Obama said at the Saddleback forum-"The fact is that although we have had a president who is opposed to abortion over the last eight years, abortions have not gone down and that is something we have to address."
Factcheck update
U.S. Abortion Rate at 30-Year Low-" new study reveals abortion rates fell 33 percent in the U.S. over the last 30 years. But the report also reveals there are still significant differences among populations as to who gets an abortion. The Guttmacher Institute's study says while abortions and pregnancies among teenagers has dropped 50 percent, abortion rates are still high among older women with children and poor women. Abortion rates also differed dramatically between racial and economic groups. While abortions did decrease among white women, it did not for those of Latin or African-American descent. Click the play button for comments from Day Gardner of the National Black Pro-Life Union."
U.S. ABORTION RATE CONTINUES LONG-TERM DECLINE, FALLING TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1974; MORE EFFORT STILL NEEDED TO REDUCE UNINTENDED PREGNANCY-Showing the release of this report back in January of 2008 to be published and then published in March of 2008. So Obama had no excuse for his comments!!!
Review and Analysis of the 2008 State Legislative Sessions-"In 2008, 45 states considered nearly 450 measures related to abortion, a 12% increase from 2007 activity levels...This is especially notable given that 5 states (including very pro-life Arkansas, North Dakota, and Texas and very legislatively-active Oregon) did not hold regular legislative sessions this year."-This is a very lengthy report showing the opposite of what Obama said above and if Obama signs into law FOCA all these accomplishments to lawfully even under Roe vs Wade to reduce abortions will be undermined. Also, see Has Bush Done Anything Right??? and not that Bush's very first veto as president had everything to do with reducing abortion and again a second time. Please see more under section 4) on that post. Not to forget that South Dakota was successful in closing the doors of the only abortion clinic in South Dakota by using statements from women that testified at the Supreme Court in defense of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban. See South Dakota makes US History: "the abortion will terminate the life of a...living human being". The only abortion clinic in the state closes.
The only way Obama gets away with saying this stuff is that Big Media doesn't challenge him. Makes you wonder what else Obama is misinformed about and gets away with saying on other subjects.
New Report Finds Black, Older, Poor Women More Likely to Have Abortions-"A new report from the research group associated with Planned Parenthood expands on its previous report showing abortions at their lowest point since 1974. The new Alan Guttmacher Institute report finds abortions are more likely to be done on women who are black, older, or lower-income.
The good news for pro-life advocates is that the rate of abortion in the United States is at its lowest level since 1974, having declined 33% from a peak of 29 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 1980 to 20 per 1,000 in 2004."-But if Obama becomes president will this continue as it has under Bush
Obama's claims to reducing abortions in dispute
"The disappearance of Obama's abortion reduction plan: one theory"-"This blog post by Obama-leaner Steve Waldman, founder and editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com, may signal the end of serious attempts by Obama to woo moderate Evangelicals by portraying himself as pro-abortion reduction despite the fact he is radically pro-abortion.
By trying to straddle the issue, Obama has apparently been gaining no ground with religious folk and may have been losing more ground with Hillary supporters. Recent actions indicate Obama may be abandoning the ploy. I submit the release of the BornAliveTruth.org Gianna ad has had something to do with it...."-Maybe also, Obama's promise to sign into law FOCA kind of goes against an abortion reduction plan. See below:
125,000 more abortions per year under proposed “Freedom of Choice Act”-"With so much attention on the economy, one area of federal legislation that can be overlooked is abortion. An old and dangerous bill that will increase abortions by an enormous amount is being resurrected by abortion advocates: the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). H.R. 1964 and S.1173.
FOCA is usually reported as “codifying Roe v. Wade,” but it is much more. Since the Webster and Casey decisions in 1989 and 1992, the Supreme Court has allowed states to limit abortion somewhat by such things as requiring parental involvement and informed consent, prohibiting government funding of most abortion, and more recently outlawing most partial birth abortions.
But FOCA tolerates none of this. Advocates and opponents of FOCA all agree that the bill would nullify every legal limit on abortion, state, federal or otherwise. Americans United for Life, as well as the Family Research Council, explain this fact in great detail. Abortion advocates who want FOCA concur: NOW, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and FOCA sponsor Senator Barbara Boxer all contend that FOCA will strike down all state pro-life laws.
The shockwaves that FOCA would cause are immense and wide-ranging, but recent research shows one effect in particular. Certain state laws that are doomed under FOCA actually prevent a statistically significant number of abortions. These laws include parental involvement requirements, informed consent laws, and restrictions on government funding of abortions.
________________________________
CHART (pdf): Combined Reduction in Abortions from State Laws on Parental Involvement, Informed Consent, and Abortion Funding Restrictions...Specifically, if FOCA is passed it will increase abortions by 125,000 more per year in the United States. Since 2004, Dr. Michael New has published studies with the Heritage Foundation showing that a large reduction in abortions can be attributed to these three kinds of laws.
Even considering other reduction factors such as change in public opinion, Dr. New’s regression analysis shows that parental involvement laws in a state lead to 0.54 fewer abortions per 1000 women of childbearing age, informed consent laws lead to 0.92 fewer, and state restrictions on Medicaid funding lead to 2.08 fewer.
Both pro-life and pro-abortion organizations tell us which states have these laws in place: 36 states have parental involvement laws, 26 states have informed consent laws, and 34 states have funding restrictions."
Catholic Bishops Warn Congress on Pro-Abortion "Freedom of Choice Act"-"The head of pro-life outreach for the nation's Catholic bishops has sent a letter to members of Congress warning them about a bill that could be the most extreme measure on abortion ever introduced. The so-called Freedom of Choice Act would make unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy the national law.
But, the measure would go further and undo the abortion limits put in place in all 50 states since Roe v. Wade that have helped reduce abortions to record lows.
It would invalidate laws ranging from bans on partial-birth abortions to implementing parental involvement for teenagers to prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortions.
Though the measure has not received significant national attention -- taking a back seat to the debate over Barack Obama's votes against a bill to help newborns who survive abortions -- the presidential candidate said signing it would be the first action he would take if elected."
Bishops: No Reason for Pro-Life Catholic to Back Pro-Abortion Candidate-"Two leading Catholics bishops have issued a statement making it clear that pro-life issues like abortion and euthanasia must be the top priority for Catholic voters. While not endorsing any candidate, the Catholic leaders say those issues should guide the choices Catholic voters make in November.
Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Kansas City - St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn address the questions in a joint pastoral letter released Thursday....While Catholic voters should be concerned with "a wide range of issues" about which there is disagreement as to the best public policies.
But when it comes to pro-life issues, the Church strongly believes a pro-life policy is necessary without compromise, they say.
"There are, however, some issues that always involve doing evil, such as legalized abortion ... as well as public policies permitting euthanasia ... or destructive human embryonic stem cell research," they write.
"A properly formed conscience must give such issues priority even over other matters with important moral dimensions. To vote for a candidate who supports these intrinsic evils because he or she supports these evils is to participate in a grave moral evil. It can never be justified," they say.
They go on to say they can envision no reason why a pro-life Catholic voter would support a pro-abortion candidate.
"Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy?" they ask.
"In such a case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in the past 35 years? Personally, we cannot conceive of such a proportionate reason," they say.
In an 'unprecedented' move, NOW endorses Obama-"The political action committee of one the country’s leading abortion advocacy groups has “proudly” endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president....Allison Kasic of the Independent Women’s Forum says NOW’s endorsement of the Barack Obama-Joe Biden ticket is not surprising given the feminist establishment has been on the side of bigger government and liberal policies for years. She contends the feminist establishment is pushing the false notion that women’s rights merely constitute issues such as reproductive rights, pay equity, and violence against women...Kasic believes there is a major disconnect between the feminist establishment and the average American woman."
Bush and Dr's conscience rights vs Obamaites
States Resist Federal 'Conscience' Rule that Protects Doctors Who Won't Participate in Abortions-"Attorneys general from 13 states on Wednesday protested a proposed Bush administration rule that would give stronger job protections to doctors and other health care workers who refuse to participate in abortions because of religious or moral objections.In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, the states said the rule is too vague in defining abortion, and may be interpreted to include birth control. "It threatens to drastically discourage and even deter a woman's right to choose," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. "This proposed rule unconscionably puts personal agendas before patient care ... failing even to acknowledge the rights of rape victims and others to access birth control and related vital health services." Other states joining Connecticut in protesting the rule are Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah and Vermont. The Bush administration proposed the rule last month. The rule, which applies to institutions receiving government money, would require as many as 584,000 employers ranging from major hospitals to doctors' offices and nursing homes to certify in writing that they are complying with several federal laws that protect the conscience rights of health care workers. Violations could lead to a loss of government funding and legal action to recoup federal money already paid."-So we don't protect a baby who survives an abortion, nor are we to allow parental involvement and now Physicians, Dr's and Health Workers are forced to go against their conscience and encourage what to them is the taking of an innocent human life?!!? These Roe vs Wade defenders are extending Roe vs Wade over parental rights, born alive infant rights, conscience rights, all at the favoring of a women's right to choose at the expense of an unborn child's right to life.
It's time to elect a president that will elect judges that will overturn Roe vs Wade and let this issue be dealt with at a more local level of the state.
Prop. 4 - Parents should be notified before teen’s abortion-"Steve Francis has this commentary on the San Francisco Chronicle site: “California voters will have an opportunity to decide whether teenage girls should have stronger legal protections for their physical and emotional health. Supporting Proposition 4 on the November ballot can keep parents as a guiding force in a turbulent world.”
The Roe vs Wade of Europe
Ireland
ADF to defend Irish abortion ban-"“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless. ADF and FRC are looking forward to defending Ireland’s abortion ban so that scores of pre-born children are guaranteed the protection the Irish people gave them,” said ADF Chief Counsel Benjamin Bull. “This case is not only pivotal to Europe; it’s pivotal to America. With greater frequency, the U.S. Supreme Court looks across the ocean to see what other countries are doing when considering its own cases. This case could be the Roe v. Wade of Europe.”...The European Court of Human Rights granted review of the case, A, B, & C v. Ireland. The court decided to allow FRC and two other pro-life organizations to intervene as defendants in the lawsuit and asked them to file a joint brief defending their position. A hearing could occur next year. “Family Research Council is proud to be working with the Alliance Defense Fund in this important battle,” said Bill Saunders, FRC’s human rights counsel and senior fellow of the Center for Human Life and Bioethics. “Ireland has wisely chosen to protect its most vulnerable citizens and we will work tirelessly to ensure that unborn children remained protected in Ireland.”
Ireland's Abortion Law Gets Help from U.S.-"The European Court agreed to review the case, but asked for more information from Ireland's government and the women before continuing. Now, a hearing is expected as early as next year.
Lorence explained that the European court does not usually see cases like this one.
"In the past this court has deferred on social issues to the local national governments," he said. "This is a bit of an ominous step that they have accepted this case for review and the Alliance Defence Fund wants to make sure that the pro-life position is heard."
Click the player to watch the CBN News report and hear what Jordan Lorence, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, says the impact could be if Ireland's law is overturned."-See video report.
ADF achieving results internationally-"“Families need protection around the world. When families are protected in other countries, American families are also protected from activist courts in America that seek to incorporate foreign precedent into American law,” said ADF Chief Counsel Benjamin Bull.
· Canada: ADF-allied attorney Gerald Chipeur is appealing a decision by the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission that found a pastor guilty of “hate speech” for newspaper columns that presented his Christian views on homosexual behavior (www.telladf.org/UserDocs/BoissoinDecision.pdf).
· Germany: ADF-allied attorney Ronald Reichert, with funding from ADF, successfully obtained an extension for the second time on passports for an American family threatened with deportation from Germany because they homeschool their children. Reichert first obtained an extension in December 2007 (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4339).
· Kosovo: ADF Senior Counsel Glen Lavy joined a Western delegation of pro-family leaders to meet with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and other national leaders regarding needed reforms to the country’s new constitution so that it will not open the door to civil rights abuses by leftist political groups and government officials (www.telladf.org/UserDocs/KosovoMemo.pdf).
· Norway: ADF attorneys have submitted a legal memo to the Norwegian Parliament explaining the negative effects on children and society if it approves a proposed law permitting adoptions by same-sex couples (www.telladf.org/UserDocs/CDPmemo.pdf).
· Romania: ADF-allied attorney Peter Costea with the Alliance for Romania’s Families is fighting attempts by the Council of Europe to impose same-sex “marriage” on member states (www.telladf.org/UserDocs/ARFletter.pdf). According to Costea, material from ADF played a significant role in helping the Commission on Equal Opportunity in the Romania Chamber of Deputies to approve modifying the Family Code to prevent attempts to redefine marriage in that country (www.telladf.org/UserDocs/RomaniaLetters.pdf).
“ADF will continue to work strategically around the world to ensure that religious liberty is protected as the essential human right that it is,” Bull explained."
UK
British Victims of Abortion-"Watch clips from the Silent No More DVD below:" -See article below concerning this issue. And also, watch 5 minute testimony of Patricia's story.
Thousands of Women are Having Abortion, But No One is Talking-"Despite having one of the highest abortion rates in the world, women in Britain do not talk about their personal experiences with abortion. The subject, says Bethan Cole in a lengthy article in the Daily Mail, is still taboo.
Cole wrote that while thousands of women are having abortions, and it remains a hot issue in the media and in Parliament, the topic remains taboo for women who have had abortions....Bethan Cole's story is not an isolated one and more British women are starting to speak out about the harm abortion has done them and their families. In their stories, the absence of a sense of freedom is the most prominent theme.
The organisation British Victims of Abortion (BVA) is promoting a film they hope will be shown around the country, in which women give their abortion stories. BVA was founded in 1987 to help women who are struggling with the various symptoms of post-abortion syndrome. The film, made with the help of the US-based Silent No More campaign, shows mostly British women speaking of their abortion experiences at public gatherings.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, which is also helping to promote the film, said that the "voice of experience must be heard" in the abortion debate. John Smeaton, SPUC director, said, "Experience overrides theory and we intend to do all we can to allow those voices to be heard."To purchase copies of the Silent No More video:http://www.bvafoundation.org/silentnomore.html"
Media is anti-Christian,says Sky News reporter-"When asked if the media in America and the UK understands evangelical Christians, he said:
“Not at all. It’s important to remember that what appears in the newspapers is not an objective summary of the significant things that happened yesterday but an ideological selection based on the prejudices, agendas and assumptions of a relatively small group of people."...Last month, John Smeaton of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child accused The Times newspaper of a “blatant bias on life issues”.
In 2006 executives at the BBC admitted that they would consider broadcasting a scene where the Bible was thrown away but they would never do the same with the Koran.
Robin Aitken, a former BBC reporter, has written a book on the subject. He names Christians among the BBC’s “in-house pariah groups”.
“These people,” he says, “will never get the soft interview or helpful publicity.”
Former Chief Political Correspondent, Andrew Marr, has said that the BBC has a “liberal bias” and is staffed by an “abnormally large number” of gays.
Archbishop John Sentamu said in 2006 that Christians took “more knocks” in BBC programmes than other faiths.
He added: “They can do to us what they dare not do to the Muslims. We are fair game because they can get away with it.”
Pro-life group accusespaper of abortion bias-"John Smeaton, the Director of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC), made his comments on the SPUC blog.
“Yesterday [18 August], a full-page, public-opinion-forming, spread of reportage and commentary, headlined ‘Abortion does not harm mental health, says study’ presented an American Psychological Association review as significant, authoritative research into the effects of abortion,” he wrote.
“The fact that this study has been shown, on the basis of good evidence, to be fundamentally flawed, is completely ignored.”
In an earlier post, Mr Smeaton pointed out that the APA’s report had been undermined by some of its own members who had highlighted flaws in its methodology and conclusions.
He also claimed that the paper had appeared to offer tacit support for attempts to liberalise the law on abortion as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
In June, a number of liberalising amendments were tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris. Subsequently, Mr Smeaton said, The Times published “no less than six stories on abortion, all of them clearly presenting a pro-abortion position with little or no comment from anyone who disagreed.”
Australia
Australian Archbishop Says Catholic Hospitals Set to Close in Face of Mandatory Abortion Bill-"Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has warned that, in the event that a new bill passes the Victoria Parliament requiring that all medical personnel either perform abortions or give abortion referrals, all Catholic hospital maternity and emergency departments could close, lest Catholic doctors and nurses be forced to go against Catholic teaching and their consciences and kill unborn children....To see the full text of Archbishop Hart's pastoral letter, including a list of Legislative Council Members' addresses, go to: http://www.cam.org.au/abortion/pastoral-letter-and-day-of-intercession.html
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:Abortion Bill Passes Lower House in Victoria, Australiahttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08091112.htmlEmotional Debate on Victoria, Australia Abortion Billhttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08090909.htmlVictoria, Australia Set to Drop Abortion from Crimes Acthttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08090810.htmlAustralian Archbishop Rejects Government Abortion Reporthttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08053002.html"
Estonia
Constitutionality of Public Financing of Abortion Challenged in Estonia-"The Institute for the Culture of Life, a pro-life group based in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, has filed an application to the Chancellor of Justice of the Republic of Estonia, asking him to declare public financing of abortion unconstitutional.
For years the Government of the Republic of Estonia has been paying 70 percent of the cost of every elective abortion, despite Article 16 of the constitution of Estonia, which states, "Everyone has the right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his or her life."
