National Right to Life opposes Senate version of health care reform because of abortion coverage

National Right to Life Committee has issued a statement noting their opposition to the U.S. Senate's health care reform legislation.

The manager’s amendment is light years removed from the Stupak-Pitts Amendment that was approved by the House of Representatives on November 8 by a bipartisan vote of 240-194. The new abortion language solves none of the fundamental abortion-related problems with the Senate bill, and it actually creates some new abortion-related problems.

NRLC will score the upcoming roll call votes on cloture on the Reid manager’s amendment, and on the underlying bill, as votes in favor of legislation to allow the federal government to subsidize private insurance plans that cover abortion on demand, to oversee multi-state plans that cover elective abortions, and to empower federal officials to mandate that private health plans cover abortions even if they do not accept subsidized enrollees, among other problems.

They have also issued a detailed critique of the abortion language in the Senate's health care reform legislation, clearly explaining why this legislation is unacceptable to prolifers.

Adult stem cells save injured climber’s leg

Doctors in Britain successfully treated a man named Andrew Kent with stem cells from his bone marrow after a boulder fell on him and broke his leg in five places.

Surgeons warned that he was likely to lose his leg unless they tried the new stem cell technique.

"Receiving that news is pretty devastating," Kent said.

Orthopedic surgeon Anan Shetty removed stem cells from the bone marrow in his patient's hip.

These were mixed with a new collagen gel called Cartifill to make a paste or glue, which was smeared into the fractures. They finally fixed his leg in a metal cage to gently squeeze the bones together.

The cage was removed at the beginning of December, six months after the stem cell procedure.

Shetty described how he had put all his weight on Kent's leg, but the bones remained solid.

"He has really surprised us. This is an amazing technique," the surgeon said of Kent. "He won't be able to run for about a year, but after 18 months his bones will have healed completely. I'm sure he'll be able to go back and rock climb again."

FULL STORY

Video exposes how Planned Parenthood lies to patients

Recently, the prolife organization Live Action released a new undercover video which shows how some Planned Parenthood counselors deceive their patients and attempt to talk them into having abortions. On the video, a Planned Parenthood counselor in Wisconsin falsely claims that an unborn child at 10 weeks gestation doesn’t have a heartbeat and the abortionist says, “It's not a baby at this stage or anything like that.”

You can view the video online here.

U.S. Senate continues to debate health care reform

Battle is far from over

President Obama and top congressional Democratic leaders are stepping up their efforts to include abortion in "health care" legislation, before the end of the year.

On December 8, the U.S. Senate rejected the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment to remove abortion subsidies from the sweeping health care restructuring bill proposed by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R. 3590).

The prolife amendment was defeated by a vote of 54 to 45.

During the days immediately ahead, the Senate may cast votes that will determine the fate of the legislation. The bill cannot emerge from the Senate unless 60 senators vote to end debate ("invoke cloture") on the bill. If a bill does emerge from the Senate, it must also go before the House of Representatives. The House passed a different version of the bill on November 7, but only after first adopting the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to remove subsidies for abortion.

National Right to Life Committee and Right to Life of Michigan are strongly opposed to the Senate bill because of multiple provisions that would promote abortion and the rationing of lifesaving medical care.

Time is short! Please telephone the offices of your two U.S. senators. Urge them to oppose the Reid health care bill (H.R. 3590), and to vote no on "cloture" (ending debate) on the bill. It doesn't matter if you have called your senators before and received a response; please call again. It is not too late!

For detailed information, please visit the Right to Life of Michigan Prolife Action Center.

Action Items:

Listen to the national web cast update

Sign On-Line Petition

Share with Sen. Levin and Sen. Stabenow your desire to keep the government out of the abortion business.

Sample message: "I urge you to vote no on cloture and the health care legislation proposed by Senator Reid unless direct and indirect federal funding of abortion is eliminated. I am strongly opposed to government funding of abortion."


Senator Carl Levin (D)
Washington, D.C., Phone: (202) 224-6221

District Offices:
Detroit (313) 226-6020
Escanaba (906) 789-0052
Grand Rapids (616) 456-2531
Lansing (517) 377-1508
Traverse City (231) 947-9569
Warren (586) 573-9145

On-line Contact Form

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D)
Washington, D.C., Phone: (202) 224-4822

District Offices:
Detroit (313) 961-4330
East Lansing (517) 203-1760
Flint (810) 720-4172
Grand Rapids (616) 975-0052
Marquette (906) 228-8756
Traverse City (231) 929-1031

On-Line Contact Form

U.S. Senators Kill Prolife Amendment

Battle is far from over

By a vote of 54 to 45, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, December 8, tabled (a.k.a. killed) an amendment to remove elective abortion from a sweeping health care restructuring bill proposed by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R. 3590). Both Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow voted to table the amendment which would have kept federal funds from paying for elective abortions in the Senate health care reform bill.

A majority of senators voted to keep abortion covered in the proposed federal government health care program; however, now the vote on cloture on the bill itself will become the key vote on whether to put the federal government into the abortion business. Right to Life of Michigan opposes cloture on the bill, which would require 60 affirmative votes, if federal funding of abortion is included.

The prolife amendment, which was rejected, was sponsored by Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Robert Casey (D-PA). It contained the same substance as the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which was adopted by the House of Representatives on November 7, 240-194. Both amendments would prevent the federal government insurance program (the "public option") from paying for abortion (except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest). In addition, both amendments would prevent federal subsidies from being used to purchase private health plans that cover elective abortion but would not restrict the sale or purchase of such policies with private funds.

Talk from Washington, D.C., is that the U.S. Senate has dropped the "public option" from its bill. The result of this change and the impact of federal funding of abortion is yet unknown. Right to Life of Michigan is following the debate closely.

While the vote yesterday killed an amendment to remove elective abortion from the pending Senate health care reform legislation bill, the battle is far from over.

While this is a setback, it is only step one. The key vote focuses on cloture -- whether to cut off debate. Again, Right to Life of Michigan opposes cloture on the bill if federal funding of abortion is included.

Thankfully, a number of prolife Democrats in the U.S. House who supported passage of health care legislation on November 7 will not vote for the Senate bill in its current form.

For detailed information, please visit the Right to Life of Michigan Prolife Action Center.

Prolife and church leaders sign Manhattan Declaration

Numerous church and prolife leaders have signed the Manhattan Declaration, a document which in part affirms and defends the sanctity of human life. Here’s a portion of the Declaration:

We will be united and untiring in our efforts to roll back the license to kill that began with the abandonment of the unborn to abortion. We will work, as we have always worked, to bring assistance, comfort, and care to pregnant women in need and to those who have been victimized by abortion, even as we stand resolutely against the corrupt and degrading notion that it can somehow be in the best interests of women to submit to the deliberate killing of their unborn children. Our message is, and ever shall be, that the just, humane, and truly Christian answer to problem pregnancies is for all of us to love and care for mother and child alike.

Visit the web site of the Manhattan Declaration to read the full document.

MI Senate Committee to vote on Embryo Package on Dec. 9 - Call your state senator!

The passage of Proposal 2 by a narrow margin in 2008 left many unanswered questions regarding human embryonic stem cell research. A package of bills titled the Embryo Research & Fertility Clinic Transparency Act was introduced in the Michigan House and Senate to address these questions.

The Michigan Senate Health Policy Committee will take up the Embryo Research Transparency Package on Wednesday, December 9, where a vote to report the bills to the full Senate is expected.

Please take 5 minutes to contact your state senator and urge them to support this legislation.

ALL SENATORS IN LANSING should receive calls/emails/faxes either asking for, or thanking co-sponsors for, their support on the Embryo Research package. There are 18 Senators who have co-sponsored the bills and Majority Leader Mike Bishop has put his full support behind it. The list of lead sponsors and co-sponsors to thank and urge their YES vote include:

Mike Bishop, Tom George, Roger Kahn, Jim Barcia, Dennis Olshove, Jud Gilbert, Mark Jansen, Ray Basham, Patty Birkholz, Nancy Cassis, Alan Cropsey, John Gleason, Bill Hardiman, Wayne Kuipers, Michelle McManus, Alan Sanborn, Tony Stamas, Randy Richardville, Jerry VanWoerkom

The message for those senators not listed should be:
“PLEASE VOTE YES ON THE EMBRYO RESEARCH TRANSPARENCY PACKAGE. THE VOTERS EXPECT PROPOSAL 2 TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND ENFORCED.”

Because Proposal 2 was a constitutional amendment no law can reverse it, only another constitutional amendment. This package is designed to close the potential loopholes in the amendment's language. It will make sure the limitations in Proposal 2 are put into statute along with definitions and penalties. It will also clarify that other types of human embryo research were NOT authorized by Proposal 2.

For more information about the bills, please go to the Right to Life of Michigan's legislative center.

U.S. Senate to Address Key Prolife Amendment

Afghanistan, unemployment and the economy are topics which have been making the headlines. But in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Senate is chipping away at health care reform. The U.S. Senate is engaged in consideration of numerous amendments to a sweeping health care restructuring bill proposed by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R. 3590). Right to Life of Michigan is strongly opposed to the Reid bill because of the federal funding of abortions and potential health rationing provisions.

Soon, perhaps as early as the week of December 6, prolife Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) will offer an amendment that will incorporate the same policy as the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment prohibits both direct federal funding of abortion by the "public option" and the use of federal subsidies to purchase private plans that cover elective abortion.

The U.S. House Democratic leadership version of health care legislation (H.R. 3962) originally contained pro-abortion provisions very similar to those now found in the Reid bill. However, on November 7, the House approved the prolife Stupak-Pitts Amendment on a roll call vote of 240-194. The House then passed H.R. 3962, as amended, by a vote of 220-215.

At this time, the Reid bill establishes a big new federal health insurance program, the public option. The bill authorizes (on page 118) the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions throughout the public option program. This would be federal government funding of abortion, no matter how hard they try to disguise it.

For detailed information, please visit the Right to Life of Michigan Prolife Action Center.

Action Item

Sign On-Line Petition

Call and e-mail Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow and let them know abortion and abortion funding must be "explicitly excluded " from any health care/insurance reform legislation.

Sample message: "I urge you to support the Hatch-Nelson amendment which would prohibit direct federal funding of abortion and prohibit the use of federal subsidies to purchase private plans that cover elective abortions. I am strongly opposed to government funding of abortion."

Senator Carl Levin (D)
Washington, D.C., Phone: (202) 224-6221

District Offices:
Detroit (313) 226-6020
Escanaba (906) 789-0052
Grand Rapids (616) 456-2531
Lansing (517) 377-1508
Traverse City (231) 947-9569
Warren (586) 573-9145

Web Site (you can use the web site to send an electronic message):
www.levin.senate.gov/


Senator Debbie Stabenow (D)
Washington, D.C., Phone: (202) 224-4822

District Offices:
Detroit (313) 961-4330
East Lansing (517) 203-1760
Flint (810) 720-4172
Grand Rapids (616) 975-0052
Marquette (906) 228-8756
Traverse City (231) 929-1031

Web Site (you can use the web site to send an electronic message):
www.stabenow.senate.gov/

NIH reveals new federally-funded embryonic stem cell lines

Today, the National Institutes of Health revealed which new human embryonic stem cell lines have been approved for federally funded research. In March, President Barack Obama overturned President Bush's policy which prevented federal funded research on human embryonic stem cell lines created after August of 2001.

Right to Life of Michigan opposes any research which requires the intentional destruction of human life.

The National Institutes of Health announced it will make 13 new embryonic stem cell lines will be available for federally funded research, and will consider adding 20 more new embryonic stem cell lines to a national registry on Friday.

For eight years, scientists using federal grants had to vie for access to just 21 approved lines, or colonies of stem cells --derived from a human embryo. The Bush administration imposed a moratorium on federally-funded research on new embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001....

The 13 lines are the fist in what the government promises will be hundreds of new embryonic stem cell lines approved for federally funded research....

All told, the NIH is reviewing 96 pending applications (including the 20 up for review on Friday) from scientists to make their stem cell lines available to researchers through a national registry.

Collins said the government has 21 million dollars in grant money allotted for research on the new lines and the NIH is expecting at least 10 million dollars more next year from Challenge Grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

FULL STORY

Right to Life of Michigan responds to erroneous stem cell editorial

In response to a recent editorial by the Grand Rapids Press on prolife legislation, Right to Life of Michigan legislative director Ed Rivet submitted the following editorial to respond to some of false claims in the Press editorial. The response editorial, which was published on November 27, is below.

When the voters passed Proposal 2 more than one year ago, they approved an amendment to the Michigan Constitution allowing embryos remaining from fertility treatments to be destroyed for their stem cells. The amendment does not allow buying or selling embryos, the embryos must be less than two weeks into development and the parents donating their embryonic children must give their written consent. The problem with the amendment is that it has no enforcement mechanisms, no definitions and no penalties for anyone caught violating these provisions.

In nearly every instance when voters approve a broad amendment to the Constitution, the Legislature must subsequently enact a framework of laws to implement it. Prior to 1996, California had no laws governing embryo research. When some UC-Irvine researchers were caught transferring embryos without proper consent, they had to be charged with mail fraud and tax evasion because there were not appropriate laws in place to charge them. The legislation being offered in Lansing to implement Proposal 2 will avoid this type of legal blunder.

Nothing in the proposed legislation prevents couples from donating embryos or researchers from using them. Researchers would be required to fill out a half-page form once a year that lists from where they received embryos, how many they used, and how many are retained in storage – That's it! No inspections of their facilities, no limits on what they can do with the embryos, no bureaucratic licensing process, just a half-page form once a year.

The Press' editorial against this legislation included several erroneous claims. First, it misleads readers about what Proposal 2 did. It did not “allow research using stem cells from human embryos.” That was already legal and occurring in Michigan prior to Proposal 2. Proposal 2 allowed researchers in Michigan to experiment on and kill human embryos for their stem cells.

Second, if research directors at Michigan's big three universities claim Proposal 2 is “working as intended,” they are grossly misstating the case. As a November 7 Press article indicated, the University of Michigan, the state's leading stem cell research university, “has not started projects to derive human embryonic stem cell lines” a year after Proposal 2 passed. If a year later they haven't even done what Proposal 2 legalized, how necessary was Proposal 2 after all?

Which is why the Press' claim that Proposal 2 is responsible for the $7 million in stem cell research grants is all the more misleading. Only one grant is for research using human embryonic stem cells. All the rest of the research projects are using adult stem cells, cancer stem cells or animal stem cells. The University of Michigan's own press release on the grants notes that the one embryonic stem cell study would have been legal before Proposal 2 because it doesn't require researchers to kill any embryos.

Press editorial writers are entitled to their own opinions on this research and legislation, but they're not entitled to their own facts.

Nothing in the proposed legislation will reverse or undermine Proposal 2 nor will it hinder any embryonic stem cell research. The bills simply provide the framework for Proposal 2 to be properly carried out and its provisions enforced. Voters expect that anyone caught violating Proposal 2 will be punished. But without this legislation, there are no defined penalties, no oversight or enforcement agency in charge, no accountability.

Abortion Funding Remains in U.S. Senate health care bill

On November 21, the U.S. Senate barely cleared an initial 60-vote procedural hurdle, setting the stage for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) 2,074-page health care bill to move forward. The debate and amendment process is scheduled to begin Monday, November 30.

As Right to Life of Michigan has previously noted, Senator Reid's bill [on page 118] would authorize the federal government to pay for any and all abortions through a huge new federal health insurance program, commonly known as the "public option," and also to subsidize purchase of private plans that cover abortion on demand. President Obama and Sen. Reid know that the substance of these abortion-promoting policies is deeply unpopular, so they seek to conceal the reality with layers of contorted definitions and money-laundering schemes.

President Obama and Sen. Reid are also seeking to block the enactment of the bipartisan Stupak Amendment, which was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives on November 7. This amendment would prevent government funding of elective abortion through the proposed “public option," and would also prevent federal subsidies from paying for private insurance plans that cover elective abortion.

During the weeks ahead, Right to Life of Michigan will continue to fight the efforts of President Obama and congressional Democratic leaders who seek to cover abortion on demand in two huge new federal health programs. The Senate bill faces additional 60-vote hurdles in the future. Moreover, a courageous group of prolife Democrats in the House of Representatives will oppose final approval of health care legislation if the Stupak Amendment is gutted or removed.

Learn more by visiting the Right to Life of Michigan Prolife Action Center. A sample message for our senators and helpful links, which include the U.S. Senate health care legislation and Stupak Amendment, are available in the Prolife Action Center.

Senator Reid’s Health Care Plan Rejects Stupak Amendment and Pushes for Abortion Funding

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has rejected the bipartisan Stupak amendment and has substituted completely unacceptable language that would result in coverage of abortion on demand in two big new federal government programs.

The Stupak amendment would prevent federal subsidies for abortion by applying the principles of longstanding federal laws such as the Hyde Amendment to the new programs created by the health care legislation. Those principles prohibit both direct funding of abortion procedures and subsidies for plans that cover elective abortions, in existing federal programs such as Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the military.

Unfortunately, Senator Reid has rejected the bipartisan Stupak amendment and sought to appease pro-abortion organizations who demand abortion be funded through federal programs.

The Reid bill establishes a new federal health insurance program, commonly referred to as “the public option” and referred to in Reid's bill as the "community health insurance option." The bill allows (on page 118) the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions throughout the public option program. This would be federal government funding of abortion, no matter how hard they try to disguise it.

In addition, the bill creates new tax-supported subsidies to purchase private health plans that will cover abortion on demand.

Right to Life of Michigan will continue to fight for the Stupak amendment and oppose the attempts to establish new federal government programs that will pay for or coverage of elective abortions.

Helpful Links:

Text of Reid's Health Care Bill

Text of Stupak Amendment

Health Care Reform Focus Shifts to U.S. Senate

Calls to Sen. Levin and Sen. Stabenow are needed

Since the U.S. House of Representatives has passed health care reform legislation, including the prolife Stupak amendment which prevents the government from funding abortion or subsidizing abortion coverage, the debate over health care reform now moves to the U.S. Senate. It has been reported that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may attempt initial procedural steps to bring health care legislation to the Senate floor this week.

After the passage of the Stupak amendment in the U.S. House, pro-abortion groups have ramped up their efforts against the Stupak amendment and urged their members to lobby their senators to remove prolife language from the Senate version of health care reform. Some pro-abortion legislators have promised to oppose the final version of health care reform legislation if it includes the Stupak amendment.

Despite their pro-abortion positions, Senator Debbie Stabenow and Senator Carl Levin need to hear your voices on this crucial issue. They need know the people of Michigan strongly believe that abortion is not health care.

Please take the time to call Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow to let them know that Michigan citizens want the government funding of abortion explicitly excluded from health care reform legislation.

There is no time to delay; please make your call today!

Sample Message:

"I urge you to oppose the 'motion to proceed' to the House passed health care bill unless the Senate substitute offered by Senator Reid contains the Stupak-Pitts amendment to ensure abortion is not funded by U.S. taxpayers in the health care bill. I do not support federal funding of abortion."

It is important to note that the Stupak-Pitts amendment doesn't expand any restrictions on abortion. It merely prevents the government from funding abortion and from subsidizing health insurance plans which cover abortion. The language of the Stupak amendment is clear and it mirrors the Hyde amendment and the health care insurance program for federal employees. Federal funds are not to be used to pay for elective abortions and federally subsidized insurance plans can't pay for abortion.

Senator Carl Levin (D)
Washington, D.C., Phone: (202) 224-6221

District Offices:
Detroit (313) 226-6020
Escanaba (906) 789-0052
Grand Rapids (616) 456-2531
Lansing (517) 377-1508
Traverse City (231) 947-9569
Warren (586) 573-9145

Web Site (you can use the web site to send an electronic message):
www.levin.senate.gov/


Senator Debbie Stabenow (D)
Washington, D.C., Phone: (202) 224-4822

District Offices:
Detroit (313) 961-4330
East Lansing (517) 203-1760
Flint (810) 720-4172
Grand Rapids (616) 975-0052
Marquette (906) 228-8756
Traverse City (231) 929-1031

Web Site (you can use the web site to send an electronic message):
www.stabenow.senate.gov/

Abortionist Alberto Hodari putting abortion clinics up for sale

Prolife advocates have reported that “For Sale” signs have been put up on at least 3 abortion clinics owned by notorious abortionist Alberto Hodari.

Hodari was recently fined $10,000 due to the death of a woman who died in his clinic in 2003 and he was in the news after the bodies of aborted children along with women’s medical records were found in one of his abortion clinic dumpsters and he was given 6 months probation.

Hodari faces various lawsuits and has recently filed for divorce from his wife.

FULL STORY
http://www.lifenews.com/state4575.html

President Obama plans on breaking his promise, wants abortion funding in health care bill

After promising in front of a nationally televised audience on September 9 that “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” in health care reform, President Barack Obama is now positioning himself in opposition to an amendment that would enforce his promise.

On November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 240-194 to add the Stupak amendment to health care reform legislation. The Stupak amendment permanently prohibits the new federal government insurance program from paying for abortion, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest and permanently prohibits the use of the new federal premium subsidies (also known as "affordability credits") to purchase private insurance plans that cover abortion.

Obama and his advisors are now falsely claiming that the Stupak amendment changes the “status quo” even though the status quo is certainly not a government run health care plan which includes federally-subsidized abortion coverage. They also plan on working to remove the prolife amendment from the final health care bill.

FULL STORY

New Critcal Reading on Jack Lessenberry's column

At StemCellResearchCures.com we've published a new critical reading. This critical reading examines Jack Lessenberry recent column in the Toledo Blade entitled, "Michigan Senate aims to ignore people on stem-cell research."

Lessenberry makes a number of false claims regarding stem cell research including claiming that stem cell research was illegal before Proposal 2, misleading claims about legislation to regulate embryonic stem cell research, and claiming that recent stem cell grants to the University of Michigan were because of Proposal 2.

Read the PDF here.

Stupak amendment added to health care reform bill

Over the weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill but only after legislators were given the opportunity to vote on the Stupak Amendment sponsored by Michigan’s Bart Stupak (D-Menominee). The Stupak Amendment prevents public funds from being used to pay for abortions in the government public health care plan except in the cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother. It also prevents individuals who have federally-subsidized insurance to get abortion coverage with their federally subsidized insurance.

The Stupak amendment passed by a vote of 240-194.

Michigan’s congressional delegation voted 9-6 in favor of the Stupak Amendment to remove abortion funding from the health care reform bill. The “no” votes included Michigan’s two freshman congressmen Gary Peters and Mark Schauer along with Carolyn Kilpatrick, John Dingell, Sander Levin, and John Conyers. The “yes” votes were Fred Upton, Bart Stupak, Pete Hoekstra, Dave Camp, Dale Kildee, Mike Rogers, Thaddeus McCotter, Vern Ehlers, Candice Miller.

This is a great prolife victory but much more work needs to be done as the U.S. Senate continues work on their version(s) which include abortion funding and rationing concerns. Eventually, the differences in the House and Senate versions will be handled in a conference committee. Prolifers have won a first step battle and prevented the initial expansion of abortion and abortion funding that Planned Parenthood, NARAL and other pro-abortion groups demanded.

FULL STORY

Final Countdown for U.S. House Vote on Health Care Legislation

Phone your U.S. House member today -- urge a NO vote on the "closed rule"

On Saturday, November 7, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) plans to attempt to ram a massive pro-abortion bill (H.R. 3962, previously H.R. 3200) through the House under a no-amendments procedure called a "closed rule." This strong-arm procedural tactic would shut out the only real prolife amendment being offered by Michigan's prolife Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment will remove the abortion-funding provisions from H.R. 3962.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is working to insert into the bill phony compromise language with the Ellsworth Amendment. The Ellsworth Amendment is intended to cloak the bill's pro-abortion provisions in legislative smokescreens.

The time is NOW to take a stand and overwhelm members of Congress with calls and e-mails insisting that they vote against using federal dollars for abortion funding.

This afternoon, House Leaders are expected to put forward a "Rule" which blocks the only prolife amendment on the table, the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, from receiving a vote.

TAKE ACTION NOW (it doesn't matter if you have already called and sent an e-mail message, call and e-mail again today and Saturday!)

Call your U.S. House Representative in Washington, D.C., and call the local district office with this message:

"I am strongly opposed to any attempt to pass the health care bill, H.R. 3962, under a 'closed rule,' and I urge you to vote 'No' on the anticipated closed rule. I support the Stupak Amendment (pronounced STEW-pak), which would remove the abortion-funding provisions from the bill."

Use the link below for U.S. House contact information:
Congressional Contact Information

Send an e-mail message to your member of Congress with the above message.

Please forward this message to at least 5 friends.

Pray that our elected officials will have wisdom and open minds and hearts to hear from their constituents.

Director Quits Planned Parenthood After Seeing an Ultrasound of an Abortion

ABC News is covering the story of Abby Johnson, the former director of a Planned Parenthood in Texas, who quit after viewing an abortion through ultrasound. She was also being pushed to have her clinic provide more abortions.

Although she had seen ultrasounds before, including during her own pregnancy, Johnson said she had never seen an ultrasound image during an abortion. She is unclear why, as the director of the clinic, she was asked to be in the procedure room on that day, because it was not a normal part of her duties. Still, Johnson said, the experience changed her forever.

"I just thought, 'What am I doing?'" she said. "And then I thought, 'Never again.'"

Two weeks later, Johnson quit.

"I looked out the window and saw a couple of women praying and I thought, 'That's where I need to go,'" Johnson said.

She walked down the street and into the welcoming arms of the Coalition for Life.

Although she had originally been happy at her job, Johnson slowly grew to question "the motives of the organization," she said, particularly because her superiors were "pushing clinics that did have an abortion program to bring in more money."

FULL STORY

Another year wait for early embryonic stem cell clinical trial

The first clinical trial designed to test the safety of the placing cells created from embryonic stem cells in human patients will have to wait approximately another year. Forbes is reporting that Geron hopes to restart it’s delayed clinical trial sometime in the 3rd quarter of 2010. The first ever approved clinical trial using embryonic stem cells was delayed in August after studies using animal studies showed the animals developed cysts at their injury sites after being injected with the cells developed from embryonic stem cells.

FULL STORY

New Critical Reading of Ryan Dinkgrave's editorial in the State News

At StemCellResearchCures.com we've published a new critical reading. This critical reading examines Ryan Dinkgrave's recent column in the State News entitled, "Stem cell opponents defying voters' will."

Unfortunately, Dinkgrave gets a number of basic stem cell facts wrong including President Bush's funding policy on embryonic stem cell research.

Read the PDF here.

Tonight: Urgent Health Care Web Cast

A nationwide web cast is planned to provide an update on health care reform. Hear the updates and learn what you can do!

Your attendance is crucial:

http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/webcast

Seventy plus prolife and pro-family organizations that make up the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition invite you to attend this urgent educational event.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Stop the Abortion Mandate Urgent Web Cast

DATE: TONIGHT, Monday, November 2

TIME: 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific

Register now at:

http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/webcast

During the live webcast, you'll hear the latest breaking news from many nationally respected leaders.

Invited presenters include:

* DOUGLAS JOHNSON, National Right to Life Committee

* REP. CHRIS SMITH, U.S. House of Representatives

* MARJORIE DANNENFELSER, Susan B. Anthony List

* CHARMAINE YOEST, Americans United for Life

* KELLYANNE CONWAY, The Polling Company

* KRISTEN DAY, Democrats for Life

* DR. DAVID STEVENS, Christian Medical & Dental Associations


During the event, you will:

* Hear the LATEST UPDATES and news straight from our nation's capital

* Learn exactly how abortion IS mandated in the proposed health care reform bills

* Discover what YOU can do about it!


Join Right to Life of Michigan and register for the important webcast now:

http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/webcast

California’s embryonic stem cell funding agency gives majority of grants to non-embryonic stem cell work

In another sign that embryonic stem cell research is unlikely to ever result in successful treatments for human patients and is years behind adult stem cell research, the New York Times reports that only 4 of the 14 projects recently approved for $230 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) plan on using embryonic stem cells.

CIRM was created after a ballot proposal was approved by California voters to spend $3 billion dollars over 10 years on embryonic stem cell research. The ballot proposal was sold as necessary to the citizens of California because the federal government was allegedly not spending enough money on embryonic stem cell research.

The $230 million in grants awarded Wednesday to California universities and companies represent a big step toward moving stem cells from basic research toward application in treating diseases like cancer and AIDS. Grant recipients are supposed to have a therapy ready for initial human testing in four years.

But only 4 of the 14 projects involve embryonic stem cells. The others will use so-called adult stem cells or conventional drugs intended to kill cancer stem cells, which are thought to give rise to tumors.

The grants thus represent a departure from the program’s original mission. California voters approved the 10-year, $3 billion effort in 2004 largely to get around restrictions on embryonic stem cell research imposed by the administration of President George W. Bush.

Such research is ethically controversial because creation of embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of human embryos.

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Stupak will attempt to block health care reform if abortion funding not removed

On Friday, the Hill ran a story about how Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI) and approximately 40 Democrats will attempt to prevent health care reform legislation from coming to the House floor unless they are given a vote on an amendment to explicitly exclude abortion funding from health care reform.

"There?s about 40 like-minded Democrats like myself -- we?ll try to take down the rule," Stupak said. ?If all 40 of us vote in a bloc against the rule -- because we think the Republicans will join us -- we can defeat the rule. The magic number is 218. If we can have 218 votes against the rule, we win.?

With 177 Republicans in the House, Stupak would need at least 41 Democrats to cross the aisle and vote against the rule. Stupak's amendment was originally defeated by the House Energy and Commerce Committee during mark-up.

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Bart Stupak (D-MI) and prolife Democrats continue to oppose abortion in health care reform

A recent Associated Press article highlights how Michigan prolife Democrat Bart Stupak continues to work to remove abortion funding from the health care reform bills. Stupak and other prolife Democrats will attempt to block the bill unless they are allowed to a vote on an amendment to remove abortion funding for health care reform.

Stupak says language specifying that someone obtaining an abortion must use her own money, not federal money from the subsidies, doesn't go far enough because it's impossible to clearly segregate funds in that way.

"Once you get the affordability credits (subsidies) in there, that's public funding of abortion. We're not going there," Stupak said. "How do you get past the affordability credits is really the issue. And we can't."

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Unless an eleventh-hour agreement is reached, Stupak intends to carry through on a threat he's been holding over House leaders for months: to block action on the larger health overhaul bill unless he's allowed to offer a stand-alone amendment during floor debate to include the Hyde amendment restrictions in the health overhaul bill.

Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail, since it likely would attract the votes of most Republicans as well as some Democrats. So Democratic leaders won't let Stupak offer it.

Instead, it appears they may have to take the risk of letting Stupak try to block action on the underlying bill, which he intends to do by assembling "no" votes on a procedural measure that needs to pass before debate can begin.

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