MCCL Blog
MCCL Blog
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Recent Posts
*Adult stem cells are saving lives today - MCCL Blog Nov 20, 2009, 4:07 pm
A new Web site -- stemcellresearchfacts.org -- tells the stories of patients who are benefiting from ethically-derived adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cell research, which requires the killing of human beings in the embryonic stage of their development, has yet to produce any benefits for human patients.The site contains videos like this one:tps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4825791733414915326-4399458707006672634?l=prolifemn.blogspot.com' alt='' />
*Take action now to oppose Reid abortion bill - MCCL Blog Nov 20, 2009, 4:29 pm
Tomorrow, Nov. 21, the U.S. Senate will have its first key vote (whether to begin debate) on the health care "reform" bill unveiled earlier this week by Majority Leader Harry Reid.The Reid bill establishes a big new federal health insurance program, the public option (although now referred to in Reid's bill as the "community health insurance option"). The bill authorizes (on page 118) the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions throughout the p
*Senate health care bill: Abortion funded, disguised by 'hollow bookkeeping requirements' - MCCL Blog Nov 20, 2009, 3:13 pm
National Right to Life Committee Rejects Reid Abortion Funding Language as 'Completely Unacceptable,' Calls for Enactment of Stupak-Pitts AmendmentWASHINGTON (November 18, 2009) -- The following statement was issued by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in all 50 states, and may be attributed to NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.) has rejected the bipartisan Stupak-Pitts Amendment and has subs
*Maximize your pro-life efforts! - MCCL Blog Nov 17, 2009, 2:00 pm
Remember to help us out today, Nov. 17.
*We need your help -- Give to the Max, today only! - MCCL Blog Nov 17, 2009, 4:55 am
Dear Pro-life Friend,Today, Tuesday, Nov. 17, is Give to the Max Day! For the next 24 hours, Minnesotans will come together to show the power of online giving through a new online resource, GiveMN.org.You can take part in this unique giving opportunity with a contribution to the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Education Fund. From 8:00 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2009, until 8:00 a.m. on Nov. 18, 2009, all gifts given to the MCCL Education Fund through GiveMN.org will receive a portion of the $500,00
*Human value: three possibilities - MCCL Blog Nov 16, 2009, 4:43 pm
Princeton professor Robert P. George writes:There are three positions that can be defended without quickly falling into logical inconsistency. The first is that human beings are in no morally relevant way different from other creatures and therefore have no special dignity. The second is that human beings have an inherent and equal dignity; each and every human being possesses it simply by virtue of his or her humanity. The third is that some, but not all, human beings have dignity; those who ha
*House adopts pro-life amendment to health care bill - MCCL Blog Nov 8, 2009, 12:51 am
National Right to Life Says House Abortion Vote 'Disrupts the Obama Administration's Pro-Abortion Smuggling Operation,' But Further Battles AheadWASHINGTON (November 7, 2009) -- The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in the 50 states, issued the following statement regarding today's actions in the House of Representatives on the health care restructuring legislation, H.R. 3962.The House adopted the NRLC-backed Stupak-Pitts Amendment, 240-194.
*House will vote on pro-life amendment TODAY - MCCL Blog Nov 7, 2009, 10:29 am
House leaders have agreed to allow a vote on the pro-life Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the health care reform bill, H.R. 3962. The amendment would prevent government funding of abortion by prohibiting coverage of elective abortion in two big new federal programs created by the bill -- the new federal health insurance plan ("public option") and the premium-subsidy program ("affordability credits").The vote should take place later today (Saturday, Nov. 7), with a vote on the bill itself possibly toni
*Planned Parenthood official becomes pro-life - MCCL Blog Nov 3, 2009, 4:24 pm
The following MCCL news release was issued on Nov. 3, 2009.MCCL urges pro-choice community to reconsider reality of abortionMINNEAPOLIS — Following the dramatic change of heart by Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) called upon members of the state's pro-choice community and abortion providers themselves to take a fresh look at the reality of abortion."MCCL applauds Ms. Johnson's honesty and integrity in admitting that abortion is wrong
*Pelosi's health care bill - MCCL Blog Oct 30, 2009, 5:59 pm
From NRLC:WASHINGTON (October 29, 2009) -- Regarding the health care bill unveiled today by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), a spokesman for the nation's largest pro-life organization said, "A vote for this bill is a vote to establish a federal government program that will directly fund abortion on demand, with federal funds."Read the rest. Also, see the bill's dangerous rationing provisions.
*Fact: abortion would be funded, care rationed - MCCL Blog Oct 29, 2009, 6:34 pm
Andy Birkey at the Minnesota Independent is criticizing the new issue of MCCL News, in which we make the case against the current health care reform proposals before Congress, which would lead to government funding of abortion and rationed care.As Birkey notes, we quote FactCheck.org: "Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans." But Birkey rejects our conclusion that abortions would be subsidized by the
*An urgent message from MCCL's president - MCCL Blog Oct 29, 2009, 4:26 pm
lth care "reform" legislation, from NRLC:WASHINGTON (UPDATED October 29, 2009) -- Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Ca.) is planning to try to ram the massive health care bill (H.R. 3962, previously H.R. 3200) through the U.S. House of Representatives on short notice, on November 5 or 6, without allowing consideration of a critical pro-life amendment. National Right to Life is urging every pro-life citizen to immediately TELEPHONE the office of his or her representative in the U.S. House of Repre
*Are there 'unwanted babies'? - MCCL Blog Oct 27, 2009, 1:46 pm
Francis Beckwith writes:What is an unwanted baby? Is it like an unwanted black person? Or an unwanted immigrant? Or an unwanted woman? Or an unwanted handicapped person?There are no "unwanted" babies, as if the adjective "unwanted" can be a natural property of that which is intrinsically valuable. There are just adults who have a disordered understanding of their obligations to the vulnerable and defenseless in our community. Reinforcing and nurturing that immaturity by describing the intrinsica
*MCCL letter: Abortion is never the answer - MCCL Blog Oct 26, 2009, 4:28 pm
In response to a letter to the editor advocating legalized abortion, MCCL wrote the following, published in the Fillmore County Journal on Oct. 23, 2009:Yvonne Nyenhuis' Oct. 19 letter consists of nothing but muddled thinking and mistaken claims. I have space only to briefly address each one.Nyenhuis implies that abortion is justified by poverty. But it is clearly wrong to kill innocent human beings because they are economically burdensome. The question at issue is not poverty, but whether the f
*Urgent Congressional alert - MCCL Blog Oct 26, 2009, 4:51 pm
From NRLC:Phone your U.S. House member now -- urge a NO vote on Speaker Pelosi's plan to ram the pro-abortion health care bill through the House under a 'closed rule'!WASHINGTON (October 26, 2009) -- Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Ca.) is planning to try to ram the massive health care bill (H.R. 3200) through the U.S. House of Representatives on short notice, without allowing consideration of a critical pro-life amendment. National Right to Life is urging every pro-life citizen to immediately
*For House leaders, abortion funding comes first - MCCL Blog Oct 23, 2009, 4:24 pm
According to the Associated Press today:Unless an eleventh-hour agreement is reached, [pro-life Rep. Bart] Stupak intends to carry through on a threat he's been holding over House leaders for months: to block action on the larger health overhaul bill unless he's allowed to offer a stand-alone amendment during floor debate to include the Hyde amendment restrictions [which would exclude abortion coverage] in the health overhaul bill.Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail, since it li
*Health care reform and abortion, rationing: what you need to know - MCCL Blog Oct 22, 2009, 12:25 pm
The new MCCL News is a special edition devoted to the pending health care reform legislation and its threat to unborn children and other vulnerable persons. Please read it thoroughly and then take action.It's available online here -- feel free to send the link to your friends and family. Or you can call the MCCL office and order paper copies for your church, family, friends, neighbors, etc.Remember to contact your Congressional representatives daily if possible!
*The stakes are too high - MCCL Blog Oct 21, 2009, 3:21 pm
As Congress is now considering health care reform legislation (key Senate and House votes may take place within the next couple weeks), please contact your representatives in Congress -- both senators and your representative in the House.Urge them to vote against any health care legislation unless it is amended to explicitly exclude abortion and the rationing of care.As currently written, the bills would significantly expand and fund abortion and ration care for the most vulnerable members of so
*Abortion law does affect incidence of abortion - MCCL Blog Oct 16, 2009, 5:36 pm
The new, faulty Guttmacher study, which advocates expanded legal access to abortion, suggests that abortion restrictions and bans have no effect on the incidence of abortion.This is certainly not true. As MCCL has pointed out:The legalization of abortion may not make the procedure less risky, but it does have one clear consequence: legalizing abortion increases the number of abortions. In the United States, the abortion number skyrocketed from an estimated 98,000 per year to a peak of 1.6 millio
*'Personally opposed' to abortion - MCCL Blog Oct 16, 2009, 4:48 pm
It now looks that prominent left-wing evangelical Jim Wallis, who I had always assumed from his books and statements took a pro-life position (though I believe he prioritized the issue very wrongly), is not pro-life after all.Keith Pavlischek recounts a discussion with Wallis:I told Wallis as bluntly as I could, that as far as I could tell his position and that of Sojourners [Wallis' organization] was indistinguishable from the old Mario Cuomo position of being "personally opposed" to abortion w
*Guttmacher study makes maternal morality argument for legalized abortion - MCCL Blog Oct 14, 2009, 3:22 pm
A report released yesterday from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Insitute finds that "unsafe abortion causes an estimated 70,000 deaths each year," and recommends "[e]xpand[ing] access to legal abortion and ensur[ing] that safe and legal abortion services are available to women in need. "Guttmacher president Sharon Camp says, "Legal restrictions do not stop abortion from happening, they just make the procedure dangerous. Too many women are maimed or killed each year because they lack legal abortion
*Abortion is 'greatest destroyer of peace' - MCCL Blog Oct 12, 2009, 2:33 pm
President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize last week. While the president has accomplished very little overall, he's already made significant (though expected) strides in promoting the killing of unborn children all around the world.That's the sad irony of this award. Consider what another Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Mother Teresa, said in a speech the day after she won:But I feel a great destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing, direct murder by the mot
*Celebrating the rights of the child, born and unborn - MCCL Blog Oct 9, 2009, 7:24 pm
MCCL Executive Director Scott Fischbach, from Geneva and the Rights of the Child celebration:tps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4825791733414915326-3326131148053901040?l=prolifemn.blogspot.com'/>
*MCCL letter: Pro-life and pro-reform - MCCL Blog Oct 9, 2009, 3:53 pm
A letter to the editor by Bill Poehler, MCCL communications director, was published today in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.How can we believe Planned Parenthood's Sarah Stoesz ("Health care facts and misinformation," Sept. 28) when she argues that the very thing her organization wants — expanded abortion coverage — is not included in President Obama's health care plan?She defends the president's reform plan, which she claims excludes abortion coverage, and then attacks the pro-life movement for
*In Geneva, MCCL GO releases document on rights of unborn child - MCCL Blog Oct 8, 2009, 6:23 pm
Following yesterday's news about MCCL GO in Geneva, today we issue another news release detailing a new pro-life document we are releasing there.GENEVA, Switzerland—MCCL Global Outreach (MCCL GO) released a new document today defending the rights of unborn children worldwide. "Celebrating the Rights of the Child" is being distributed at the 20th anniversary United Nations (U.N.) celebration of the Rights of the Child taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, with the hope of directing attention to
*MCCL GO in Geneva celebrating Rights of the Child - MCCL Blog Oct 8, 2009, 6:15 pm
The following news release was issued on Oct. 7, 2009.GENEVA, Switzerland—The 20th Anniversary celebration of the Rights of the Child is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, later this week and MCCL Global Outreach (MCCL GO) is a participant, hoping to direct attention to the rights of the unborn child.The document being celebrated is the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, General Assembly Resolution 44, which is a comprehensive document to advance the cause and protect
*Another poll shows pro-life trend; Obama a poor pro-choice defender - MCCL Blog Oct 7, 2009, 5:34 pm
A new Pew Research Center poll shows a continuing trend toward the pro-life position among Americans. This, at a time when Congress and the president are trying to push through a massive expansion of abortion via health care reform legislation.Says NRLC's Doug Johnson: "The proposed new pro-abortion programs are badly out of sync with public opinion, which is why Congressional Democratic leaders and President Obama are trying to smuggle them into law behind smokescreens of contrived language and
*Latest health care developments -- abortion still funded on massive scale - MCCL Blog Sep 30, 2009, 4:53 pm
From National Right to Life:WASHINGTON (September 30, 2009) -- Events this week in Congress provide fresh proof that top Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing forward with plans to establish massive new programs that would pay for elective abortions and subsidize insurance coverage of abortions -- which, if achieved, would break from decades of federal policy. "Bills currently advancing in Congress would establish direct federal funding of elective abortion, and tax subsidies for private in
*Dan Rather to speak at local Planned Parenthood event - MCCL Blog Sep 29, 2009, 10:41 pm
Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather will be the keynote speaker at an October 13 Planned Parenthood fundraiser in Minneapolis.MCCL Executive Director Scott Fischbach said this: "For years viewers watched Dan Rather deliver the news of the day believing he was objective and fair, while the whole time he harbored anti-life views. ... Clearly Dan Rather has never been objective, in fact his support of Planned Parenthood proves how radical his views truly are."At NewsBusters, Matthew Balan looks at so
*Responding to misinformation on health care - MCCL Blog Sep 23, 2009, 7:13 pm
See here for recent rebuttals from NRLC to misinformation regarding the current health care "reform" bills, also pasted below:The pro-abortion public relations machine is in full throttle in support of the abortion-related components of the health care bills that are being pushed by the White House and top congressional Democrats. 1. A detailed outline of Senator Max Baucus' proposed health care bill was released on September 16. The proposal has many objectionable components pertaining to bot
*Abortion: psychologically (but not morally) complex - MCCL Blog Sep 23, 2009, 10:58 am
A woman has written a new book recounting her "abortion addiction" (she's had 16). Though her story is filled with unhappiness and shame, and culminates in "the redeeming face of motherhood," the book supposedly "understands the complex moral decision making surrounding a pregnancy decision and how devaluing to women's real experience is any bumper sticker approach to choice."I'm reminded of this insight from pro-life philosopher Stephen Schwarz:People rightly see the psychological complexity of
*Baucus health care legislation threatens unborn, elderly - MCCL Blog Sep 18, 2009, 8:09 pm
The new health care "reform" bill drafted by Sen. Max Baucus poses the same dangers as the other health care bills now before Congress: abortion funding and rationing of care for the most vulnerable.From NRLC's Doug Johnson:The "America's Healthy Future Act," proposed [Sept. 16] by Senator Max Baucus (D-Mt.), contains an array of pro-abortion mandates and federal subsidies for elective abortion. National Right to Life strongly opposes the legislation in its current form. We will work in support
*A response to Planned Parenthood on abortion in health care legislation - MCCL Blog Sep 16, 2009, 2:10 pm
By Doug Johnson, NRLC Legislative Director, published today in the Winona Daily NewsOn April 30, National Public Radio ran a report about abortion-related issues that were emerging under the new Obama administration. In the report, Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, proclaimed that the upcoming health care reform legislation would provide a "platform" to ensure "access to the full range of health care options" to "all women."In Planned Parenthood's lexico
*UNESCO sex education guidelines push abortion - MCCL Blog Sep 1, 2009, 6:59 pm
The following is a news release from MCCL Global Outreach.Children instructed to become abortion advocatesA recent report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), entitled International Guidelines on Sexual Education, is filled with advice for sex education instructors to advance the abortion agenda. Children are to be told not only about abortion, but where to obtain one, and to be trained to "advocate" the pro-abortion position.The report calls for ch
*Switching from pro-life to pro-choice - MCCL Blog Aug 31, 2009, 2:16 pm
Following the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy, some observers took note of his switch from pro-life to pro-choice earlier in his career.I'm impressed by what Kennedy wrote in 1971, back when he was pro-life:While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even a
*Trailer for 'Bloodmoney,' new abortion documentary - MCCL Blog Aug 28, 2009, 1:39 pm
This upcoming documentary film looks promising. It features a number of important pro-lifers, including Norma McCorvey (the "Roe" of Roe v. Wade), NARAL co-founder Dr. Bernard Nathanson, former abortion clinic worker Carol Everett, and Fr. Frank Pavone.tps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4825791733414915326-267118712217851143?l=prolifemn.blogspot.com'/>
*Planned Parenthood means abortion (what Will Saletan doesn't understand) - MCCL Blog Aug 6, 2009, 5:55 pm
William Saletan, writing at Slate, criticizes NRLC for opposing legislation to send more federal dollars to abortion provider Planned Parenthood. Saletan seems to think that NRLC and much of the pro-life movement must therefore oppose contraception. (NRLC and MCCL take no position on contraception, because the issue of preventing conception is, strictly speaking, not a right-to-life issue: no innocent human lives are at stake.)But as Ramesh Ponnuru notes, "NRLC has openly opposed contraceptive f
*Abortion kills human beings, should not be covered in health care 'reform' - MCCL Blog Aug 5, 2009, 3:25 pm
The following MCCL letter to the editor was published on August 2, 2009, in the Grand Forks Herald.In his recent letter arguing for the inclusion of abortion coverage in health care reform legislation, Richard Hanson shows deep confusion about the scientific facts of human embryology ("Health care reform should insure abortions," July 28).As "Langman's Embryology," a standard text, explains: "The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male
*Abortion as a human right - MCCL Blog Aug 3, 2009, 2:56 pm
Some abortion advocacy groups call the "right" to abortion a human right. But the term "human right" suggests that it's a right one has by virtue of being human, and that means humans possess that right as long as they exist, at all stages of their lives.So the right to abortion is something human beings have from the very beginning of their existence, which is at conception. Thus the abortion advocate faces this paradox: the unborn human being, by virtue of being human, has a right to have an a
*Health care reform plan promotes euthanasia - MCCL Blog Jul 29, 2009, 1:24 pm
We've talked repeatedly about how the health care "reform" plan in Washington threatens to greatly expand access to abortion. But the legislation threatens the right to life in at least one other way: it seems to promote the euthanasia of elderly and disabled persons.From a statement released by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI):Section 1233 of the House-drafted legislation encourages health care providers to provide the
*Teaching the pro-life view to 2nd graders - MCCL Blog Jul 27, 2009, 7:32 pm
Scott Klusendorf explains how he made a case for the pro-life position to his daughter's 2nd grade public school class.Here's how I began: I held up a parchment copy of The Declaration of Independence (which the class had studied a bit) and read the following: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rig
*Pro-life nurse forced to assist with late-term abortion - MCCL Blog Jul 23, 2009, 4:15 pm
At a federally-funded New York City hospital on May 24, 2009, a pro-life nurse was forced to assist with a late-term D & E abortion, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Alliance Defense Fund.Alliance Defense Fund attorney Matt Bowman explains, "Requiring a devout, Catholic nurse to participate in a late-term abortion in order to remain employed is illegal, unethical, and violates her rights of conscience."Indeed, the incident clearly violated a federal law protecting the conscience right
*Stop the Abortion Mandate - MCCL Blog Jul 23, 2009, 11:07 am
Tonight pro-life groups are coming together to host a live webcast on the threat of abortion funding in the current "health care reform" legislation. Speakers will include Douglas Johnson from NRLC, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Charmaine Yoest, Frank Pavone, Marjorie Dannenfelser, Wendy Wright, Kristen Day, Day Gardner and Congressman Chris Smith.Register to participate in the discussion.See the latest about the health care effort -- and take action -- here.
*'Abortion and racism are evil twins, born of the same lie' - MCCL Blog Jul 20, 2009, 5:45 pm
Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had two abortions of her own, makes a case against abortion and asks all of us to join her in "the civil rights movement of our century -- the right of every one of every race to live."She notes that abortion affects the black community disproportionately.Abortion has taken a gruesome toll on the black community, killing more than AIDS and crime combined. Some 14 million black babies have been aborted since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court
*Pregnant? Need help? - MCCL Blog Jul 19, 2009, 5:22 pm
Pregnancy care centers offer services including free pregnancy testing, counseling, alternatives to abortion and many other forms of assistance. Some provide food, shelter, clothing and baby supplies.Click here for a listing of pregnancy centers and their contact information.Read the Minnesota Department of Health information on the risks and alternatives to abortion.For Spanish speaking women: Información importante en español!
*Does PETA's abortion view make sense? - MCCL Blog Jul 15, 2009, 1:17 pm
In a piece published on LifeNews.com, Thomas Glessner writes about the abortion view of PETA (the animal-rights organization).On June 16 during an interview on CNBC President Obama swatted at and killed a fly. The matter was treated with good humor by most. I, for one, wanted to say "Nice shot Mr. President." However, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) felt differently and publicly chastised the President for his apparent cruelty to the insect."We support
*Was Roe v. Wade a constitutionally sound decision? - MCCL Blog Jul 13, 2009, 5:46 pm
The Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor began today. Lurking in the background of every Supreme Court confirmation hearing is the question of whether the Court's Roe v. Wade ruling was properly decided, or whether it should be overturned. Roe (and its companion case, Doe v. Bolton) effectively legalized abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy.Here's what a few notable commentators have said about the decision. Keep this in mind when pro-choice senators speak as if Roe
*'Once or twice in a century an issue arises ... - MCCL Blog Jul 6, 2009, 6:27 pm
... so far-reaching in its consequences, and so deep in its foundations, that it calls every person to take a stand." -- John NoonanThat issue is abortion.
*Planned Parenthood reacts to abortion decrease - MCCL Blog Jul 1, 2009, 6:12 pm
From the Star Tribune:Officials of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota and the Dakotas see the report as "absolutely good news for the health of women across Minnesota," said spokeswoman Kathi Di Nicola. "The best way to sustain those reductions is to continue to provide affordable birth control" and sex education to the state's women.From the Minnesota Independent:"The overall decline in abortion in nearly every category is positive news and a goal that PPMNS works toward every day in our clinics a
*Annual abortion report due July 1 from MN Department of Health - MCCL Blog Jun 30, 2009, 1:47 pm
MCCL will provide an analysis of the Report to the Legislature: Induced Abortions in Minnesota for the year 2008, shortly after its anticipated release on Wednesday, July 1.The annual abortion report is released each year on July 1 by the Center for Health Statistics, Minnesota Department of Health, as required by legislation passed in 1998. This report will cover abortions performed in Minnesota in 2008.
*Why pro-life? Part 2: Science and the unborn - MCCL Blog Jun 29, 2009, 4:39 pm
Note: See the original post in this series.The pro-life position is that elective abortion unjustly takes the life of an innocent human being and ought to be prohibited by law. The argument may be simply formulated as follows:1. It is morally wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being;2. Elective abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent human being;3. Therefore, elective abortion is morally wrong.If the two premises are true, the conclusion logically follows. Premise (1) is a
*We need answers from U of MN about human cloning - MCCL Blog Jun 26, 2009, 1:04 am
The following is an MCCL op-ed piece published today, June 26, in the Pioneer Press. It is the latest in our dispute with the University of Minnesota over human cloning and embryo-destructive research.A report earlier this month on the accusations of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life against the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute ("University of Minnesota says stem cell research complaint isn't valid," June 3) badly confuses MCCL's two charges: that the university is pursuing huma
*UnChoice: Coercion and abortion - MCCL Blog Jun 23, 2009, 2:34 pm
The Elliot Institute has put up a Web site -- called Abortion is the UnChoice -- exposing the coercion that is often present in women's decisions to have abortions.Few people know about widespread unwanted, coerced or even forced abortions in America ...Few fully understand its heartbreaking, even deadly, aftermath for teens and women of all ages — especially when the abortion was unwanted or even forced, or if family, friends and even experts have dismissed the injustice ... denied the grief
*Why pro-life? A case against abortion - MCCL Blog Jun 22, 2009, 1:35 pm
Today I'm launching a series of posts entitled "Why pro-life? A case against abortion." My aim is to provide a fairly comprehensive, easy-to-read defense of the pro-life position. I hope the series (1) equips pro-lifers to better articulate and defend the pro-life view in their conversations and interactions with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, fellow students, etc.; and (2) challenges pro-choice advocates and those who are unsure or apathetic about abortion to honestly assess the argumen
*Does legalizing abortion protect women's health? - MCCL Blog Jun 16, 2009, 12:36 pm
Assessing the argument for expanded abortion access around the globeMCCL's brochure on the maternal mortality argument used by international pro-abortion groups is now available online here. Past posts on this subject here (MCCL presented the report at a Geneva World Health Assembly meeting last month).The first few paragraphs:The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 42 million abortions worldwide each year, and 20 million of these are clandestine or illegal. According to WHO
*LeRoy Carhart's bizarre rationale for abortion - MCCL Blog Jun 15, 2009, 5:01 pm
From a Washington Times column by Julia Duin:On Monday, I interviewed Dr. LeRoy Carhart, one of several physicians who assisted Dr. Tiller in Wichita, Kan. He and his wife, Mary, told me they are United Methodists. At one point, he added, he considered becoming a Methodist minister.Instead, he ended up in Dr. Tiller's office, face-to-face with cases such as a suicidal rape victim who was 30 weeks pregnant. He aborted that fetus."At 30 weeks?" I asked. (My daughter was born at 32 weeks.) At that
*MCCL celebrates 41 years of saving lives - MCCL Blog Jun 12, 2009, 1:03 pm
Many people are alive today because of MCCL's lifesaving efforts.The following news release was issued on June 12, 2009.MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) today celebrates 41 years of dedication to protecting and defending human life. Many hearts have been changed, protective laws passed and lives saved due to the tireless labor of MCCL volunteers and contributors throughout the decades.'I am so proud of the dedicated, compassionate work of our grass-roots members,” s
Popular Posts
*LeRoy Carhart's bizarre rationale for abortion (10 hits)- MCCL Blog Jun 15, 2009, 5:01 pm
From a Washington Times column by Julia Duin:On Monday, I interviewed Dr. LeRoy Carhart, one of several physicians who assisted Dr. Tiller in Wichita, Kan. He and his wife, Mary, told me they are United Methodists. At one point, he added, he considered becoming a Methodist minister.Instead, he ended up in Dr. Tiller's office, face-to-face with cases such as a suicidal rape victim who was 30 weeks pregnant. He aborted that fetus."At 30 weeks?" I asked. (My daughter was born at 32 weeks.) At that
*Trailer for 'Bloodmoney,' new abortion documentary (7 hits)- MCCL Blog Aug 28, 2009, 1:39 pm
This upcoming documentary film looks promising. It features a number of important pro-lifers, including Norma McCorvey (the "Roe" of Roe v. Wade), NARAL co-founder Dr. Bernard Nathanson, former abortion clinic worker Carol Everett, and Fr. Frank Pavone.tps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4825791733414915326-267118712217851143?l=prolifemn.blogspot.com'/>
*Why pro-life? A case against abortion (7 hits)- MCCL Blog Jun 22, 2009, 1:35 pm
Today I'm launching a series of posts entitled "Why pro-life? A case against abortion." My aim is to provide a fairly comprehensive, easy-to-read defense of the pro-life position. I hope the series (1) equips pro-lifers to better articulate and defend the pro-life view in their conversations and interactions with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, fellow students, etc.; and (2) challenges pro-choice advocates and those who are unsure or apathetic about abortion to honestly assess the argumen
*Planned Parenthood reacts to abortion decrease (6 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 1, 2009, 6:12 pm
From the Star Tribune:Officials of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota and the Dakotas see the report as "absolutely good news for the health of women across Minnesota," said spokeswoman Kathi Di Nicola. "The best way to sustain those reductions is to continue to provide affordable birth control" and sex education to the state's women.From the Minnesota Independent:"The overall decline in abortion in nearly every category is positive news and a goal that PPMNS works toward every day in our clinics a
*Why pro-life? Part 2: Science and the unborn (6 hits)- MCCL Blog Jun 29, 2009, 4:39 pm
Note: See the original post in this series.The pro-life position is that elective abortion unjustly takes the life of an innocent human being and ought to be prohibited by law. The argument may be simply formulated as follows:1. It is morally wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being;2. Elective abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent human being;3. Therefore, elective abortion is morally wrong.If the two premises are true, the conclusion logically follows. Premise (1) is a
*A response to Planned Parenthood on abortion in health care legislation (5 hits)- MCCL Blog Sep 16, 2009, 2:10 pm
By Doug Johnson, NRLC Legislative Director, published today in the Winona Daily NewsOn April 30, National Public Radio ran a report about abortion-related issues that were emerging under the new Obama administration. In the report, Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, proclaimed that the upcoming health care reform legislation would provide a "platform" to ensure "access to the full range of health care options" to "all women."In Planned Parenthood's lexico
*Does PETA's abortion view make sense? (4 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 15, 2009, 1:17 pm
In a piece published on LifeNews.com, Thomas Glessner writes about the abortion view of PETA (the animal-rights organization).On June 16 during an interview on CNBC President Obama swatted at and killed a fly. The matter was treated with good humor by most. I, for one, wanted to say "Nice shot Mr. President." However, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) felt differently and publicly chastised the President for his apparent cruelty to the insect."We support
*Health care reform plan promotes euthanasia (4 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 29, 2009, 1:24 pm
We've talked repeatedly about how the health care "reform" plan in Washington threatens to greatly expand access to abortion. But the legislation threatens the right to life in at least one other way: it seems to promote the euthanasia of elderly and disabled persons.From a statement released by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI):Section 1233 of the House-drafted legislation encourages health care providers to provide the
*MCCL celebrates 41 years of saving lives (4 hits)- MCCL Blog Jun 12, 2009, 1:03 pm
Many people are alive today because of MCCL's lifesaving efforts.The following news release was issued on June 12, 2009.MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) today celebrates 41 years of dedication to protecting and defending human life. Many hearts have been changed, protective laws passed and lives saved due to the tireless labor of MCCL volunteers and contributors throughout the decades.'I am so proud of the dedicated, compassionate work of our grass-roots members,” s
*Are there 'unwanted babies'? (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Oct 27, 2009, 1:46 pm
Francis Beckwith writes:What is an unwanted baby? Is it like an unwanted black person? Or an unwanted immigrant? Or an unwanted woman? Or an unwanted handicapped person?There are no "unwanted" babies, as if the adjective "unwanted" can be a natural property of that which is intrinsically valuable. There are just adults who have a disordered understanding of their obligations to the vulnerable and defenseless in our community. Reinforcing and nurturing that immaturity by describing the intrinsica
*We need answers from U of MN about human cloning (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Jun 26, 2009, 1:04 am
The following is an MCCL op-ed piece published today, June 26, in the Pioneer Press. It is the latest in our dispute with the University of Minnesota over human cloning and embryo-destructive research.A report earlier this month on the accusations of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life against the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute ("University of Minnesota says stem cell research complaint isn't valid," June 3) badly confuses MCCL's two charges: that the university is pursuing huma
*'Once or twice in a century an issue arises ... (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 6, 2009, 6:27 pm
... so far-reaching in its consequences, and so deep in its foundations, that it calls every person to take a stand." -- John NoonanThat issue is abortion.
*'Abortion and racism are evil twins, born of the same lie' (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 20, 2009, 5:45 pm
Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had two abortions of her own, makes a case against abortion and asks all of us to join her in "the civil rights movement of our century -- the right of every one of every race to live."She notes that abortion affects the black community disproportionately.Abortion has taken a gruesome toll on the black community, killing more than AIDS and crime combined. Some 14 million black babies have been aborted since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court
*Abortion as a human right (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Aug 3, 2009, 2:56 pm
Some abortion advocacy groups call the "right" to abortion a human right. But the term "human right" suggests that it's a right one has by virtue of being human, and that means humans possess that right as long as they exist, at all stages of their lives.So the right to abortion is something human beings have from the very beginning of their existence, which is at conception. Thus the abortion advocate faces this paradox: the unborn human being, by virtue of being human, has a right to have an a
*Does legalizing abortion protect women's health? (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Jun 16, 2009, 12:36 pm
Assessing the argument for expanded abortion access around the globeMCCL's brochure on the maternal mortality argument used by international pro-abortion groups is now available online here. Past posts on this subject here (MCCL presented the report at a Geneva World Health Assembly meeting last month).The first few paragraphs:The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 42 million abortions worldwide each year, and 20 million of these are clandestine or illegal. According to WHO
*MCCL letter: Abortion is never the answer (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Oct 26, 2009, 4:28 pm
In response to a letter to the editor advocating legalized abortion, MCCL wrote the following, published in the Fillmore County Journal on Oct. 23, 2009:Yvonne Nyenhuis' Oct. 19 letter consists of nothing but muddled thinking and mistaken claims. I have space only to briefly address each one.Nyenhuis implies that abortion is justified by poverty. But it is clearly wrong to kill innocent human beings because they are economically burdensome. The question at issue is not poverty, but whether the f
*Pro-life nurse forced to assist with late-term abortion (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 23, 2009, 4:15 pm
At a federally-funded New York City hospital on May 24, 2009, a pro-life nurse was forced to assist with a late-term D & E abortion, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Alliance Defense Fund.Alliance Defense Fund attorney Matt Bowman explains, "Requiring a devout, Catholic nurse to participate in a late-term abortion in order to remain employed is illegal, unethical, and violates her rights of conscience."Indeed, the incident clearly violated a federal law protecting the conscience right
*For House leaders, abortion funding comes first (3 hits)- MCCL Blog Oct 23, 2009, 4:24 pm
According to the Associated Press today:Unless an eleventh-hour agreement is reached, [pro-life Rep. Bart] Stupak intends to carry through on a threat he's been holding over House leaders for months: to block action on the larger health overhaul bill unless he's allowed to offer a stand-alone amendment during floor debate to include the Hyde amendment restrictions [which would exclude abortion coverage] in the health overhaul bill.Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail, since it li
*Pregnant? Need help? (2 hits)- MCCL Blog Jul 19, 2009, 5:22 pm
Pregnancy care centers offer services including free pregnancy testing, counseling, alternatives to abortion and many other forms of assistance. Some provide food, shelter, clothing and baby supplies.Click here for a listing of pregnancy centers and their contact information.Read the Minnesota Department of Health information on the risks and alternatives to abortion.For Spanish speaking women: Información importante en español!
*Another poll shows pro-life trend; Obama a poor pro-choice defender (2 hits)- MCCL Blog Oct 7, 2009, 5:34 pm
A new Pew Research Center poll shows a continuing trend toward the pro-life position among Americans. This, at a time when Congress and the president are trying to push through a massive expansion of abortion via health care reform legislation.Says NRLC's Doug Johnson: "The proposed new pro-abortion programs are badly out of sync with public opinion, which is why Congressional Democratic leaders and President Obama are trying to smuggle them into law behind smokescreens of contrived language and
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