Restrictions on abortion coverage approved in the House version of the health-care bill likely will affect the affordability of the procedure for only a small minority of women. Nearly half of all privately insured individuals have abortion coverage, according a 2003 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. But many don't want to use their insurance because of privacy concerns. Just 13% of abortions nationwide are billed to private insurance, according to a 2001 study by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights but is cited as a reliable source of data by both sides in the abortion debate. An unknown number of people might seek reimbursement from their insurance company after the procedure. Applying the 13% figure to the most recent abortion data available suggests that fewer than 160,000 women a year rely on insurance to cover the cost of an abortion upfront. More than 90% of abortions take place in the first trimester, at an average cost of $413. WSJ

Another Poll Shows Majority Oppose Abortion Funding in Health Care

A new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds 42% in favor and 39% opposed to the health care bill. Pew asked: "If the government health care reform plan guarantees certain medical benefits for all Americans, do you think that abortion should or should not be included as one of those benefits?" A 55% majority of Americans say that abortion should not be included as a guaranteed medical benefit if the government health care reform plan passes. Only 28 percent say it should be included while 11 percent said it "depends" and 6 percent did not know. LifeNews

Senate Bill Restores Abstinence-Only Funding

Sec. 2954 of the Senate health-reform bill, released Wednesday evening, restores funding for abstinence education. Their provision would restore a program called Title V, which, since the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, has allocated a yearly $50 million in grants to abstinence-only education programs. Obama let the program lapse in June, leaving some abstinence-only groups in dire straits. So in September, Sen. Orrin Hatch offered an amendment to restore Title V via heath-care reform, which (much to the outrage of liberal groups) just squeaked through the Senate Finance Committee with a 12–11 vote. A similar amendment, offered in the House by Rep. Terry Lee from Nebraska, died in committee. If the Senate language survives reconciliation, the Title V program will be extended through 2014. Newsweek

Strengthening PCC and Church Relationships

Partners in Ministry is committed to strengthening the relationship between PCCs and churches. Here are some suggestions for the PCC director when he/she meets with local pastors.

• Since pastors are ministry focused, share stories and testimonies of changed lives, particularly by salvation in Christ but also through decisions away froom abortion.
• Consider bringing a client to the meeting, or have some of their stories printed out for the pastors to read and take back to their boards. Be sure to protect confidentiality.
• Show how working in the center has transformed a volunteer's life - made her a better church member, more committed to the Lord, emboldened for evangelism, etc. Have a volunteer come to the meeting with you.
• Present what the center can do to help the church: supply speakers for Sunday School or women's groups, educate youth groups on abstinence, provide unique outlets for service, connect clients to the church for discipleship or Bible study, etc.
• As you appeal for funds and volunteers, emphasize tha you understand that you are not in competition for dollars and people but that you hope to work together as partners. Seek their advice about how to form that partnership. Be willing to acknowledge that relations in the past between the church and center may not have lived up to this ideal, and that you are working to improve relations.
• Ask, "What can we do for you? How can we better serve your church?"

Reid's Senate Health Care Bill Contains Monthly Abortion Premium for Taxpayers

House Republican Leader John Boehner says the new health care bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled yesterday contains a monthly abortion premium that taxpayers will be forced to pay. His analysis follows that of pro-life groups that say the bill contains massive abortion funding. "Just like the original 2,032-page, government-run health care plan from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s massive, 2,074-page bill would levy a new 'abortion premium' fee on Americans in the government-run plan." LifeNews

Here's how to contact your Senators: http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Abortion more than a third of Planned Parenthood’s business

Planned Parenthood downplays the extent of its abortion business in order to give the impression of an organization that devotes itself to helping the poor and preventing abortion. It does this by finessing the numbers.

PP sometimes claims that less than three percent of its services are abortion. It arrives at this figure by dividing the number of abortions done annually by the number of services provided: 305,310/10,921,825 = 2.8 percent.

At other times, PP claims abortion is 10 percent of its business. It then divides the number of abortions by the number of unduplicated clients: 305,310/3,020,651 = 10 percent.

However, STOPP easily shows that PP’s abortion business is 35 percent of its clinic income by dividing the income from abortion by the total clinic income: 132,809,850/374,700,000 = 35.4 percent. This explains why Abby Johnson, the former director of PP in Bryan, Texas, says that abortion is the most lucrative part of PP’s business. She quit because she was being pressured to increase the number of abortions in her facility in order to improve PP’s financial bottom line.

Each year, the number of abortions committed by PP increases, even in years when abortion numbers have declined nationwide. Download Detailed Statistics of Planned Parenthood’s Last Five Years.

Louisiana’s Choose Life License Plate Distributes Over $64K to PCCs

On Wednesday, Louisiana’s Choose Life License Plate Fund disbursed $64,421.20 equally to 20 agencies actively assisting women and babies in need. The plate’s fund has now disbursed over $100,000 to qualifying agencies since its inception in 1999. Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of the Louisiana Right to Life Educational Committee, commented, “Today, 20 heroic agencies, from Monroe to Metairie, will receive a little bit of help from drivers in Louisiana that proudly display a Choose Life license plate on their car. Amidst many legal battles of the past 10 years, we are reminded today of the purpose of the plate: helping women and babies in need.” For every Choose Life license plate on the road, $25 a year is collected and placed in the Choose
Life Fund. LA RTL

Hodari Forced Abortion Suit Alleges Woman’s Mouth Covered to Muffle Her Screams

A recently filed lawsuit against troubled abortionist Abraham Alberto Hodari alleging a horrific forced abortion may explain his recent efforts to sell off his abortion clinics. On June 17, 2009, Caitlin Bruce filed a suit against Hodari and his assistant “Victor” over an incident that took place at Hodari’s Flint, Michigan, abortion clinic in April, 2008.

In that suit, Ms. Bruce alleges that she went to Hodari’s clinic seeking an abortion, but before the procedure began, she changed her mind and decided against it. She notified Hodari that she no longer wanted the abortion. However, Hodari and his assistant, Victor, forcibly restrained Ms. Bruce, holding her down. Ms. Bruce screamed “Stop, stop, I don’t want this,” but her mouth was covered to muffle her pleas while Hodari forced the abortion upon her.

Included in the suit are six counts against Hodari, including lack of informed consent/medical malpractice, battery, fraud, misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and ethnic/gender intimidation. Operation Rescue

National Right to Life Committee Rejects Reid Abortion Funding Language

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has rejected the bipartisan Stupak-Pitts Amendment and has substituted completely unacceptable language that would result in coverage of abortion on demand in two big new federal government programs. Reid seeks to cover elective abortions in two big new federal health programs, but tries to conceal that unpopular reality with layers of contrived definitions and hollow bookkeeping requirements. NRLC

Baltimore City Council OKs Measure Targeting Pregnancy Centers

The Baltimore City Council has signed off on a local ordinance that attacks pregnancy centers by making them post signs saying they do not do abortions or provide contraception. It would fine pregnancy centers $150 per day if they do not comply. An amendment that would have required abortion centers to post disclaimers was not approved. Members of the city council approved the measure 12-3 on a second reading vote Monday night and there is one final vote before it goes to the mayor.

Gail Tierney, executive director of the Rockville Pregnancy Center, previously told the Washington Examiner the measure is discriminatory." Why don't they have to post that they do not provide free prenatal vitamins, do not provide free sonograms ... STD [sexually transmitted disease] testing ... Pap smears ... clothing. ...?" Maryland Right to Life has also urged the council to reject the bill. "At the hearing held on October 27, no one could testify to any disinformation or deception from any Baltimore City pregnancy center regarding the services they provide," the group's director Angela Martin told LifeNews.com.

Currently, the Montgomery County, Maryland, City Council is considering similar legislation.
Montgomery County Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg is behind the new legislation there.
They would be required to tell potential clients that they should go elsewhere for medical advice because Trachtenberg claims they are misleading women. Her measure makes them tell clients the pregnancy center isn't intended as "medical advice or to establish a doctor patient relationship" and that they should consult with a health care provider before making a decision about an abortion. "It's pretty much just a consumer protection measure more than anything else," Trachtenberg said, according to the Examiner. "We're not saying they can't seek clients and they can't counsel them." Her measure has the backing of five other county council members. LifeNews

CNN Poll: 61% Oppose Tax-Funded Abortions

The new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released today shows 61 percent oppose taxpayer funding of abortions while just 37 percent are supportive. The CNN poll goes further and finds that a majority of Americans, by a 51 to 45 percent margin, believe women should be required to use their own money to pay for abortions even if they have private health insurance and no government money is involved. They did not think health insurance should pay for abortions. LifeNews

Stupak: Health Care Bill Will Stall if White House Strips Abortion Restrictions

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-MI, dismissed a claim by White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod that President Obama would intervene to change the language, saying Axelrod is clueless on the issue and that such an intervention would imperil the bill. "They're not going to take it out. If they do, health care will not move forward. We won fair and square." Fox News

Nevada Pro-Life Groups Oppose Personhood Amendment

Richard Ziser, a longtime pro-life activist in Nevada, launched a signature drive for a personhood amendment. Although they oppose abortion and practices like human cloning and embryonic stem cell research, leaders of Nevada Life and Nevada Eagle Forum say the amendment would use money that could be reserved for stopping abortions now on a gamble that would not likely pay off. The two groups were joined by Nevada Families and the conservative Independent American Party. LifeNews

Planned Parenthoods of MN, ND, and SD Make Record Profit

A new annual report issued from Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota shows the abortion business turned a record profit in 2008. Total revenues from 2007 to 2008 rose nearly 11 percent as Planned Parenthood raked in almost $3 million more. Looking at the new annual report, total revenues rose 10.8% from $24,660,000 in 2007 to $27,328,000 in 2008. Total revenues from government funds increased 21% from $4,350,000 to $5,268,000, the largest annual dollar amount to date, and donations from pro-abortion activists climbed 66.7 % from $5,955,000 to $9,924,000. LifeNews

Editor: It is not stated whether these profits are abortion-related.

Planned Parenthood "Runs on Fear"

Abby Johnson, former Bryan, Texas, Planned Parenthood director was surprised by the restraining order her former employer filed against her following her Oct. 6 resignation. “Alluding to the fact that I would release patient information is very offensive. I cared about them when I worked there, and I still do.” Johnson added that she would never do anything to violate their privacy. “It's absolutely ridiculous!” The former clinic director went even further in denouncing Planned Parenthood, calling it “an organization that frequently threatens people who go against them.” During her tenure at the clinic, Johnson said that she saw her former employer “continually threaten” its opponents. “If you're against them, they are going to try to sue you. . . . Planned Parenthood is an organization that runs of fear. They are scared of what they do know, and they are scared of what they don't know.” EWTN

Doctor Gets Six Years in Prison for Poisoning Ex-Lover to Cause Abortion

Edward Erin, a hospital consultant, attempted to poison Bella Prowse on three separate occasions in early February 2008 and force her to have an abortion without her knowledge. He used the drugs methotrexate and diclofenac in the abortion bid and tried to administer them once at her home by putting the drugs in a tea he made for her. During sentencing, Judge Richard Hone called Erin "a liar, a cheat and a predator" and said he engaged in actions that "betrayed his profession and his family. You intended an invasion of her body, the thinking man's equivalent of an act of violence. The fact that no harm has yet resulted to the child is no thanks to you." The judge jailed Erin for six years on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently. Prowse reportedly gave birth to a healthy baby last October despite the attempts. LifeNews

Reward Your Volunteers

Volunteers are the life of any pregnancy center. The impact and effectiveness of nearly every center would be drastically reduced if there were no volunteers. Honoring and thanking volunteers should always be a high priority. At the Center archives

Here's a timely offer from Heritage House '76: Christmas is coming! Do you need great ideas for your volunteers, donors and employees? Customize an award plaque to say "Thank you" to the person of your choice. Plaque number P1007 is on sale this week at HALF price, just $12.95 each!! Click here to see this and other volunteer recognition products.

Volunteer Appreciation

Among those who work at the center, probably no one needs and deserves appreciation more than the volunteer. This woman could invest her life anywhere. She is not filling up empty hours but is giving her precious time. The work she does is of great worth, but she receives little recognition for it. If she is going to receive any expression of appreciation, she will have to receive it from us. While each person responds somewhat differently to recognition, what is important is that recognition be given. Here are a few ideas about how to communicate appreciation to volunteers. At the Center archives

Council expected to make last changes to abortion bill

The Baltimore City Council is expected to make final amendments tonight to a bill that would require crisis pregnancy clinics that don't provide abortion or birth control referrals to post disclaimers or face a fine. "The pregnancy resources centers are the only agencies asked to put up a sign saying what they don't do," said Angela Martin, executive director of Maryland Right-to-Life. "They don't require grocery stores to put up a sign saying they don't sell hardware." The bill, which is up for a second vote tonight, has already been amended to allow centers a 10-day warning period to post a disclaimer after a violation is noted. The proposed fine for violating the law has been reduced from $500 to $150. Mayor Sheila Dixon, while an abortion rights supporter, is "listening to the concerns of the community" on the measure and will reserve judgment until the bill is passed. Baltimore Sun

GOP drops abortion coverage in its employee insurance plan

The national Republican Party has moved to drop an employee insurance plan that allows coverage of abortion. Politico uncovered the aspect of the plan in a report issues late Thursday showing the Republican National Committee insurance plan paid for abortions. GOP chairman Michael Steele said the Republican Party would remove the abortion coverage from its employee insurance plan, currently offered thorough Cigna. LifeNews

Cape Cod abortion buzz baseless

The National Abortion Rights Action League's plea that five abortion clinics in Cape Cod have been closed because of the pro-life movement is not true. Anne Fox of Massachusetts Citizens for Life says the story which has shown up in three newspaper blogs generated by the abortion group, complaining that Cape Cod is now undeserved for abortions, is bogus. Cape Cod women are receiving abortions elsewhere in the state, and she believes the NARAL newspaper stories are simply recruiting ads. Fox reports that the content of these stories is "just the general [argument that] 'there [are] not enough abortionists available. There have to be more facilities. There have to be more doctors trained.'" If there is a shortage of abortionists, it is likely because most reputable doctors do not want to have anything to do with them. OneNewsNow

For sale signs on three Hodari clinics

There is more good news out of Michigan, as pro-life advocates say embattled abortion practitioner Albert Hodari has put more of his abortion centers up for sale. Operation Rescue says Hodari's "going out of business" sale continues with for sale signs in front of three of his abortion centers in Livonia, Southgate, and Flint. LifeNews

The Miracle of Life

Video from Real Alternatives.

When governments run amok

In Maryland, a pregnant woman can seek help from two types of pregnancy centers: either a pro-abortion service which will help her get an abortion, or an anti-abortion center which will help her give birth, care for the child and, if desired, seek adoption. The pro-abortion centers are backed by Planned Parenthood, NARAL and abortion clinics. The anti-abortion centers are backed by the Catholic Church. But the abortion advocates, who call themselves "pro-choice," don't really want women to have a choice between abortion and birth. . . . no similar "disclosure" duty . . . applies to the Catholic Church's pregnancy centers. Gazette.net

Editor: Sadly, the writer leaves the impression that abortion is only a Catholic issue. I've emailed him; maybe you'd like to email him, too.

Down's syndrome abortions 'are double official level' as doctors spare women's feelings

The National Down's Syndrome Cytogenetic Register said that over the last four years fewer than half of abortions of Down's babies were recorded properly. Between 2004 and 2008, a total of 4,777 abortions were carried out on foetuses with the disability, with 1,032 terminated last year, it said. In contrast, Department of Health figures show that between 2004 and 2008, a total of 2,168 Down's abortions were recorded, 436 of them last year. The Down's register records all diagnoses of the syndrome and related chromosomal abnormalities. Christian Institute

Abortion figures in Britain worst in EU

Abortion numbers in the UK are the highest in Europe with 219,336 terminations taking place in one year according to a new study. Britain also has the highest number of abortions for girls under 20 with 48,150 of the abortions falling into this age group. Britain now ranks fifth in the world for the number of abortions performed, behind only Russia, the US, India, and Japan. The number of abortions performed in the EU during 2007 was equivalent to the combined populations of the EU’s ten smallest states with Britain, France and Romania accounting for half of the terminations. Critics blame the abortion figures on the Labour Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy which focuses on sex education and the promotion of contraception. Christian Institute

Disciplined Florida abortionist moves to NYC

Abortion practitioner Pierre Renelique, who lost his medical license in Florida in a controversial botched abortion-infanticide case, attacked a Fox News reporter who uncovered information showing he has moved to New York City in an attempt to set up an abortion center there. Renelique was found guilty of medical malpractice by the Florida Board of Medicine in February and the agency revoked his license. The Florida Medical Board forwarded their revocation order to the New York authorities for similar disciplinary action, but instead the board placed Renelique on supervised probation for two years. LifeNews

The Impact of Abortion After Prenatal Testing

Couples are not prepared for the negative emotions that frequently ensue. Nor are they usually informed about the help that is available for raising children with special needs. For an informed choice to be truly available pregnant women and their partners need to be told about the possible impact of abortion on them and their other children, and they also need to have information about the care of children with special needs. Elliot Institute

Psychological impact on women after second and third trimester termination of pregnancy due to fetal anomalies

A study of 170 German women found that 22 percent of women werediagnosed with a psychiatric disorder after abortion, compared to 18 percent of women who gave birth to a baby with very low-birth-weight and 6 percent of women who had a healthy full-term pregnancy. The abortions took place in the second or third trimester after an adverse diagnosis was given. The women in the study were interviewed by mental health clinicians at 14 days, 6 months and 14 months after the end of the pregnancy. While the three groups of women "did not differ significantly" on psychiatric disorders prior to abortion or delivery, the researchers noted a difference afterwards, with women who had abortions having the highest rates of psychiatric disorders. The disorders found among women who had abortions included acute stress disorders, eating disorders, affective disorders and anxiety disorders, with depression and anxiety predominating over time. Just over 64 percent of aborting women in the study developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Archives of Women's Mental Health

Related:

• Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women
• 64 Percent of Women Having Abortions Report Being Pressured; Trauma Symptoms Are Common

Military Only Charges Hasan With 13 Counts of Murder

The military has charged Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder. The initial charges do not include one for the death of an unborn child, who was the little-talked-about fourteenth victim. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey told a news conference Thursday that additional charges may be filed, which pro-life advocates hope would include one for the baby's death. LifeNews

As Maria Vitale wrote yesterday, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act should apply in this case for three reasons: "the act of violence was committed on federal property . . . the shooting was allegedly done by a member of the military . . . and the violence could be classified as an act of terrorism." Also, under Texas law that took effect in September 2003, the protections of the entire criminal code extend to “an unborn child at every stage of gestation from fertilization until birth. The Obama Administration has a moral obligation to press for prosecution of Hasan under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. If such a legal path is ignored, it will demonstrate to the world that the President is caving into a pro-abortion lobby who will not recognize the legal rights of any child in the womb—even a child whose mother desperately longs to give birth."

Chinese Research: Women See 17% Higher Breast Cancer Risk From Abortion

Chinese researchers have issued a new study indicating women who have had abortions face a 17 percent higher chance of contracting breast cancer than women who carried their pregnancy to term. The study excludes the possibility of a flaw called "report bias" because abortion isn't stigmatized in China. Communist officials frequently require women who violate the one-child family planning policy there to have abortions so Chinese women are considered reliable reporters of their abortion histories. LifeNews

What happens during a 6 to 7 week abortion

(Not graphic) YouTube

Obama Seeks Revision of Plan’s Abortion Limits

President Obama suggested Monday that he was not comfortable with abortion restrictions inserted into the House version of major health care legislation, and he prodded Congress to revise them. On the one hand, Mr. Obama said, “we’re not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions.” On the other hand, he said, he wanted to make sure “we’re not restricting women’s insurance choices,” because he had promised that “if you’re happy and satisfied with the insurance that you have, it’s not going to change.” NYTimes

Lawmakers Hide Abortion Support

In response to passage of the Stupak amendment preventing abortion funding in the House health care bill, 40 pro-abortion lawmakers signed a letter saying they won't vote for the final bill if the amendment remains. Now, the sponsor of the letter won't reveal their names. LifeNews

Related Abortion Advocates Team Up With Labor, Gay Groups For Abortion in Health Care: Top pro-abortion activist groups are so worried about the pro-life measure they are enlisting help from labor unions and gay rights organizations. Politico reports as many as 80 groups were asked by Planned Parenthood to join forces to torpedo the abortion funding limits. LifeNews

Hodari Abortion Clinic up for Sale as Lawsuit Ongoing

Genessee County files show the property owned by Alberto Hodari at the Saginaw St. address has real estate taxes owed. In June, Caitlin Bruce, a former client of Hodari, filed a lawsuit against him and an assistant whom she claims forced her to have an abortion in April 2008. The lawsuit claims Hodari "had his assistant ... restrain Caitlin Bruce and cover her mouth" and began the abortion procedure "despite Caitlin Bruce's objecting and screaming, 'Stop, stop, I don't want this,' and despite her desire not to undergo the procedure." The lawsuit charges Hodari with medical malpractice, battery, and fraud, among other things. LifeSiteNews, LifeNews

Social Media for Pro-Lifers

The Internet offers a variety of opportunities for pro-life clubs to engage a wider audience. The key is in understanding the social part of the web. Traditional broadcast media have typically been about a mass audience (one-to-many, e.g. TV, radio) and traditional communications media, about personal communication (one-to-one, e.g. telephones). The internet, on the other hand, offers a mass communications platform. That’s why internet media are often referred to as social media. On the web, it’s not about broadcast. It’s about multi-directional communication.
In geek speak: input and output. U of Toronto Students for Life

Planned Parenthood's abortion quotas exposed

"There are definitely client goals," former clinic director Abby Johnson said. "We'd have a goal every month for abortion clients and for family planning clients." The Bryan, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic performed surgical abortions every other Saturday, but it began expanding access to abortion to increase earnings.

"One of the ways they were able to up the number of patients that they saw was they started doing the RU486 chemical abortions all throughout the week." Johnson said the chemical abortion costs the same as an early first-trimester abortion: between $505 and $695 for each procedure.

The clinic was experiencing financial difficulties due to the economic downturn. "Abortion is the most lucrative part of Planned Parenthood's operations. Even though they're two separate corporations, all of the money goes into one pot. With the family planning corporation really suffering, they depend on the abortion corporation to balance their budget, help get them out of the hole and help make income for the company. They really wanted to increase the number of abortions so that they could increase their income." WND

Planned Parenthood fails to silence Abby Johnson

After quitting her job at Planned Parenthood, the organization filed suit against Johnson to block her from revealing any confidential information through copies of documents she allegedly made. Steven H. Aden of Alliance Defense Fund took the case to court, where the ruling fell in Johnson's favor. "Planned Parenthood got its temporary restraining order against Abby Johnson thrown out because the judge said they had no evidence that this former director of Planned Parenthood's College Station clinic had absconded with any confidential information regarding its employees or patients," the attorney reports. OneNewsNow

When abortion isn't a choice

Two days before President Obama was slated to leave for Asia (including China) to discuss economic issues, Congressional members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission heard evidence of Chinese pregnant women essentially being hunted down and forced to submit to surgery or induced labor. Technically, it is illegal in China to kill a baby, one is relieved to learn, but family-planning imperatives sometimes prevail. According to a 2009 State Department report, monetary incentives and penalties are attached to population targets, creating what amounts to bounties on the unborn. Kathleen Parker

Abortion Termed "Mega-Genocide"

The representatives of national and international pro-life organizations who gathered in Saragossa, Spain from November 6 to 8, 2009, in the Fourth Pro-Life World Congress, have issued the Declaration of Saragossa that condemns the slaughter of the unborn by abortion as a "mega-genocide." Comparing the six million "legal" deaths in the Nazi concentration camps, which constitute the international crime of genocide, to the "eight hundred million deaths, provoked, up to the moment, by means of 'legal' abortions, in the countries of the world that have authorized it," the Declaration states that "for its number and extension" abortion "constitutes a crime against humanity, a mega-genocide." LifeSiteNews

Fort Hood Killer Subject to Charge of Murdering Unborn Child

While Maj. Nidal Hasan recovers at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, the Army is readying itself to charge Hasan in military court, where he could face the death-penalty. But prosecutors will have to charge Hasan under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which was amended in 2004 to include "Laci and Conner's Law" or the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA). The UVVA requires that the justice system charge the perpetrator of a violent crime against a pregnant woman, resulting in death or bodily injury to her unborn child, with committing a separate and distinct offence against the mother's unborn child. The law specifies that the punishment applied for the injury or death of the child must be the same - with the exception of the death penalty - as if "that injury or death occurred to the unborn child's mother." LifeSiteNews

Breaking Down Abortion Language In Health Bill

To get a clearer picture of what the Stupak amendment would do, it helps to take it out of context and just look at the language. NPR

Finnish study: New data on abortion pill

Researchers found that 15.6 % percent of those undergoing chemical abortions hemorrhaged, 1.7% encountered infection, and 6.7% had incomplete abortions. The rate of those having "incomplete abortions" and infections increased as the length of gestation increased. In the U.S., the FDA tried to limit abortions using RU486 to 49 days gestation. But the industry has been openly performing them up to 63 days gestation and sometimes even later.

Cross referencing demographic data, the Finnish researchers found that the risk of hemorrhage increased among aborting women using RU486 who were aged 20-24, having had a previous birth, from a lower socio-economic class and living in a densely populated or rural area. Risk factors associated with an incomplete abortion were the same, but also included those having a previous abortion, single, or having an advanced gestation.

In comparison to surgical abortion, the risk of hemorrhage with chemical abortions with RU486 nearly eight times higher, while the likelihood of an incomplete abortion was five times higher. Not that surgical abortion is safe. LifeNews

Flint abortion clinic closing!

Clara A. Clarke, Executive Director of Flint (MI) Crisis Pregnancy Services reports: "We are praising the Lord for hearing and answering our prayers. The abortion clinic that is about 1/2 mile from our center has a FOR SALE sign posted as of yesterday! The abortionist refuses to pay his fines thus the building is now for sale. We are now praying that God would use this building for HIS honor and glory. Thought you would like to know. Have a great day!" Yes, this is the kind of news that makes my day. Thanks for sharing, Clara!

Later: Clara told me the abortionist at this clinic was Abraham "Alberto" Hodari, who has had numerous complaints and paid a $10,000 fine earlier this year in connection with a woman's death as a result of a botched abortion. See also this. And this list of all his clinics. I would love to know if his other clinics are closing.

This just in: Looks like the Southgate clinic is closing, too!

Tell the Senate, No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion

The fight is far from over. Groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood have started lobbying Democratic Senators and the White House to strip the Stupak amendment from the bill. Left wing blogs are reporting that President Obama has reassured pro-abortion lawmakers that he will personally see that the pro-life language is taken out. We cannot let that happen. Please sign the petition letting the leadership in the Senate know that you insist that your tax dollars not be used to cover abortion and that health care legislation must explicitly exclude abortion coverage.

10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips

Cyndy Snyder (Women & Teens' Pregnancy Center, Pontiac, MI) recommended this post, which offers 10 suggestions for how small businesses can supercharge their marketing efforts by leveraging social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc). For each suggestion, the author discusses a basic strategy – for those who simply want to get their toes wet, as well as an advanced strategy – for those who want to spend a bit more time and go a bit deeper in their social media marketing efforts. Mashable

Handy web site: Free File Converter

At Free File Converter, you can turn files with an odd file extention into something you can open! And you can convert Word documents or other files into PDF files! Free!!

Huffington Post writer lambasts NARAL and PP for healthcare "loss" of abortion funding

"The only reason that we are in the position where the price of passing health care reform is allowing even liberal[s] . . . to sneeringly dismiss choice activists as narrow class warriors who don’t care about working women is because Planned Parenthood and NARAL have allowed it to happen. They collect millions of dollars in revenue each year. They’ve exacted no price from the Marcy Kapturs of the world, who actually have to care what liberals think of them, and focused instead on anti-choice Republicans who are only empowered by their ire. They have no scalps. There is no price for crossing Planned Parenthood and NARAL. It isn’t a fight that the Democrats want to spend “political capital” on, and these groups insure that they don’t have to. . . . For them, what's good for the Democratic Party is good for choice, even when the party abandons them." Huffington Post, with acknowledgements to Jill Stanek

Editor: Whew! Sound familiar? Sound like pro-lifers who've just awoken to discover that Republicans aren't necessarily their friends?

Twins healthier at birth if they shared womb with a sister

Twins who have shared the womb with a sister are healthier at birth than those who shared with a brother. Newborn twins with a sister are less likely to be pre-term, have a low birth weight, and have fewer respiratory problems, a new study suggests. However, the researchers are warning women expecting male or mixed-sex twins not to panic, since they see these higher risks of birth problems as demonstrative of a male 'disadvantage' rather than a female 'protective factor'. Previous research has already shown that boys are more likely than girls to be born prematurely, need a caesarean or have health problems at delivery. Experts have suggested that in addition to the negative effect of certain hormones, there is a possibility that males compete better for nutrients because females grow more slowly in the womb. BioNews

Pro-Life Movement Must Unify After Strategy Difference on Stupak

Leading up to Saturday's votes, the pro-life community was unified in a magnificent way in supporting an amendment to the health care bill to remove the abortion funding and in defeating the bill outright if the abortion funding remained intact (and for other pro-life reasons such as rationing). Yet, in the hours leading up to the vote on the Stupak amendment, a strong fissure developed between pro-life advocates who felt the Stupak amendment was still needed and those who worried it would allow passage of the health care bill. . . . Let's cease the attacks on one another. This is only a strategic debate between people who wholeheartedly want to see abortion end immediately if not sooner and not a matter of one side or the other abandoning pro-life principles. LifeNews

Pro-Life Amendment Seen as Historic Victory Overshadowed by Dangers of Health Bill Passage

At approximately 10:20 p.m. EST Saturday night, the U.S. House voted 240-194 to approve an amendment to H.R. 3962 that maintains long-standing federal policy on abortion by banning government-appropriated funds from covering elective abortions. Then, just before 11 p.m., House lawmakers voted 220-215 to pass the massive health care overhaul. One Republican voted for the bill.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins called the passage of the pro-life amendment "a huge pro-life victory" and congratulated the bipartisan effort against the bill's abortion coverage. "We applaud this House vote which prohibits the abortion industry from further profiting from taxpayers by using government funds to pay for the gruesome act of abortion," he said. "Unfortunately, H.R. 3962 is a seriously flawed piece of legislation," said Perkins, who pointed out the bill's massive governmental power grab and open door to health care rationing, among other issues.

Pro-abort leaders across America flew into a rage as the pro-life Stupak amendment, unexpectedly approved for consideration Friday night, went on to gain an easy victory Saturday. Some Democrat lawmakers have already vowed to pursue a reversal. "I feel certain [the Stupak amendment] will come out of the bill before it comes back from committee," pro-abortion California Democrat Lynn Woolsey told The Hill. "I will insist that it come out."

Ultimately pro-life leaders appeared to agree that the amendment, though important in its own right, put hardly a dent in an otherwise massively dangerous bill. Noted FRC's Perkins: "The Speaker's bill still allows rationing of health care for seniors, raises health costs for families, mandates that families purchase under threat of fines and penalties, encourages counseling for assisted suicide in some states, does not offer broad conscience protections for health care workers and seeks to insert the federal government into all aspects of citizen's lives." LifeSiteNews

Related: Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling
Roll call vote: On Passage Affordable Health Care for America Act
Roll call vote: On Agreeing to the Amendment Stupak of Michigan

Finally, an explanation of abortion funding in healthcare that I can understand

From House GOP Leader Rep. John Boehner's blog:

"Health care reform should not be used as an opportunity to use federal funds to pay for elective abortions. Health reform should be an opportunity to protect human life - not end it. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032-page government takeover of health care does just that.

"On line 17, p. 110, section 222 under 'Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed' the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan. The Speaker’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions.

"What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan. It’s right there on line 16, page 96, section 213, under 'Insurance Rating Rules.' The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account - and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.

"Section 213 describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month."

Genesee County Health Department to use text messages to send sex information to teens

Sex information text messages could soon be popping up on local teens' cellphones, thanks to a Ruth Mott Foundation grant to the Genesee County Health Department and Genesee County Healthy Sexuality Coalition. The new system will allow teens to text questions about sex and get computerized messages back with answers and resources for more information and help. "Kids will make their own decisions. If they want to be sexually active and use birth control, there are ways they can go about getting that like going to the health department. But to just put it out there that easily for them, I'm afraid will teach them sex has no consequences," said Kelly Reeder, a spokeswoman for Flint Crisis Pregnancy Services. MLive

Mike Huckabee interview with Abby Johnson

Abby Johnson describes what she saw on the ultrasound that changed her mind about abortion. YouTube

Antibiotics in pregnancy: safe or unsafe?

Pregnant women are more vulnerable to bacterial infection because their immune systems are weakened. This helps them maintain their pregnancy but may also put them at greater risk of bacterial infection. And once infected, it can grow more severe among pregnant women than among non-pregnant women. Complications from these infections can harm the developing fetus. So, treating these infections is critical.

A study this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that most common antibiotics — penicillins — appear to be safe. But the study raises a red flag with two types of antibiotics, sulfa drugs (brand names include Bactrim and Thiosulfil Forte) and urinary germicides (brand names Macrobid and Furadantin). These medications are typically used to treat urinary tract infections. In the study, women who had children with birth defects — such as heart problems, hernias or cleft palate — were more likely to have taken these medications.

Dr. Brian Mercer, who heads obstetrics at Cleveland's Metro Health Medical Center, says this is particularly important during the first trimester, because that's when a fetus' organs are actually developing and are therefore at greatest risk from agents that may cause birth defects. "It's the time when a heart becomes a heart and lungs become lungs," Mercer says. "After that time, much of the pregnancy is taken up with further development of the organs that are already formed." NPR