With God as Their Cover

Kathryn Jean Lopez has a great piece at NRO that discusses the anger of the Democrats and Pro-Abortion activists at Congressman Bart Stupak’s amendment to the House healthcare bill that would not allow federal funds to be used for abortions.

Abortion, they say, wasn’t supposed to be an issue in the health-care debate. By which they mean: The revolution must include abortion. “Reproductive rights are human rights” is the way Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, put it. Abortion is, in fact, a “God-given right,” according to the Rev. Carlton Veazey, a Baptist minister and the president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

Huh??? Abortion is a God-given right??? He must be talking about one of those other gods.

Those who oppose abortion, of course, agree with them on the first part of that assertion, the “keep abortion out” mantra. However, the abortion advocates insist that it is “gender discrimination” to treat abortion as something other than just another medical procedure. They view the House version of the health-care bill as a “rollback” of women’s rights. The problem is: If you want government to take over health care in America, you can’t avoid stirring up this issue. Because the life-ending, do-harm “medical procedure” of abortion is legal — either you avoid government financial entanglement with it or you don’t, and, if you don’t, you violate the conscience rights of millions of Americans.

Read the rest of Lopez’s article.

Arizona To Entertain New Pro-Life Law

AZCentral.com is reporting that a new bill is making its way through the Arizona legislature that would provide a big win for pro-lifers after years of vetoes by Arizona’s former pro-abortion governor.

The legislation would require a pre-abortion waiting period and mandatory disclosures to women seeking abortions. It also would allow pharmacists and health care providers to refuse to participate in abortion or emergency contraception on moral grounds. Other provisions toughen the existing law on parental rights.

Former Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democratic abortion rights supporter, vetoed every anti-abortion bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature during six years in office.

Dr. Candace Lew, a Planned Parenthood Arizona leader and an obstetrician-gynecologist who practices in Tempe, said the so-called “informed consent” provisions are insulting to women.

“It is not government’s place to make a woman’s decision for her and this bill certainly attempts to do that,” Lew said.

Huh? Dr. Lew, the government is NOT trying to make the woman’s decision for her. It is trying to ensure that the woman is more informed before making a life-changing (and life-taking) decision. Why do pro-abortion activists always get riled up when it comes to making the public better informed about abortion?

Obama’s Abortion Socialism

Sorry it’s been so long since my last post. My wife and I took a short trip to Hawaii as a mini-honeymoon.

Paul Kengor has an excellent piece in American Thinker about Obama’s plans to make abortion an entitlement for every American woman. Just another part of our life that he wants to socialize.

Obama sees “abortion rights” in several ways, but, principally, he perceives abortion as a matter of economic fairness. For Barack Obama, abortion is not merely a Constitutional right; it is a matter of social justice. He believes it is patently unfair that some women struggle to afford an abortion, or cannot purchase the procedure at all. Consequently, the state — meaning a single federal state — should seize that right and ensure its equitable distribution to every (female) citizen. This is spreading the wealth — on the skin of America’s unborn.

What you have here, remarkably, is a kind of abortion socialism, utterly unprecedented in the history of America.

It is also a testimony to the dark pessimism behind Obama’s sunny rhetoric about “change,” as well as the dark pessimism of the modern liberal-progressive worldview. The undesired child is seen as a burden. For the mother’s alleged financial well-being, she now, apparently, needs the government benefit of an abortion “safety net” to exterminate that child in the womb. That safety net includes the sick, secular left’s utopian dream: federal funding — your tax dollars — of unrestricted abortion.

Barack Obama is ready to take this nation where it has never gone before.

Gift Certificates for Abortions

Just when you thought you couldn’t think of anything original or creative to buy that someone special for Christmas, Planned Parenthood has come through for you. As Jill Stanek has posted, Planned Parenthood is offering gift certificates which can be used for anything they offer, including abortions. Can you think of anything better to stuff in that pregnant mom’s stocking than a gift certificate for their very own abortion?

Can’t respond any better than Matt did at LoneStarTimes.com:

… celebrating the most important crisis pregnancy of all time by selling gift certificates, perfect for the woman who has everything but moral fiber…. And it’s so much easier than finding the perfect “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament.

New Ultrasound Machines in Elgin Pregnancy Center

The Kane County Chronicle has this story about some new equipment that a crisis pregnancy center in Elgin, Illinois has received.

The Life Center of Elgin will host a grand opening for its new Life Choices Ultrasound and Pregnancy Resource Clinic from 2 to 4 p.m. today at 825 Dundee Ave., Elgin.

“We are using the wonderful tool of ultrasound technology to reveal life to save lives,” said Life Center Executive Director Vivian Maly of Elburn. “And to reveal the beauty of the child and the humanity of the child that this woman is carrying. We open her eyes to the beauty of this child and the reality of this child. It’s not a ‘blob’ of tissue.”

The conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family provided a grant that paid for 80 percent of the cost of the ultrasound equipment through its Option Ultrasound Program. Focus on the Family has helped place 409 of the machines in centers since 2004, spokeswoman Kelly Rosati said.

Focus on the Family, based in Colorado, has spent $10 million for the program. Rosati said data collected from the pregnancy centers indicates using ultrasound and counseling increases a woman’s chances of having a baby instead of an abortion by 50 percent.

Of course, you’ve got critics who have to find the nefarious motive in using this equipment…

Pam Sutherland, vice president for public policy for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said she was gratified to hear the center had trained medical personnel. But she did not agree with using the technology to steer women away from all their options.

“Many times, people go into a crisis pregnancy center because they hear ‘free ultrasounds’ and what they get is propaganda and a biased lecture,” Sutherland said. “This is the problem when you have an organization that only has one goal and that is to preach an anti-abortion message. … She gets one option – carry the pregnancy to term.”

Cynthia Davidsen, the center’s on-staff nurse manager, said they do not coerce anyone not to have an abortion.

“We want to use this to deter from abortion, that’s true,” said Davidsen, of St. Charles. “We are using ultrasound to provide a service, to show them a window to their womb. We’re not using ultrasound to force a person to choose life. Obviously, we are a pro-life Christian organization. God never forces himself on anybody. He’s a gentleman.”

Davidsen said it is Planned Parenthood that gives women biased information, not them.

“I would say Planned Parenthood centers sell abortions and don’t give the women enough information about the physical, emotional and spiritual complications of abortion,” Davidsen said. “We believe in life and the sancity of life – but more in the power of love and acceptance of the people who come through our doors. We don’t coerce anybody here. We love them with the love of Christ and provide client services for them.”

Planned Parenthood Admits Infanticide Happens

Ed Morrisey at Hot Air brings our attention to a video released by Students for Life of America, in which an employee from Planned Parenthood admits that certain late-term abortions can result in a baby being delivered alive and then left to die.

This is the same Planned Parenthood to which Obama pledged to pass the Freedom of Choice Act, which would remove all state limitations on abortion and restore federal funding for the first time in decades. These are the people to whom Obama pledges his loyalty.

“They wouldn’t be able to live on its own. So, eventually, the baby does die.” Chilling.

For some reason, I can’t get the video embedded here, so just click on the links above to view it.

A Reminder of Obama’s Promise

Americans United for Life is reminding voters that Obama has promised that if he’s elected, the first bill he’d sign into law would be the Freedom of Choice Act.

“Many people still don’t even know about this radical bill and Obama has promised Planned Parenthood it would be his first priority in the White House,” AUL president Charmaine Yoest told LifeNews.com on Tuesday.

Sen. Obama last year promised the national Planned Parenthood abortion business, “The first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.”

Yoest says FOCA would wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide, and prevent enactment of future protective measures like common-sense parental involvement laws and prohibitions on partial birth abortion.

The letter specifically focuses on how the Obama-backed legislation would overturn parental notification and consent laws and leave parents in the dark about their minor daughters having an abortion.

AUL’s letter tells the story of a 14-year-old girl from Cincinnati who became pregnant by her 22-year-old soccer coach.

“Planned Parenthood gave her an abortion after turning a blind eye when the soccer coach pretended to be a family member for the parental notification requirements,” Yoest said.

AUL explains that the FOCA bill would make unlimited abortions the national law and overturn state laws such as informed consent requirements, bans on taxpayer-funding of abortion and conscience protections for pro-life doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals.

South Dakota Holds Pro-Life Strategy Conference

World Net Daily has this story about a conference being held in South Dakota as a measure is voted on soon which would ban all abortions in the state.

Now the original abortion ban is being presented to voters again, modified slightly to include certain exceptions, and pro-life advocates are working to counteract the massive industry lobby once again being assembled to target South Dakota voters. They are holding a free teleconference and webcast tomorrow for a number of high-profile leaders to provide input and discuss how to give voters the truth about the state law and prevent the “lies and misinformation” from the abortion industry from influencing them.

“In just over 50 days, a simple majority of South Dakota voters will have the opportunity to decide the fate of the first law that has a very real chance of overturning the unjust Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision that has resulted in the death of more than 50 million unborn American children,” said Leslee Unruh, a longtime pro-life advocate who has been involved in the pro-life campaigns in the state.

“South Dakota is on the very of becoming the first state in American to pass a ban on abortion … but there’s a big problem. In addition. to launching a massive multi-million-dollar media campaign – filled with lies and misinformation – Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry have brought in hired-gun political consultants who are using every trick in the book to try and kill this lifesaving law,” she said.

A Breakdown of Planned Parenthood’s Comments

The Practicing Catholic has an excellent breakdown of Planned Parenthood’s reaction to McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as VP.

[PP president] Richards called the naming of a pro-life woman to the ticket “heartbreaking news” after an “inspiring” week at the Democratic convention that saw Democratic delegates officially nominate pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama and his pro-abortion running mmate Joe Biden. [I'll tell you what makes my heart break: thinking of the millions of people who should be here but aren't, many of them who would be my age right now. Not to mention the people who have to live with it afterwards: mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, our whole society.]