Abortion: An Unregulated Industry

Kermit Gosnell is an abortionist. Or at least he was.

The 69-year-old man’s medical license was recently suspended in Pennsylvania and Delaware. When prolifers claim abortion is one of the most unregulated industries in America, Kermit Gosnell is Exhibit A.

Gosnell has been aborting children and hurting pregnant women since before Roe v. Wade. He was a researcher on a failed abortion experiment in 1972 when a couple of abortionists tried to use a new device called the “super-coil” to terminate the second-trimester pregnancies of 15 poor women. An investigation of the experiment found that 9 of the 15 women suffered serious complications.

While performing an abortion in 2000, he perforated the uterus of a woman named Semika Shaw and she died 3 days later. Gosnell settled a suit brought on behalf of Shaw’s two living children which claimed he failed to tell her to seek emergency care.

Over the years, 46 civil lawsuits have been filed against Gosnell. One woman was awarded $5,000 after a court case revealed Gosnell left an arm and leg of her unborn child inside of her and almost killed her.

In November of 2009, a woman receiving a late-term abortion at his clinic died from a heart arrhythmia after being heavily medicated by one of Gosnell’s unlicenced employees.

Yet, despite all of this Gosnell’s license wasn’t suspended until federal agents raided his clinic looking for evidence that Gosnell was illegally prescribing prescription pain-killers. The agents were so disgusted by the conditions in the clinic, they informed the state health department. The state health department did their own investigation and found the clinic to be “deplorable and unsanitary.” They found, among other atrocities, “blood on the floor, and parts of aborted fetuses displayed in jars."

How was Gosnell allowed to run this unsanitary clinic for so long? In Pennsylvania, the health department isn’t required to inspect abortion clinics unless they’re just opening or relocating. This allowed Gosnell to operate in deplorable conditions while killing unborn children and endangering women’s lives for decades without ever being inspected by the state’s health department.

The reaction of pro-abortion groups to the horrors of Gosnell’s clinic was unbelievable. Instead of admitting the problems an unregulated abortion industry can cause and calling for more regulations, they claim the real problem is that Pennsylvania’s tax dollars don’t pay for abortions. At least one Pennsylvania legislator is hoping to change this situation. State Representative Matthew Baker has informed the media that he plans on attempting to require unannounced inspections of all abortion clinics in Pennsylvania.

Until then, authorities will never know how many Kermit Gosnell type “clinics” are operating in their state.

In Michigan, we want all to know abortion is not worthy of a woman. If you are pregnant and looking for help, call 1-800 57 WOMAN. Michigan has numerous pregnancy centers providing free assistance.

Detroit Abortions - the Elephant in the Room

The following letter to the editor was submitted to the Detroit Free Press in response to a Rochelle Riley column which laments the decreasing number of children born in Detroit and attempts to explain the decrease.

A recent Rochelle Riley column lamented the drop in the number of babies born in the city of Detroit and the large number of ob/gyns who have exited the city. The column also attempted to explain the cause of this problem. One reason which was not mentioned was abortion. In 2008, there were 6,365 abortions performed on women who reside in Detroit. This is more than 1/4 of all abortions performed on Michigan residents even though the population of Detroit is less than 1/10 of Michigan's population. In 2007, there were 12,183 children born in Detroit. How can Detroit ever be reborn when more than a 1/3 of all children conceived by women who live in Detroit are aborted?

Health Care Reform

U.S. House may take action this month

President Obama and top Democratic congressional leaders have launched a final all-out push to enact a massive health care restructuring bill that, among other things, contains sweeping pro-abortion provisions.

The Senate passed the pro-abortion legislation (H.R. 3590) on December 24. However, so far the White House and Democratic leaders have been unable to muster the votes to pass the bill in the House of Representatives, partly because of resistance to the pro-abortion provisions among House prolife Democrats, led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI).

Nevertheless, President Obama and the top leaders of his party on Capitol Hill have regrouped and are going all out to try to push the legislation into law. "We will pass a bill," vowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on February 22. Democrats currently control the 435-member House by a 77-seat margin.

A showdown vote in the House is likely to occur before the end of March.

Action Item

Please telephone the offices of your U.S. Senators and your U.S. House member. The Washington offices of your representatives can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121. Or, for direct and local numbers, see the Congressional Contact Information.

Sample message: "I am strongly opposed to the health bill that was passed by the Senate, H.R. 3590. This bill contains numerous pro-abortion provisions. The changes recommended by President Obama on February 22 would make the bill even worse. Do not support any health care reform bill that does not include the Stupak language to block government funding of abortion."

RLM News Spring 2010 issue

The spring 2010 issue of the RLM News is now available online. This issue includes stories about the 2010 March for Life and Planned Parenthood.

RLM News Spring 2010

Stupak: Obama's health care plan is "unacceptable"

Representative Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) has released a statement in which he calls President Obama's health care legislation "unacceptable" on the issue of abortion.

"Unfortunately, the president's proposal encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion," Stupak wrote in a statement released Tuesday morning.

He was unequivocal in the next line, saying, "The Senate language is a significant departure from current law and is unacceptable."

FULL STORY

Prolife Music Video by Caitlin Jane

Below is a music video of the song "Unborn" by singer Caitlin Jane. The National Right to Life News recently profiled Jane.

Obama's new health care proposal would make Senate legislation more pro-abortion

Today, President Obama today proposed "a targeted set of changes to" the Senate-passed health reform bill. None of President Obama's proposed changes diminish any of the sweeping pro-abortion problems in the Senate bill and he actually proposes to increase the funds that would be available to directly subsidize abortion procedures (through Community Health Centers) and to subsidize private health insurance that covers abortion (through the premium-subsidy tax credits program).

If all of the President's proposed changes were made and without the addition of the prolife Stupak-Pitts amendment, the resulting legislation would allow direct federal funding of abortion on demand through Community Health Centers, would institute federal subsidies for private health plans that cover abortion on demand (including some federally administered plans) and would authorize federal mandates that would require even non-subsidized private plans to cover elective abortion.

The Senate bill, due to a last-minute amendment, provides $7 billion for the nation's 1,250 Community Health Centers, without any restriction whatever on the use of these federal funds to pay directly for abortion on demand. (These funds are entirely untouched by the "Hyde Amendment" that currently covers Medicaid.) Obama today proposed to increase that figure to $11 billion, but without adding a prohibition on the use of the funds for abortion. Two pro-abortion groups, the Reproductive Health Access Project and the Abortion Access Project, are already actively campaigning for Community Health Centers to perform elective abortions.

Any member of Congress who votes for the final legislation proposed by President Obama will be voting for direct federal funding of elective abortion through Community Health Centers and an array of other pro-abortion federal subsidies and mandates.

FULL STORY

Adult stem cells save the leg of a Michigan woman

On February 20, 2010, the Grand Rapids Press featured an adult stem cell success story on their front page. The story tells how Helen Thomas, an 80-year-old woman from Hastings, avoided having her leg amputated when her own stem cells were injected into her leg and caused new blood vessels to grow. Thomas suffered from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) which causes pain in the extremities and in severe cases can lead to amputation.

"It was a miracle," she said this week. "I'm walking, and I wouldn't be walking without the stem cells. I have my leg."

Therein lies the hope for millions of people.

Thomas suffered peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, which affects the lower limbs of 10 million Americans. Untreated, it can lead to strokes, amputations and death.

"They saved my life. I told them they saved my life," Thomas said.

She was part of the Ohio study conducted by Franz, Dr. Kaushal Shah and Dr. Thomas Hankins. Of 16 patients who underwent the procedure, 13 avoided major amputations, the researchers said.

FULL STORY

Failing never felt so good

The state of Michigan has once again been given a failing grade on its 2010 report card from NARAL (the National Abortion Rights Action League). Annually, NARAL releases a report entitled, “Who Decides” which analyzes state legislation and grades each of the 50 states based on how their laws restrict or don't restrict abortion. States with few or no prolife laws receive high grades while states with a large number prolife laws usually receive failing grades.

Right to Life of Michigan is proud to be given another "F" from NARAL because of our numerous lifesaving laws. These laws (including a ban on tax-funded abortions, regulations on abortion providers, as well as parental and informed consent laws) have helped decrease the number of abortions performed in Michigan by 47.4% since 1987.

FULL STORY

Olympian Five Months Pregnant

Kristie Moore, an alternate on Canada's Olympic curling team is five-months pregnant.

As with all curling teams, Team Canada features five members. Well, six, if you really want to get technical with it.

Alternate Kristie Moore, 30, is 5½ months pregnant, making her just the second athlete ever known to be with child during Olympic competition. Ninety years ago, Swedish figure skater Magda Julin won a gold medal at the Antwerp Games while in her first trimester.

Though she is showing, Moore says that her pregnancy has not affected her ability to deliver rocks ... yet. "[In] the eighth month or so, that might be an issue," she said.

FULL STORY

Tebow Super Bowl ad surprised many

What are your thoughts?

CBS aired a commercial featuring prolife college football star Tim Tebow and his mother Pam during the Super Bowl on February 7. The prolife organization Focus on the Family sponsored the ad, the 30-second ad's theme was "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." Pam Tebow contracted amoebic dysentery while pregnant and doctors advised her to have an abortion because the treatment could result in harm to the unborn Tim. Several pro-abortion organizations including the National Organization for Women publicly denounced the ad before it aired. NOW President Terry O'Neill called the planned ad "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning."

If you watched the Super Bowl, let us know what you think of the Tebow ad. E-mail us at info@rtl.org.

Alabama Planned Parenthood on Probation for Failing to Report Potential Sexual Abuse

Health officials in Alabama have place a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Birmingham on probation after an inspection of the facility revealed multiple problems. Besides failing to adequately verify parental consent, Planned Parenthood staff also didn’t report a potential case of sexual abuse.

In that potential abuse case, a 13-year-old girl reported that she became sexually active at 12 and came in for two abortions within four months. She was not asked by staff about potential abuse, and her case was not reported to authorities.

"If she was being abused, you give her a chance to be rescued from that situation," said Rick Harris, director of health provider standards for the Alabama Department of Public Health.

FULL STORY

Michigan Abortionist Facing More Trouble

Michigan abortionist Alberto Hodari continues to face troubles as LifeNews.com reports one of his abortion clinics is at least temporarily shut down and he faces another lawsuit for negligence and incompetence.

The lawsuit alleges that Hodari performed an abortion on a woman with an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy where the child implants outside the uterus). Hodari failed to diagnose the ectopic pregnancy. The woman later had her fallopian tube removed at a hospital.

FULL STORY

Researchers discover “vegetative” patients with brain activity

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine used brain scans to show that some patients who were diagnosed as being in a vegetative state were actually aware.

In a study certain to rekindle debate over life-sustaining care for those with grievous brain injuries, researchers report that five patients thought to be in a persistent vegetative state showed brain activity indicating awareness, intent and, in at least one case, a wish to communicate.

Of 54 unresponsive patients whose brains were scanned at medical centers in England and Belgium, those five appeared able, when prompted by researchers, to imagine themselves playing tennis, and four of them demonstrated the ability to imagine themselves walking through the rooms of their homes.

One of those patients -- a 22-year-old man who had been unresponsive for five years after an automobile crash -- went on to respond to a series of simple questions with brain activity that clearly indicated yes or no answers, researchers said.

FULL STORY

Pro-choice columnist rips pro-abortion organizations for attacking prolife Super Bowl ad

Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins calls herself "pro-choice" but doesn't think much of pro-abortion organizations, including the National Organization for Women, who are opposed to CBS airing an advertisement featuring the prolife story of Heisman winning quarterback Tim Tebow. She writes,

Tebow's 30-second ad hasn't even run yet, but it already has provoked "The National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us" to reveal something important about themselves: They aren't actually "pro-choice" so much as they are pro-abortion....

Tebow's ad, by the way, never mentions abortion; like the player himself, it's apparently soft-spoken. It simply has the theme "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." This is what NOW has labeled "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning." But if there is any demeaning here, it's coming from NOW, via the suggestion that these aren't real questions, and that we as a Super Bowl audience are too stupid or too disinterested to handle them on game day.

FULL STORY

Tell U.S. House lawmakers: Keep abortion out of health care

Calls needed to Congress

White House and top congressional Democrats are not giving up on passing a pro-abortion health care bill.

The Obama White House and top Democratic congressional leaders, although shaken by the January 19 election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), are attempting to push broad health care legislation through Congress within a matter of weeks. This means that the lives of unborn children remain in grave jeopardy!

On January 25, the Associated Press reported the emergence of a new plan which would allow the U.S. Senate to pass health care legislation with a 51-vote majority. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) may revise the Senate health care bill (H.R. 3590). If the U.S. House makes changes to the U.S. Senate health care bill and passes the bill, the bill will then be returned to the U.S. Senate. The U.S. Senate could use a procedure known as reconciliation and circumvent the need for a 60-vote majority. In this scenario, a majority of 51 Senators could amend their bill to address House concerns sending the bill to President Obama.

National Right to Life notes that the enactment of the abortion-related provisions of the health care bill passed by the Senate (H.R. 3590) would constitute the biggest expansion of abortion by Congress since Roe v. Wade.

Action Item

Time is short! Please telephone the office of your U.S. House member. The Washington offices of your representatives can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121. Or, for direct and local numbers, see the Congressional Contact Information.

Sample message: "I strongly urge you to oppose any health care legislation that does not contain explicit and comprehensive protections against federal subsidies for abortion and federal pro-abortion mandates. I am strongly opposed to the bill passed by the Senate on December 24 (H.R. 3590), which would result in funding of abortion, subsidies for private insurance plans that cover abortion, and pro-abortion federal mandates. The language of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, approved by the House on November 7, 2009, is absolutely necessary in any health care bill."

Pro-abortion groups upset with Heisman winner Tim Tebow's prolife Super Bowl commercial

A group of pro-abortion organizations are upset with CBS after learning that CBS will air a commercial during the Super Bowl featuring former Heisman winning quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother. When Pam Tebow was pregnant with Tim, doctors advised her to have an abortion.

Tim Tebow defended the commercial by saying,

"I know some people won't agree with it, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe," Tebow said. "I've always been very convicted of it (his views on abortion) because that's the reason I'm here, because my mom was a very courageous woman. So any way that I could help, I would do it."

FULL STORY

Right to Life of Michigan affiliates’ Sanctity of Human Life events featured in local news

Right to Life of Michigan affiliates Holland Area Right to Life, Jackson Right to Life, North Oakland Right to Life and Lenawee County Right to Life all had their prolife events featured in articles in their local newspapers.

Read about these events at the links below:

Holland Right to Life’s March for Life

Jackson Right to Life’s motorcade

North Oakland Right to Life's Life Chain

Lenawee County Right to Life’s March for Life

How will we treat the unborn?

The Traverse City Record-Eagle recently published a guest editorial by Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing.

For decades, our country has struggled with a pivotal question: How will we treat the unborn?

Will we accept them as fellow human beings worthy of respect and protection? Or, will we treat them as depersonalized entities whose rights are conjured up when they reach some arbitrary point of development or exit the birth canal? Or, maybe, we'll view the wanted ones one way and the unwanted ones another.

READ MORE

37 years. 50 million lives and counting.

January 22, 2010, marks 37 years since the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton U.S. Supreme court decisions were handed down. These rulings legalized abortion in the United States through all nine months of pregnancy. In the past 37 years, more than 50 million unborn children have tragically lost their lives to abortion in our nation.

Abortion, sadly, relies on a lack of hope for the future. You see, a woman's decision to abort her child can only seem plausible when giving birth seems impossible.

Right to Life of Michigan refuses to accept abortion as a solution. In fact, every day we work to restore legal rights for the unborn and to offer women real life-affirming options. We ask you to join us on this 37th memorial of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have brought such pain to women and divisiveness to our nation. Your donation of $37, one dollar for every year abortion has been legal in the U.S., will help us work toward our goal of a day when all are welcomed in life and protected in law.

Right to Life of Michigan is the coordinating and unifying body for local affiliates throughout our state, allowing members of the prolife movement in Michigan to speak with one voice on abortion and related life issues. These gifts are used to support Right to Life of Michigan's programs to protect the unborn and other threatened members of the human family. Thankfully, we have been successful. The work of Right to Life of Michigan has played a key role in Michigan's staggering 47.4 percent decrease in abortions over the past 20 years.

Thank you for your past support. Please consider a gift today of $37 to help us promote life in Michigan.

To donate online, click here.

Stupak editorial on health care reform

In today's Detroit News, Congressman Bart Stupak has an editorial explaining his prolife amendment, his position on abortion and health care reform and his opposition to the abortion language in the Senate's version of health care reform.

He writes,

There continues to be a great deal of discussion surrounding abortion language in the health care bill and the Stupak-Ellsworth-Pitts amendment specifically. Let me be clear: Our amendment maintains current law that says no federal funding for abortion.

Further, not one person has been able to show where the actual language in our amendment is different from language in the Hyde amendment that has been in effect for the past 33 years.....

Though our amendment maintains current law and is squarely in line with public opinion, the Senate failed to pass similar language. Instead, the Senate bill includes an amendment that would implement a dramatic shift in federal policy that would allow the federal government to subsidize insurance policies with abortion coverage and recognize abortion as a benefit in a federal health plan.

It would also segregate funds to pay for abortion coverage in a way that has never been allowed under the Hyde language.

FULL STORY

National Right to Life lists six problems with Senate version of health care reform

National Right to Life Committee has sent this letter to members of Congress listing six prolife criteria which the Senate version of health care reform fails to meet.

In conclusion: NRLC believes that enactment of the abortion-related provisions of the Senate-passed health care bill would ultimately result in substantial expansions of abortion, driven by federal administrative decrees and federal subsidies, and a vote to advance such legislation would be described in those terms in the NRLC congressional scorecard for the 111th Congress.

In contrast, inclusion of the substance of the House-passed abortion language, on the six points cited above, would preserve long-established federal policies on abortion, and would fully address our concerns regarding the abortion policy issues.

FULL STORY

Teleseminar on Tuesday, January 12

A teleseminar featuring Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing has been planned for Tuesday, January 12, at 1 p.m. Barbara will provide an update on national health care reform. In addition, Right to Life of Michigan Legislative Director Ed Rivet will highlight the decision issued on December 30 by the Montana Supreme Court, essentially legalizing physician assisted suicide in that state. Pam Sherstad will wrap up the teleseminar with a quick highlight of Sanctity of Human Life educational material available on the Right to Life of Michigan web site, www.rtl.org.

We are looking forward to connecting with you on Tuesday, January 12, at 1 p.m.

You can take part in this Web Simulcast by visiting the following web site or by calling in to (616) 712-3139.

http://attendthisevent.com/?eventID=10734726

Show Your Support for Life

Attend a local prolife event

The 37th memorial of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton on January 22 gives individuals the opportunity to consider real hope for our communities, state and country. While thousands of Michigan prolifers will be heading to Washington, D.C., to take part in the March for Life on January 22, the majority of us won't be leaving the state. That doesn't mean we can't take part in prolife events which mourn the more than 50 million unborn children our nation has lost since Roe v. Wade and celebrate the sanctity of human life.

Throughout Michigan, local Right to Life of Michigan affiliates have organized and planned a plethora of events for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Events include prayer services, rallies, vigils, marches and motorcades. These events are an important time for prolife people to come together, get to know other prolifers in their community and renew their commitment to life. Please take the time to look at these events and find an event to attend in your area.

Sanctity of Human Life events in Michigan can be viewed at the Right to Life of Michigan's affiliate events page. To find Sanctity of Human Life events, put "January" in the "event month" space and click on "search." You can also search for events by affiliate and city.

Find a local prolife event in your community! Events will continue to be added, so keep checking back.

Michigan native saves life with adult stem cells

The Livingston Daily Press and Argus recently ran a story on Chris Kelly, a graduate from Brighton High School, and how his donation of adult blood stem cells saved a man’s life.

Chris Kelly saved a man's life earlier this year.

Kelly didn't push him out of the way of a speeding bus or pull him out of a lake.

Instead, the 2000 Brighton High School graduate laid in a hospital bed for a couple of days and allowed himself to be hooked up to a dialysis-like machine that recycled his blood. During this process, doctors were able to take away extra peripheral blood stem cells.

He donated those peripheral blood stem cells to a 68-year-old man suffering from a disease that causes bone-marrow failure and often leads to leukemia. Two weeks later, Chris Kelly said the recipient, whom he'd never met, was released from a hospital and is doing well. He said the man, who lives on the West Coast, should live a long life without any further complications.

FULL STORY