they know that the intention was not to help young women who get pregnant to plan their parenthood. No -- it was a sham to be able to kill black babies."
--www.renewamerica.com/columns/fischer/110118

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich:
"...I want to say I strongly endorse his cutting out all funding for Planned Parenthood which has become a major source of abortion in America."
--Speech at Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, March 7, 2011

Former Gov. Mitt Romney:
"Mitt Romney supports the Pence amendment."
--NRO, "The Defunding of Planned Parenthood Litmus Test?" April 2, 2010

Former Sen. Rick Santorum:
"If you look at Planned Parenthood; if you look at the abortion industry...they fight every single regulation every single bit of information that should be given to the patient, they all fight it as an affront to the right of abortion."
--Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson, February 24, 2011