FrEe LaTeSt UpDaTe

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

For news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.

Today's Headlines

• Obama Campaign Silent Health Care Plan Including Abortions
• Polls: Prez Race Tightens After VP Debate, McCain Down 2-3 Points
• Obama Flip-Flopping on Abortion From Promoting to Hiding Record
• James Dobson Supports John McCain for President
• Video Suggests Planned Parenthood Not Reporting Statutory Rape
• Catholic Prof Cafardi Quits Franciscan U After Endorsing Obama
• Researchers to Discuss How Abortion Hurts Women's Mental Health
• Songwriter Gretchen Peters Makes Anti-Palin, Pro-Abortion Donation
• Ohio Court Hears Planned Parenthood Secret Abortion Case
• Nebraska Abortion Business CEO's Husband Seeks Leg Seat
• Florida Baby Killed in Unlicensed Abortion Gets Proper Burial
• Florida Officials Seek Man, Attacked Girl After She Refused Abortion
• Georgia Women Get Probation, Community Service in Forced Abortion Case

Is your Right to Life group or pregnancy center looking for an inexpensive speaker? Need a speaker for a conference, convention, church presentation or on short notice? Consider LifeNews.com Editor Steven Ertelt. Email us for details.

Human Life Alliance Releases New Campus Publication

We Know Better Now is a compelling pro-life resource designed to help students stand up for their pro-life convictions. With 84% of college professors approving of abortion, young people are under more pressure than ever to conform to the pro-abortion agenda. Visit www.humanlife.org to view We Know Better Now.

Obama Campaign Silent on Health Care Plan Including Tax-Funded Abortions
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- While some Barack Obama backers are hoping to provide cover for his pro-abortion positions by saying he will advocate better health care, the Obama campaign is coming under criticism for refusing to say whether his governmental health care plan will require Americans to pay for abortions. Obama, who supports unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason, is promoting a health care plan that would mandate employer-sponsored health care and use targeted taxes to socialize medicine for low-income families. Although the plan is clear in some respects, it is hazy vis-a-vis the abortion question. John McCormack, a writer for the magazine Weekly Standard, hoped to resolve the question recently. "During a campaign conference call about health care yesterday, I asked Obama-Biden surrogate Gov. Kathleen Sebelius if Obama's health care plan would mandate coverage for all legal abortions," he writes. "I really don’t know the specifics of that," Sebelius replied. "An Obama-Biden spokesman told me via email that he'd find an answer to my question. But subsequent emails and phone calls in the past 24 hours from me to Obama-Biden spokesmen have gone unanswered," McCormack adds. "Apparently the Obama-Biden campaign doesn't think it needs to provide basic factual information about their candidate's health care plan. " Full story at LifeNews.com

Polls: Presidential Race Tightens After VP Debate, McCain Down 2-3 to Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama raced to a large single digit lead across the country and in key battleground states last week thanks to negative economic news. However, a new CBS News poll finds Sarah Palin's performance in the lone vice-presidential debate has helped John McCain recapture some of that ground. Obama led by nine percentage points in a poll conducted by the network last Wednesday but a new poll released today finds McCain behind 47 to 43 percent among registered voters. When the poll targets only likely voters, McCain is trailing Obama by a narrower 48 to 45 percentage point margin. The poll found about 20 percent of voters have yet to commit to a candidate, though the survey included leaners for each candidate in both of the summaries. The CBS News survey also found the percentage of voters who now say they have a favorable view of Sarah Palin rose 8 points to 40 percent and those who say the same about Joe Biden rose 6 points to 40 percent. However, the CBS News survey still has bad news for McCain as the pro-abortion candidate leads him by 20 points in terms of how excited voters are for the candidate they support. Some 58 percent of Obama voters say they are enthusiastic while just 38 percent of McCain voters are excited. Full story at LifeNews.com.

Pro-Life Checks from a Pro-Life Company – Save 29%

Do your checks save lives? Make an impact with the new Pro-Life Checks from Heritage House. Featuring 8 new designs. Order at http://www.prolifechecks.com or call 1-877-472-0907. Use coupon FIRST for additional discounts.

Barack Obama Flip-Flopping on Abortion From Promoting to Hiding His Record
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-life group says Barack Obama is flip-flopping on abortion -- not by changing his position but by changing his approach to talking about it. National Right to Life says Obama and his campaign touted his pro-abortion record in the primaries and now is running from it as the election draws near. Douglas Johnson, longtime legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, tells LifeNews.com that the Obama campaign and its allies have adopted a strategy to mislead pro-life voters about his extensive pro-abortion record. "The scam depends on the Obama campaign, with cooperation from the mainstream news media, deflecting attention away from Obama's actual record, and from his extensive commitments to pro-abortion interest groups," Johnson said. "Barack Obama is firmly committed to an agenda of sweeping pro-abortion policy changes that, if implemented, will surely greatly increase the number of abortions performed," he explains. Johnson noted that a few short months ago, during the primary election, Obama and his advocates were boasting about his record of leadership in opposition to legislation to ban partial-birth abortions, to protect infants born alive during abortions, and to require parental notification for minors seeking abortions, among other pro-life bills. Full story at LifeNews.com

Catholic Pro-Life Prof Cafardi Quits Franciscan U Board After Endorsing Obama
Steubenvile, OH (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life former law professor Nicholas Cafardi, the former dean of the Duquesne University Law School, has quit his position on the board of trustees for Franciscan University of Steubenville. Cafardi's decision comes after he received criticism for endorsing pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. Cafardi recently issued an endorsement for Obama and claimed the pro-life movement is dead -- drawing a strong rebuke from pro-life advocates.Franciscan University issued a statement saying Cafardi did not represent the views of the college, but it appears Cafardi has resigned on his own without pressure from university officials. Catholic writer Deal Hudson, who has been following the controversy, tells LifeNews.com about the latest events."Dr. Terrence Henry, president of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, has just told me that he received a letter of resignation yesterday from [Cafardi]," he said. "Fr. Henry stressed that Dr. Cafardi's resignation from the board of Franciscan University was voluntary and had in no way been requested by the University," Hudson added. "Henry added that he was 'grateful' for Cafardi's letter." Full story at LifeNews.com

Songwriter Gretchen Peters Makes Anti-Sarah Palin, Pro-Abortion Donation
Nashville, TN (LifeNews.com) -- Songwriter Gretchen Peters recently added herself to the list of pro-abortion musicians because she's upset Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin used her song "Independence Day" for her introductory music as she took to the podium at a rally following the debate last week. Palin, the pro-life Alaska governor, used the song, which Peters wrote and country music singer Martina McBride recorded in 1994. Saying the McCain-Palin campaign took her song out of context, Peters tells Country Music Television that she plans to donate all of her royalties from the song this year to Planned Parenthood. ACTION: Send your comments to Peters at Gretchen Peters, 1603 Horton Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212 or send an email by going here. You can also email Peters representative Tamara Saviano at Tamara@ellis-creative.com. Full story at LifeNews.com

Ohio Supreme Court Hears Planned Parenthood Secret Teen Abortion Case
Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com) -- The Ohio Supreme Court is holding a hearing today on a case involving a secret abortion on a 14-year-old girl who was a victim of rape. A Cincinnati couple is upset their daughter had an abortion at a local Planned Parenthood facility without their knowledge or consent as required by state law. The girl's parents filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio for violating the state's parental notification law by not telling them of her abortion, which may have been coerced. The girl in the case provided an incorrect phone number to Planned Parenthood officials for notification. Instead of giving the abortion center her parents' phone, she gave the number for her 22-year-old boyfriend -- her soccer coach John Haller. Haller started having sexual relations with the teenager when she was 13 and he was eventually convicted in 2004 of sexual battery and spent three years in prison. He signed off on the abortion instead of the teen's father. The parents filed a lawsuit that began the series of court actions and alleged Planned Parenthood violated state law, failed to get proper informed consent, and failed to report a suspected case of child abuse to authorities. Full story at LifeNews.com

Nebraska Abortion Business CEO's Husband Seeks State Legislative Seat
Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates across the country are running for elected offices on the national, state and local level. It's not every day that pro-life advocates face the husband of the woman who is the CEO of a Planned Parenthood abortion business -- yet that's what's happening in Nebraska. Ken Haar not only has a close association with Planned Parenthood, but his wife is Chris Funk, who heads the Planned Parenthood association in Nebraska and western Iowa. Haar is a candidate for Legislative District number 21 in the Nebraska unicameral legislature and the race has now become a targeted one for the Nebraska Right to Life Political Action Committee because of his relationship with Funk. Denise Ashby, the NRL PAC director, talked with LifeNews.com about the race. "Haar is married to Chris Funk, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nebraska/Council Bluffs," she said. "Since 1995, Planned Parenthood has had an abortion facility at 3705 South St. in Lincoln where more than 7,000 unborn children have been aborted." Full story at LifeNews.com

Where Do the Presidential Candidates Stand?

Keeping track of the candidates can be hard—that's why National Right to Life has put together this comparison of the candidates on the issue of abortion in both Spanish and English. Download and copy, or buy online!

Florida Baby Killed in Unlicensed Abortion, Hidden on Roof, Gets Proper Burial
Miami, FL (LifeNews.com) -- A Florida unborn child who was killed in an attempted abortion that triggered a large investigation of abortion businesses in southern Florida is getting a proper burial. The incident involving baby Shanice Denise Osbourne resulted in the closure of the GYN Diagnostic Center abortion facility in Hialeah. According to witnesses, a young woman went to GYN for an abortion. Police say the 18 year-old returned the next day complaining of severe stomach pains. Abortion facility staff told her the abortion practitioner was not available and that she would have to wait. After being taken to a waiting area, the woman allegedly gave birth to the baby that she thought had been aborted the day before. Abortion center owner Belkis Gonzalez, a woman with no medical background, delivered the African-American baby girl. An autopsy indicated that the baby's lungs contained gas bubbles and floated, proving that Shanice was alive and breathing at birth. Full story at LifeNews.com

Florida Officials Seek Man Who Attacked Girlfriend After She Refused Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Police in Fort Myers, Florida are seeking a man who allegedly assaulted his pregnant girlfriend after she refused his request to get an abortion. Officials at the Lee County sheriff’s office believe there is enough evidence to arrest the assailant, a 22-year-old man from the area. According to authorities, the suspect kidnapped his pregnant ex-girlfriend, pressured her to have an abortion, and beat her after she refused. Deputy Charmaine Smith told the local News-Press newspaper the 18-year-old victim drove herself to Gulf Coast Hospital after the suspect finally let her go. The incident was eventually reported to police. The paper indicates the victim and suspect dated for about six months and she lived with him at two different places for two additional months. The young woman is 16-weeks pregnant with the suspect's child. Officials say the suspect drove with the victim to a remote part of town and then began a conversation telling her to get an abortion. The victim refused, saying she was too far along and that abortion went against her beliefs. Full story at LifeNews.com

Georgia Women Get Probation, Community Service in Forced Abortion Case
Columbus, GA (LifeNews.com) -- Two Georgia women received community service and probation in a case involving their attempt to force a young woman to have an abortion. Police arrested the mother and two cousins of a 16-year-old girl in September 2006 after they tried to force her to drink turpentine to kill her baby. In the case, 44 year-old Rozelletta B. Blackshire was charged with cruelty to a child and criminal abortion Columbus Police Sgt. Debra Bohannon indicated. The teenager's cousins, 26 year-old Shonda Y. Blackshire of Columbus and 28 year-old Monica M. Johnson of Eufaula, Alabama, were also arrested and charged with attempting to cause a criminal abortion. Blackshire and Johnson pleaded guilty to the criminal abortion charge on Tuesday and the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer indicated they both will receive two years probation and 40 hours of community service. Rozelletta Blackshire, the girl's mother, is still in prison on unrelated charges. Full story at LifeNews.com

Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com

Comments or questions? Email us at news@lifenews.com.
Copyright 2003-2008 LifeNews.com. All rights reserved.
For information on advertising or reprinting news from LifeNews.com, email us.
To change your profile/be removed: http://www.listcast.com/x?u=89004328f-8b478409

---

Email list management powered by Listcast