Michigan March for Life Bus Trips

If you're interested in attending the 2011 March for Life on January 24 in Washington, D.C. and you're from Michigan here's a list of Right to Life of Michigan affiliates who are planning bus trips to the 2011 March for Life.

Michigan prolifers attend funeral for aborted children

Approximately one thousand people attended a funeral for seventeen aborted children who were discovered by prolifers in a dumpster near a Lansing-area abortion clinic.

Nearly a thousand people packed St. Mary's Cathedral Saturday morning for a funeral mass. But this wasn't your typical funeral -- it was held for the 17 aborted fetuses found January in a dumpster near the Woman's Choice Clinic in Delta Township. Lansing police had to block off surrounding streets, essentially making them parking lots to accomodate the crowd. A burial followed at St. Joseph's cemetery.

"For these children, that they may now enjoy the place prepared for them, we pray to the Lord," said Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing Diocese.

Boyea says abortion is something many can relate to.

"Anyone who's felt abandoned in their life knows what that's like," he said. "Anyone who denies them or chooses not to love them. It's a painful experience."

Organizers hope the grave can offer closure, not only to the women whose aborted fetuses are buried here, but to anyone who's ever had an abortion or been part of that decision.

FULL STORY

Another clinical trial using embryonic stem cells is approved by the FDA

According to a press release by Advanced Cell Technology, the Food and Drug Administration has approved another clinical trial using cells which were created from human embryonic stem cells. The company plans to enroll 12 patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy in a early phase clinical trial to test the safety of injecting retinal cells created from human embryonic stem cells into their eyes.

In a LifeNews.com article, Dr. David Prentice comments on the experiment.

"Few details are available at this point, although Robert Lanza, ACT's chief scientist, has said that this series of experiments could begin after the first of the year," he said. "[The study] will include up to 12 patients and will test the safety of injecting cells into one of the patient's eyes, with increasing doses of cells on successive patients. He also hopes to see some results within six weeks of injecting a patient's eye."

Prentice said the embryonic stem cell derivatives are not necessarily safe for patients.

"Of course, one big concern regarding safety is the distinct possibility of tumor formation by embryonic stem cells, since that is their real forte," he said. "No details are available on whether ACT did large animal studies, purity of their experimental cell preparation, or how well the cells retain differentiation versus growing."

FULL STORY

New York Times scientific reporter rips California's embryonic stem cell research investment

In a recent article for the New York Times, science reporter Nicholas Wade discusses how California voters were fooled into paying $3 billion dollars for embryonic stem cell research in the hopes of obtaining cures when scientists knew all along that research into embryonic stem cells was basic research unlikely to bring about cures anytime soon.

This is why it was such a risk for California to earmark $3 billion specifically for stem cell research over the next 10 years. Stem cells are just one of many promising fields of biomedical research. They could yield great advances, or become an exercise in sustained failure, as gene therapy has so far been. By allocating so much money to a single field, California is placing an enormous bet on a single horse, and the chances are substantial that its taxpayers will lose their collective shirt.

Stem cell researchers have created an illusion of progress by claiming regular advances in the 12 years since human embryonic stem cells were first developed. But a notable fraction of these claims have turned out to be wrong or fraudulent, and many others have amounted to yet another new way of getting to square one by finding better methods of deriving human embryonic stem cells.

The major advances in stem cell biology have come from molecular biologists who study transcription factors, the master control switches that govern the cell's operations. The Japanese biologist Shinya Yamanaka showed that with a mere four of these factors, which he cleverly guessed, he could force an ordinary cell to walk back to embryonic state.

But the finding illustrates what stem cell research is really about. It's not about therapies and quick cures, it's about understanding the basic nature of human cells and what makes one type different from another even though all have the identical genome. In other words, it's a basic research program with little likelihood of producing therapeutic gains in the near future. Stem cell scientists, while generally avoiding rash promises themselves, have allowed politicians to portray stem cells as a likely cure for all the major diseases.

FULL STORY

Michigan abortion facility set to close

LifeNews.com relates how the Womancare of Downriver abortion clinic in Southgate will soon no longer provide abortions.

Womancare of Downriver in Southgate is owned and operated by (Alberto) Hodari and the pro-life group Operation Rescue informs LifeNews.com it is in escrow to a physician whose practice does not include abortions.

Thus, once escrow closes, so will the abortion business....

Hodari has already been disciplined for abuses at his abortion centers.

He was placed on probation last February for illegally dumping medical records and, last March, was fined $10,000 for his part in the death of Regina Johnson.

Hodari has been involved in at least three additional abortion deaths.

FULL STORY

November 20 Funeral Mass and Burial Services in Lansing for 17 Aborted Babies Retrieved from Dumpster

The public is invited and encouraged to attend the funeral services and burial ceremony for the 17 aborted babies retrieved last February 26th from the dumpster near the WomansChoice abortion clinic.

The funeral service will be presided by Bishop Boyea on Saturday, November 20th at 11 AM in St. Mary's Cathedral, 219 Seymour Avenue in downtown Lansing. Parking curbside and across the street from the cathedral in the parking garage - open to the general public on Saturdays.

Following the funeral services, there will be a rite of interrement at St. Joseph Cemetery, 2520 West Willow St, Lansing (about 10-15 minutes from the Cathedral). The graveside service will likely begin sometime between 12:45 PM and 1 PM for those wishing to attend.

Citizens for a Pro-Life Society have also posted a YouTube video which shows some of the remains of the aborted children which were retrieved from the abortion clinic dumpster.

VIEW VIDEO

President Bush describes how seeing his miscarried sibling affected his prolife beliefs

In his new book, Decision Points, President George W. Bush describes a time when as a teenager he drove his mother to hospital after she had miscarried. During the story, he notes that he recognized the remains of his sibling as a human life. The experience also stregthened his prolife beliefs.

"One day, shortly after I learned to drive and while dad was away on a business trip, Mother called me in to her bedroom," he writes. "There was an urgency in her voice. She told me to drive her to the hospital immediately. I asked her what was wrong, She said she would tell me in the car.

"As I pulled out of the driveway, she told me to drive steadily and avoid bumps. Then she said she had just had a miscarriage. I was taken aback. This was a subject I never expected to be discussing with Mother. I also never expected to see the remains of a fetus, which she had saved in a jar to bring to the hospital. I remember thinking: There was a human life, a little brother or sister.

FULL STORY

Legislation to outlaw the dumping of fetal remains passes Michigan Senate

A package of bills to outlaw the dumping of fetal remains passed in the Michigan Senate on November 10 by votes of 30-8. Due to the limited number of session days remaining, the bills are not expected move through the process in the House. However, Right to Life of Michigan has assurances from bill sponsors that the bills be reintroduced promptly in the new session in January.

The bill package is designed to enhance existing Michigan law to properly dispose of the bodies of miscarried and aborted babies. H.B. 5928 would change our current state health code so that fetal remains will no longer be classified as “products of conception,” along with the placenta, umbilical cord, and other uterine contents resulting from a pregnancy. S.B. 1563/H.B. 5929 would require hospitals and abortion facilities to bury or cremate any fetus or part of a fetus that has recognizable anatomical parts or has completed at least 8 weeks gestation. Regarding miscarried babies, the parents will have the right to determine the final disposition of the fetal remains. S.B. 1561-1562 and H.B. 6428-6429 establish penalties of up to three years imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $5,000.

This legislation was introduced after the remains of 17 aborted children were discovered in an abortion clinic dumpster.

To learn more about this legislation, visit the Right to Life of Michigan's legislative web page.

Late-term abortionist wants to move business to three more states

The Washington Post has an article on a Nebraska-based abortionist who claims that he wants to open abortion clinics in three more states. LeRoy Carhart is one of the limited number of abortionists in the nation willing to perform abortions in the third trimester.

Dr. LeRoy Carhart said he wants to open new clinics near Washington D.C. and in Council Bluffs, Iowa, while expanding operations at his existing clinic in Bellevue, Neb. and at a clinic in Indianapolis to offer other reproductive medical treatments. Late-term abortions would be offered at the clinics in the Washington D.C. area and Council Bluffs, he said.

FULL STORY

RLM-PAC success leads to prolife state legislature

The Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee (RLM-PAC) endorsed 117 candidates for state legislative races in the 2010 general election and came away with 95 victories for a success rate of 81.2 percent. Below are links to two maps which show the areas in Michigan which are represent by prolife candidate and pro-abortion candidates. As you can see, the vast majority of Michigan is represented by prolife representatives and senators.

PROLIFE MICHIGAN HOUSE MAP

PROLIFE MICHIGAN SENATE MAP

Dansville Woman Recovering After Adult Stem Cell Treatment

The Lansing State Journal has a brief article on a woman from Dansville is doing well after receiving stem cells taken from her brother in an effort to treat her acute myeloid leukemia.

Heather Allen, 26, of Dansville is recovering well after receiving a stem cell transplant from her brother this fall. The State Journal ran a story about Allen’s transplant on Oct. 24. The transplant was part of an intense treatment regimen for her acute myeloid leukemia. Allen was released from the hospital and returned home on Oct. 29.

FULL STORY

Embryonic stem cell researcher admits that using a patient's own cells would be better for the patient

Eva Feldman is a stem cell researcher at the University of Michigan who has been a big advocate of human embryonic stem cell research over the last few years. She is currently part of clinical trial which is using stem cells from an aborted child in an attempt to treat patients with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). She is also working on research to transform patients' cells into induced pluripotent stem cells which have the same properties as embryonic stem cells but don't require the destruction of human embryos and then using those cells to study the disease.

In a recent interview with AnnArbor.com Feldman admitted that using cells from a patient's own body would be better for the patient.

The planned research could compliment the work Feldman is doing. It would be better for the patient, she said, to bank his own stem cells for use in the regenerative treatment she is exploring.

FULL STORY

Prolife Election Results

What do the numbers mean?

PROLIFE SUCCESS

The biggest winners in the general election are vulnerable members of the human family!

Overall 240 out of 280 Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee endorsed candidates won their races. Twelve out of 12 RLM-PAC state-wide endorsed candidates won their races!

Being an advocate for the unborn takes many forms during an election year. Highlights of our activities for the general election include:

* 195,051 hits on www.rtl.org for November 1 and 2 (Featured Prolife Candidates web site page was the most viewed)
* 138,900 ballots with RLM-PAC endorsed candidates printed and distributed
* 110,500 phone messages sent for statewide candidates
* 85,000 Email messages sent with election information
* 83,000 special mailings for statewide candidates
* 79,310 copies of the RLM News printed and distributed with RLM-PAC endorsements
* 58,485 get out the vote phone messages for key races
* 51,500 mailings for key prolife candidates
* 50,000 comparison pieces circulated
* 16,463 Personalized Ballots Generated on www.rtl.org
* 8,683 visits on www.rtl.org for November 1 and 2
* 85.7% of RLM-PAC endorsed candidates won their races

The educational campaign, Elections Have Consequences, which included billboards, fliers, t-shirts and buttons emphasized what was at stake this year.

In addition to the conventional methods of connecting with others regarding prolife candidates, we also used social networking tools to reach out. Facebook, the RLM Blog, Twitter and a Teleseminar allowed us to reach more people with election information.

We speak out for innocent unborn babies. Making phone calls from home on behalf of prolife candidates, distributing prolife election information to friends and family members, and meeting people face-to-face at the polls on election day are just a few of the ways prolife volunteers made a difference for life this year.

With all this good news, we know hard work is needed in the months and years ahead. Thankfully, prolife men and women will be in place, because of your efforts, to be a voice for the voiceless! We are looking forward to working with prolife majorities in the Michigan House and Senate.

Looking forward for LIFE!

Not your everyday prolife group

Check out the Real Prolife Stories section of Right to Life of Michigan's web site to learn how the Girls for Life-Lansing are making a difference.

Michaela, 11, was the first to envision what is now Girls for Life-Lansing. She wanted to get others involved in prolife volunteering, but the prolife club in her homeschooling group was geared more towards high school students. She said that abortion is a serious issue for people of any age and there should be a group to help younger girls find ways to volunteer.

"When such awful things are going on, you can't just stand there and not do anything," she said.

Michaela enlisted the help of her friend Mary, 13, and the co-directors held the first meeting of Girls for Life in the fall of 2009. The group now has 14 members and participates in several volunteer activities.

FULL STORY

Some Kent County Unions Oppose Removal of Abortion Coverage

In September, a panel of the Kent County Commission voted unanimously to remove abortion coverage from the county's health care plan by seeking concessions from the county's 13 unions. Unfortunately, some of the Kent County unions haven't been willing to give up their abortion coverage voluntarily.

A county panel last month unanimously approved a move requiring officials to seek concessions from the county's 13 unions removing the benefit from county medical plans. The move directed County Administrator Daryl Delabbio to seek from labor groups a voluntary exclusion of the benefit or negotiate it away during future contract talks.

Human Resources Director Don Clack said he's had inquiries from only a handful of the groups and actual input from even fewer. He added, however, that the early consensus is that it's unpopular especially in the wake of other wage and benefit concessions some groups agreed to last summer.

FULL STORY

Researchers create "mini-livers" with adult stem cells

Researchers at the University of Wake Forest have created miniature livers which function like large versions of the human organ using adult stem cells. They hope they will eventually be able to use this method to create livers large enough for transplant.

In this case, a detergent was used to strip away the cells from the liver, leaving only the collagen framework which supported them, and a network of tiny blood vessels.

The new stem cells - in this case, immature liver cells and endothelial cells, to produce a new lining for the blood vessels - were gradually introduced.

After a week in a "bioreactor", which nurtured the cells with a mixture of nutrients and oxygen, the scientists saw widespread cell growth within the structure, and even signs of some normal functions in the tiny organ.

FULL STORY