Jackson Students for Life featured in Jackson Citizen-Patriot

On December 26, the Jackson Citizen-Patriot carried an article on the Jackson Students for Life, a group of prolife high school and college students from Jackson County who work to protect life at all stages.

The group is focusing on education and issues such as euthanasia and embryonic stem-cell research. It has set up information booths at events, protested and prayed in front of facilities that perform abortions, and hosted euchre, pizza and movie nights to reach out to other students.

Students have also been working to start their own pro-life groups in their schools.

Maggie Emmert, a freshman at Lumen Christi High School, said she has always opposed abortion.

“My mom didn’t have to choose life,” said Emmert, 15.

“I don’t think a lot of people appreciate that their mothers didn’t choose abortion.”

FULL STORY

Right to Life stands behind its efforts at the Capitol

Right to Life of Michigan's legislative director Ed Rivet wrote an editorial to the Lansing State Journal in response to an editorial by Planned Parenthood's Sarah Scranton. Scranton's editorial claimed Right to Life of Michigan is an "extreme anti-choice group."

Planned Parenthood political activist Sarah Scranton used the State Journal recently to call on Gov.-elect Rick Snyder to "reject the Right to Life agenda" in the upcoming legislative session. She refers to Right to Life of Michigan as an "extreme anti-choice group."

But who has the extreme agenda? Is Planned Parenthood prepared to again object to legislation banning the horrific partial birth abortion procedure?

Huge majorities of the public support such a ban. Yet Scranton's group successfully lobbied Gov. Jennifer Granholm to twice veto such bills.....

Their own annual report shows Planned Parenthood makes hundreds of millions of dollars by performing abortions. That is not family planning, but instead killing a member of the human family.....

Planned Parenthood might do well to stay focused on what they claim their real goal is, eliminating unplanned pregnancies.

If they would do that, and stop destroying the "pregnancies" (fetuses/babies) already conceived, they might have less reason to publicly wring their hands and beg the incoming governor to protect their financial interests.

FULL STORY

Fetal Development Videos

The web page of the Endowment for Human Development has a variety of short videos, including 4D ultrasound videos, on the development of unborn children at various ages.

The videos can be viewed here.

Michigan planned parenthood executive used donations for personal expenses

The web site of WWMT News Channel 3 in Kalamazoo has a story on questionable behavior occurring at Planned Parenthood of Southwest Michigan. An audit discovered that Director of Finance Rene Davis was using company money to pay for personal expenses. WWMT sources say around $5,000 was taken. Instead of being fired, Davis became Chief Operating Officer. The story also mentions the board of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Michigan is looking to replace Rev. Mark Pawlowski, who is their CEO and makes all the hiring and firing decisions.

Planned Parenthood CEO Rev. Mark Pawlowski gave us a statement, saying;

“It came to our attention and we were duly diligent in investigating it. The employee faced disciplinary action and is no longer responsible for any financial duties within the organization.”

But Davis was not fired, instead she was appointed as Chief Operating Officer, this at a time when many other Planned Parenthood employees lost their jobs as a result of cutbacks.

Planned Parenthood says Davis paid back all the money and no charges have been filed against her. Planned Parenthood CEO Rev. Mark Pawlowski is in charge of hiring and firing, and has been for fourteen years.

Now, the board of directors is searching for a new CEO. Some board members have told Newschannel 3 the search for a replacement was prompted by the handling of Davis' situation. Pawlowski says that's not true.

Newschannel 3 has requested public documents from Planned Parenthood to learn more about how much money was taken.

FULL STORY

It's Not Too Late! Double Your Donation

While the clock is ticking down on 2010, there is still time to double your donation to the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund. Year-end, online tax-deductible donations to the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund up to $35,000 will be matched until December 31, 2010. That means your gift toward the lifesaving work of the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund will be doubled.

Reported abortions in Michigan are at an all-time low. Abortions in Michigan have decreased 54.4 percent since 1987. Help us in our efforts to keep these numbers going down.

If you are able to make a special year-end contribution, you will be making a real difference in the lives of mothers and families.


Be inspired and read about people in Michigan who have been impacted by our prolife work.

REAL LIFE STORIES

Cord blood stem cells save child's life from mystery ailment

The Today Show on NBC recently featured the story of Nicholas Volker, a 6-year-old boy who has had more than 100 surgeries and spent more than 700 days in the hospital due to a condition which doctors struggled to diagnose. Doctors eventually used DNA sequencing to discover his ailment and then used a cord blood stem cell transplant to successfully treat his condition.

Nic has suffered some complications and setbacks since, but he has kept his spirits up. During his long hospital stays, he donned his favorite Batman costume, complete with bat gloves that sound "kapow!" His mother told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Nic likes the musical trio the Jonas Brothers, and she had heard him sing a line from their song "A Little Bit Longer," which goes, "A little bit longer and I'll be fine."

Hopefully, that will be the case for Nic. Santiago Volker told Lauer that her son's prognosis "is extremely good. His [transplant physician] thinks he will be a long-term survivor. And that he's possibly cured."

FULL STORY

Abortion provision dropped from defense bill

According to Congressional Quarterly Today, the leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees have agreed to drop the Burris Amendment from the 2011 Defense Department authorization bill. The Burris Amendment would have allowed abortions at overseas military hospitals. The controversial amendment was removed along with other controversial amendments in order to get enough votes for bill to pass.

The abortion provision, written by Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), was included in a previous version of the Senate's bill (S 3454). The provision would have repealed a policy that bans provision of nearly all abortion services at military hospitals, even if paid for with private funds. If enacted, the measure would have allowed military servicewomen and their dependents to obtain abortion care at military hospitals if they paid for the procedure with their own money

FULL STORY

Bible Verses Addressing Life

There are many verses in the Bible that deal with respecting the sanctity of human life. Below are links to web pages on Right to Life of Michigan's web site which have various verses addressing the sanctity of human life in these different Bible translations:

King James Version

New King James Version

New International Version

Planned Parenthood rakes in hundreds of millions from taxpayers, loses tens of millions in investments

Planned Parenthood Federation of America recently released their 2008-2009 annual report which documents their financial activities as America's largest abortion provider. The report notes that Planned Parenthood received more than $363 million in "government grants and contracts" for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Planned Parenthood spent $55.8 million to lobby the government and lost $78.1 million in investments. Their total revenue was more than $1.1 billion dollars.

FULL STORY

Real Life Stories: A Call for Help

How Right to Life Offers Hope on a Daily Basis

Catherine Nutter was a young, recently married, college graduate without health insurance looking for someone to help with her unplanned pregnancy when she turned to Planned Parenthood for help.

I pictured the Planned Parenthood building in my mind that I had driven by every day for the past three years on my way to Western Michigan University—the one situated just on the campus's border with the giant orange three-foot lettering on its roof. Planned Parenthood, I thought. They help you plan for your up-coming parenthood. I knew that they would be the perfect resource to help me prepare for my prenatal care and delivery.

The next day I woke up almost feeling excited. I had practiced dozens of times what I was going to say to the worker at the clinic when she answered the phone. I dialed the number and light-heartedly spoke my rehearsed lines: "Hi. I just found out I'm pregnant. I'm married and have my degree, but I haven't gotten a job yet. I'm keeping the baby. I just need to know who to call for help."

A voice on the other end of the phone said plainly, "We don't do that here."

I was confused by this reply. "What don't you do there? I'm pregnant and I need to know who I should call."

The voice said again, "We don't really do that here. We don't give out phone numbers."

READ THE FULL STORY

Right to Life Teleseminar Today at 1 p.m.

A Right to Life of Michigan Teleseminar is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14, at 1 p.m. You will not want to miss this event with Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing, RLM Legislative Director Ed Rivet and RLM Development Director Brian Cusack. The teleseminar will last about 30 minutes.

During this teleseminar we will be reflecting on 2010 and looking forward to prolife opportunities in 2011. Ed will also be reporting on the Washington, D.C., National Right to Life state legislative strategy conference. We are excited for a new year and look forward to sharing updates with you during the December 14 teleseminar.

This teleseminar is open to the public. Please pass this e-mail on to your prolife friends.

EVENT: Right to Life of Michigan Update

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, December 14, at 1 p.m.

FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)

TO INSTANT TELESEMINAR, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=16396158

Teleseminar Number to call on December 14: (616) 712-3139
Conference ID: 662744#

Georgetown researchers use stem cells from human testes to treat diabetes in mice

Researchers at Georgetown University have taken stem cells from the testicles of adult men and then changed them into cells which secrete insulin.

Researchers have taken the stem cells that would differentiate into sperm from adult men and, after a five-week process, transformed them into cells that secrete insulin, just like the beta islet cells in the pancreas, which Type 1 diabetes destroys. The researchers will present their findings today (Dec. 12) at the American Society of Cell Biology 50th annual meeting in Philadelphia.....

The technique is promising, but there's still work to do.

"We need to get the amount of insulin up to the point [of] being secreted from each cell that it will be enough to cure diabetes in humans," said G. Ian Gallicano, a developmental and stem cell biologist at Georgetown University Medical Center. "If you are a mouse and you have diabetes, you are in luck, we can help you......"

The researchers used cells from the testes of donors from the ages 16 through 57 and coaxed them back to an embryonic-like state, a two-week process. To convince the cells to become insulin producers, they exposed them to chemicals that stimulate differentiation at specific times over the course of about three weeks.

FULL STORY

Donations will be doubled!

Every day the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund works to promote the sanctity of human life in Michigan. Thankfully, lives have been saved and many women, men and families have been spared the devastation that often occurs in the wake of an abortion. Reported abortions in Michigan in 2010 were at an all-time low. Abortions in Michigan have decreased 54.4 percent since 1987. Help us in our efforts to keep these numbers going down.

Donations made to the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund up to $35,000 will be matched until December 31. That means that your gift today will be doubled. Please donate today.

Abortionist gets out of jail after 3 months

Abortionist Rapin Osathanondh was released from jail this week after spending only 3 months in jail. Osathanondh pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after his negligence led to the death of Laura Hope Smith.

Osathanondh pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Barnstable Superior Court in September. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail with six months to serve.

His lawyer, Paul Cirel, tells the Cape Cod Times that Osathanondh must now complete nine months of home confinement.

Laura Hope Smith, a 22-year-old Sandwich woman, never regained consciousness after undergoing an abortion in 2007 at Osathanondh?s Hyannis practice.

FULL STORY

Prolifers pack city council meeting to speak out against new Planned Parenthood in Michigan

In the Detroit News, pro-choice columnist Laura Berman writes about an Auburn Hills City Council meeting which was packed with prolifers who are opposed to Planned Parenthood's plan to come to Auburn Hills.

More than 200 crammed the Auburn Hills City Council chambers on Monday. Some were there to protest changes in trash pickup. But it was another debate about choice that drew most.

Residents, and some interlopers, had learned that Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan recently bought a 17,000-square-foot Auburn Hills building and intends to open a family planning clinic....

To date, Planned Parenthood hasn't confirmed that abortions will be performed at the facility, although the Ann Arbor-based group does perform abortions at some of its clinics. ...

The state plans to give more than $200,000 next year to the Auburn Hills clinic, because it would be in an area of high unmet needs for women's and men's reproductive services.

Anti-abortion groups in Oakland County are ramping up opposition to the clinic, citing concerns about violence, crime and sidewalk pickets.

"We may not be able to prevent the clinic from opening," Kiessling says. "But there's definitely going to be protesters; there will be sidewalk counselors."

FULL STORY

Meet some of your new, young prolife representatives

The Detroit News has an article and video on a couple of young prolifers who won office in November and will officially become state representatives in January. One state representative-elect is Andrea LaFontaine who is 23-years-old graduate student who currently works as a waitress.

FULL STORY

Teleseminar Scheduled for December 14th

A Right to Life of Michigan Teleseminar is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14, at 1 p.m. You will not want to miss this event with Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing, RLM Legislative Director Ed Rivet and RLM Development Director Brian Cusack. The teleseminar will last about 30 minutes.

During this teleseminar we will be reflecting on 2010 and looking forward to prolife opportunities in 2011. Ed will also be reporting on the Washington, D.C., National Right to Life state legislative strategy conference. We are excited for a new year and look forward to sharing updates with you during the December 14 teleseminar.

Feel free to submit questions on the Teleseminar web site page (link is below). Please submit your questions by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 13. This teleseminar is open to the public. Please pass this e-mail on to your prolife friends.

EVENT: Right to Life of Michigan Update

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, December 14, at 1 p.m.

FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)

TO INSTANT TELESEMINAR, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=16396158

Teleseminar Number to call on December 14: (616) 712-3139
Conference ID: 662744#

Planned Parenthood buys new building in Michigan for abortions

Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan have spent nearly 3/4 of a million dollars to purchase an office building in Auburn Hills. According to past information from Planned Parenthood, it appears they plan on performing abortions at this location.

Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan purchased the office building at 1625 N. Opdyke Road in Auburn Hills from Fidelity Bank. The commercial real estate company CoStar indicates the buy came in at $733,150, or about $43 per square foot.

"The buyer will occupy the property as a new clinic and office location. The facility is estimated to open in May/June of next year," the firm said in a statement about the sale.

FULL STORY

Stem Cell Fraud

The Investor's Business Daily has an editorial on California's foray into state-funded embryonic stem cell research and the plan to ask for more money from California's citizens.

Some six years later, with about $1.1 billion dispersed, there have been $270 million worth of impressive new labs built, research papers published, and respected scientists hired at exorbitant salaries, but no miracle cures or even marketable therapies. And none is likely for years, if not decades, to come. The promised financial payback for the financially strapped citizens of California is also far off.

Before the money runs out, Silicon Valley real estate developer and Prop 71 architect Bob Klein, who now heads the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), is laying plans to hit voters for another $3 billion in bonds in 2014. It's based largely on his personal belief that "there will be some remarkable new therapies that will save lives and mitigate suffering substantially."

There already are. But they're coming from work with adult stem cells and umbilical-cord blood, not embryonic stem cells.

FULL STORY

Your help is needed

Your gift will be doubled for human life. Online tax-deductible donations up to $35,000 will be matched until December 31.

If you are able to make a special year-end contribution, you will be making a real difference in the lives of mothers and families.

Here are just a few exciting achievements of Right to Life of Michigan in 2010.

* The television media campaign developed by Right to Life of Michigan featured prolife information and the Right to Life of Michigan web site, RTL.ORG. It is exciting to know that viewers have been reached with a message of hope and help. In addition, more than 25,000 women and families have been helped by visiting RTL.ORG, teenbreaks.com or stemcellresearchcures.com as a result of the Right to Life of Michigan Google AdWords.

* Because of these outreaches, Right to Life of Michigan has helped thousands of women through the years facing crisis pregnancies or suffering after abortion. Right to Life of Michigan is privileged to be working with more than 150 pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and counseling organizations in Michigan to provide women and families with the medical, material and emotional support needed to celebrate life. Be inspired and read about a group of Lansing tweens who are helping a local pregnancy center supporting women in crisis.

* According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, abortions performed in Michigan are at an all-time low. Abortions performed in 2009 (the most recent year for statistics) dropped 13.9 percent over 2008 and decreased 54.4 percent since 1987 (the year with the largest number of induced abortions). Abortions performed on minor girls has been reduced by a whopping 63 percent since the early 1990s.

* On a daily basis, Right to Life of Michigan's educational resource centers in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, St. Clair Shores, Traverse City and Wyandotte supply all ages with prolife materials and resources for research projects, debates, teaching lessons and letters to the editors of newspapers. Each year thousands of people utilize the educational services of Right to Life of Michigan's Educational Resource Centers. Educating our communities on the dignity of human life before a crisis is one important prolife outreach.

Most of us have realized hard economic times in Michigan, but what we know without a doubt is that life does equal opportunities. Every mother experiencing an untimely pregnancy needs to be lovingly reminded of what really matters. Empowering women from the start is what Right to Life of Michigan does best.

Please partner with our life-saving work by giving a gift today. Your online gift will be doubled up to $35,000!

Support life today!

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

Majority of California Stem Cell Money Going to Adult Stem Cell Research

At LifeNews, David Prentice discusses how California's $3 billion dollars stem cell agency, which was originally created to fund embryonic stem cell research is pouring the majority of its money into adult stem cell research.

CIRM is spending $3 billion of California taxpayers’ money (a $6 billion payback with the interest) on stem cell research. Their reason for existence originally was to fund embryonic stem cell and cloning research.

This week they approved funding for 19 grants worth $67 million; the funding is “its second round of awards designed to move good ideas out of the lab and into the clinic.” (A complete list` of applications including those not funded is posted.)

Only 5 of the 19 funded grants involve embryonic stem cells. Zero grants on cloned embryos.

Last year the CIRM funded 14 “Disease Research Team” grants designed to move to the clinic, with only 4 of the 14 grants used embryonic stem cells, and zero grants on cloned embryos.

FULL STORY

Aborted babies found in dumpster

Warning: The following statement discusses details that are disturbing, especially to younger children.

Right to Life of Michigan was shocked and saddened to learn that bodies of 17 aborted babies were found thrown into a common dumpster at a Lansing-area abortion business. The babies were found on February 26, 2010, which led to an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General and the Eaton and Saginaw counties sheriff departments.

Right to Life of Michigan Legislative Director Ed Rivet said, “When the discovery was made known to Right to Life of Michigan, we offered advice as to current Michigan laws and processes for engaging law enforcement officials regarding a necessary investigation. We are appreciative that the sheriffs of Eaton and Saginaw counties, along with the state Attorney General and Eaton County prosecutor took this case seriously and conducted a thorough investigation. The fact that human remains and medical records were callously and carelessly tossed in the trash calls for something to be done.”

There is a convoluted set of legal facts in this particular case that may or may not result in any serious charges, penalties or fines being rendered. But clearly Michigan laws need to be updated so that the horrible practice of dumping the bodies of aborted babies into trash cans is not allowed to continue.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, “For nearly four years, Right to Life of Michigan has been advocating for the passage of state legislation that would prohibit aborted baby bodies from being disposed of in either the trash or being ground up and flushed into the sanitary sewer system. Such practices are common in the abortion industry and the time has come for them to end.”

Right to Life of Michigan commends State Representatives Joe Haveman, Rick Jones, and Bob Genetski for taking the lead on legislation to bring dignity and respect to the memory of these tiny members of the human family whose lives have been tragically taken.

YouTube video explains how Obamacare affects abortion funding

The Population Research Institute has released a factual video about Obamacare and how it affects abortion funding in the United States. The video, entitled Obamacare: The Facts On Abortion, uses legal research done by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) which details the many ways that Obamacare will lead to expanded abortion coverage across the nation. The video can be seen below or at this link.

The Importance of Voting to Protect Life

Much is at stake on Tuesday, November 2. We have the choice to vote for men and women who are committed to the protection of all human life, born and unborn, or we have the choice to vote for those who believe not all human life is worth defending. Members of our human family need your help to elect prolife candidates who will represent all life and be a voice for the voiceless. Every vote counts. Make sure your vote protects life on Tuesday, November 2.

Personalized Prolife Ballots Available

Political advertisements and messages have multiplied in the past couple of weeks making it harder to wade through the sea of candidates. But knowing who the prolife candidates are in your area is easy! The Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee offers a personalized ballot that you can generate. Enter your first name, last name, and street name (no numbers needed nor other identifiers like South, or Road, etc... just the street name). Produce your ballot and see which candidates honor the sanctity of human life and have met the RLM-PAC's criteria for endorsement at the federal, state, and local levels.

Generate your personalized ballot now:

https://secure.rtl.org/apps/voters/ballot

Aborted Fetal Remains Found in Trash With Mothers’ Names On the Bags, Press Conference Planned

Below is a press release from the Citizens for Pro-Life Society. The prolife group discovered the remains of aborted children in trash dumpsters outside Womans Choice abortion clinics in Lansing and Saginaw. They also found patient documents which included the names of women who obtained abortions along with bloody instruments. They are planning a press conference for Wednesday, October 27.

Aborted Fetal Remains Found in Trash
With Mothers’ Names On the Bags.
Michigan Attorney General
Conducts Investigation.
Legislators Call for Legal Reform of Abortion Industry.

Purpose of the Press Conference
This press conference will reveal through photographs and copies of redacted patient documents, scandalous and unethical practices of the Womans Choice clinics, the disturbing fact that the clinic knowingly threw aborted fetal remains into the trash, as well records bearing patient names, contrary to Michigan and federal law, in violation of patient confidentiality. Furthermore, it will be made known that the Woman Care clinics are illegally incorporated in the state of Michigan, in violation of rules that govern the incorporation of medical facilities to ensure patient safety and physician accountability.

The press conference will call for the immediate legal reform of abortion industry practices. State Representative Rick Jones will present legislation introduced in the Michigan State legislature designed to bring an end to illegal and unethical abortion clinic practices—particularly the grisly disposal of the remains of aborted babies in clinic trash.

History of this Case
On October 22, 2010 The Michigan Attorney General, and the Eaton County and Saginaw County Sheriff Departments completed a 7 month-long investigation of the Woman Care abortion clinics located at 6500 Centurion Drive, Ste. 290, Lansing and 3141 S. Cabaret Trail, Ste 400, Saginaw, Michigan—owned by Florida resident Richard Remund.

The investigation was prompted by the February 26, 2010 discovery of the bodies of 17 aborted babies in a trash dumpster used by the Womans Choice Lansing abortion clinic. The 17 “Whirl Paks” were clearly marked with, not only the January dates of the abortion procedures, but also the full names of the women whose unborn children were contained within the plastic specimen packs. The discovery was made by pro-life activist Chris Veneklase after he observed clinic staff, over a series of weeks, tossing large black bags into the commercial dumpster that services the business park where Womans Choice is located. Veneklase became suspicious that the clinic was getting rid of bio-hazardous material. A bio-waste disposal van was never seen serving the facility where abortions are conducted through the 24th week of gestation.

Veneklase immediately contacted Monica Migliorino Miller, director of Citizens for a Pro-life Society who then joined Veneklase in subsequent searches of the Womans Choice dumpster. Miller also organized searches of the dumpster used by Womans Choice sister clinic in Saginaw, MI. These searches continued through March 2010.

Veneklase and Miller discovered bloody surgical material in the clinic trash bags as well as several patient records from both abortion facilities. Patient records bore the names of Drs. Lewis Twigg and Ronald Nichols—who conduct the abortions at Womans Choice clinics.

Clinic trash contained soiled and bloody suction canulas, bloody gloves, soiled and bloody gauze sacking used in first trimester abortions still holding uterine material, blood saturated surgical sheets and padding as well as empty medicine vials and used urine specimen cups—some marked with the first and last names of the female patients. Everything they found was photographed and documented.....

Funeral Planned for the Aborted Babies
The bodies of the 17 unborn children killed by abortion and retrieved from the trash are currently in an infant coffin at the Borek-Jennings funeral home, Hamburg, Michigan. They will be buried in a publicized funeral ceremony within the next four weeks. In this way the pro-life community hopes to achieve some measure of justice for these victims.

Images of remains of these aborted children can be found online here (warning - these images are graphic).

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2011 Webpage

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday will be observed on January 23, 2011. To assist prolifers in the observance of this solemn day Right to Life of Michigan has created a web page for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2011. The following materials are available to assist churches and groups with their services and events: Bulletin inserts, luminaries, intercessions, ideas for activities, power point presentation, discussion guide and much more.

America's #1 abortion provider makes Michigan endorsements

Planned Parenthood, America's #1 abortion provider, has made endorsements in 7 of Michigan's congressional races. In order to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood, candidates must be willing to vote against any restrictions on abortion and be in favor of tax-funded abortions. Below are the candidates they've endorsed.

Hansen Clark (D-MI) - House

John Conyers (D-MI) - House

John Dingell (D-MI) - House

Sandy Levin (D-MI) - House

Natalie Mosher (D-MI) - House

Gary Peters (D-MI) - House

Mark Schauer (D-MI) - House

Ohio Congressman tries to stop prolife orgs from revealing his pro-abortion vote

Ohio Congressman Steve Driehaus is suing the prolife organization Susan B. Anthony List for what he claims are untrue ads regarding his vote on health care reform. The Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List has paid for billboard in Ohio which say Driehaus "voted for the taxpayer-funded abortion" when he voted in favor of health care reform. Driehaus had a prolife voting record until he voted in favor the health care reform legislation which didn't exclude the federal funding of abortion.

At the request of the SBA List, National Right to Life Committee Legislative Director Douglas Johnson has written an affidavit responding to Driehaus' complaint.

At the request of the SBA List, NRLC submitted a 23-page affidavit, prepared and sworn to by veteran Federal Legislative Director Douglas Johnson, consisting of 65 numbered paragraphs, refuting Driehaus's claims. Paragraph 15 explains that the law that Driehaus voted for "contained multiple provisions that do in fact authorize (i.e., create legal authority for) taxpayer funding of abortion, and that predictably will result in such funding in the future -- unless the law itself is repealed, or unless the law is revised by a future Congress to include statutory language along the lines of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment." Paragraph 32 explains, "Some of these provisions are entirely untouched by any limitation on abortion in existing law or in the PCACA itself, and others are subject only to limitations that are temporary or contingent."

The affidavit provides detailed discussion of four specific programs under which abortion coverage is authorized by the PPACA -- the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Program (PCIP), the program of federal tax-based subsidies to purchase private health plans, the appropriation of $7 billion in new funding for Community Health Centers, and the section creating "multi-state" health plans to be administered by the federal Office of Personnel Management. The affidavit notes that these examples are not exhaustive.

In paragraphs 56-62, Johnson dismisses Driehaus's reliance on Executive Order 13535 as "highly misleading," noting, "There are no directives in the Order that apply to all, or even to most, of the provisions of the PPACA. The operative provisions that are actually contained in the Order are extremely narrow and highly qualified. . . Executive Order 13535 has the hallmarks of a primarily political document." Johnson also notes that the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America characterized the Executive Order as "a symbolic gesture."

READ THE AFFIDAVIT

Today is the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity

Today (October 19) is the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity where thousands of people from across the United States and the world will give up their voices for the day to stand united with unborn children who don't have a voice. When someone tries to communicate with someone participating in the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, the participants will hand them a flier to explain why they are being silent. Students from at least 156 schools in Michigan will be taking part in this event.

Learn more about this event at the web site of Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity.

New Post-Abortion Section of RLM web site

There's a new section of the Right to Life of Michigan web site devoted to post-abortion topics and post-abortion syndrome. Information on post-abortion syndrome, post-abortion help hotlines, books on post-abortion syndrome and online resources for individuals affected by abortion are included at the site.

This information can be found at www.rtl.org under the "Prolife Issues" tab on the home page. Select "Post Abortion."

Or the page can be accessed here.

RLM Recommends NO vote on Proposal 1

Right to Life of Michigan is recommending a NO vote on Proposal 10-1 which calls for a state constitutional convention to draft and propose a new Michigan constitution. This question appears on the ballot automatically every 16 years per a requirement in the 1963 Michigan Constitution. The RLM Board of Directors has determined that at the present time a constitutional convention would not be a prudent endeavor for safeguarding the prolife cause in Michigan.

MORE

New Jersey suspends abortionist's license

Abortionist Steven Brigham had his medical license suspended by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners last night. The board found that he violated state law by beginning abortions in New Jersey and then having pregnant women follow him to Maryland where the abortions were finished.

After nearly a nine-hour hearing in Trenton, the state Board of Medical Examiners medical board concluded Steven Chase Brigham, 54, skirted state law by beginning the late-term abortions in New Jersey and sending the women out of state to finish the procedure.

The board stated "his continued practice presents a clear and imminent danger" to the public and his procedures caused "fetal demise and brought patients to the point" where abortion was basically required, according to a statement read by a board member.

The board agreed, at Brigham's request, to transfer the case in an "expedited" manner to an administrative law judge for further consideration.

Attorney General Paula Dow had said Brigham administered labor-inducing and abortion-"commencing" medication to five patients at his office in Voorhees, and then told them to follow him by car to another clinic he owns in Maryland, where the fetus would be surgically removed by another doctor with his "consultation."

The State Attorney General's Office contends he used the two-state scheme to evade state law prohibiting New Jersey doctors from performing abortions after the 14th week of a patient's last menstrual period outside a hospital or other licensed medical facility.

FULL STORY

Komen Foundation affilates gave nearly $750,000 to Planned Parenthood in 2009

John Hammarley, a spokesman for the Komen Foundation, recently admitted that Komen Foundation gave nearly 3/4 of a million dollars to Planned Parenthood affiliates in 2009. This money adds to the millions of dollars that Komen affiliates had already given to Planned Parenthood affiliates in recent years.

From 2004-2009 Komen affiliates contributed about $3.3 million to programs sponsored by Planned Parenthood and in FY 2009, $731,303. “That $731,303 is less than one percent of the entire amount of community grant funding that affiliates around the country contribute,” Hammarley said.*

But to people like Bordlee, the amount is insignificant. It is the principle of it. “No matter whether they are giving $500,000 a year to Planned Parenthood, or $5, people who respect the dignity of human life and are trying to save people with disease don’t want any part of their money going to an organization that is subsidizing an abortion provider,” she said.

FULL STORY

First U.S. patient injected with embryonic stem cells

Cells made from human embryonic stem cells have been injected into the first patient in Geron's FDA-approved Phase I clinical trial. The trial hopes to show the safety of using cells taken from human embryos in patients with spinal cord injuries. The procedure took place on Friday in Atlanta.

Ed Rivet, Legislative Director for Right to Life of Michigan said, "We are concerned about the long-term safety of the patients in this trial. With the past experience of embryonic stem cells forming tumors, plus the potential immune rejection issues, we hope Geron and the FDA are not putting these patients at risk. Ultimately, this research is unethical and unjust. How is it that these embryos are human enough to scavenge their stem cells, but not human enough to be included in the human family?"

FULL STORY

Archbishop Allen Vigneron defends the human embryo

In an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press, Archbishop Allen Vigneron, points out the disconnect between how someone who assaults a human embryo in the womb can be punished while someone who kills a human embryo in a petri dish is praised.

Embryos are the genesis of human life, and it is morally unacceptable to intentionally destroy them, even if the scientist is trying to cure a debilitating disease or parents are responding to a difficult challenge in their family life. The country we live in defends human rights at home and abroad. That defense must extend to the laboratory.

In Michigan's Compiled Laws, the fetal protection act is precise on punishing individuals who harm or kill a fetus -- or embryo! -- during an intentional assault.

How can there be such a disconnect with what happens in an assault case and what occurs in a laboratory when a human life is destroyed? The person who harmed an embryo in an assault is charged with a felony. The person who destroys an embryo in a petri dish is held harmless and likely considered some sort of medical pioneer. Yet the results were the same: two fewer people in the world who had no power to stop what was happening to them and had no voice in their demise.

FULL STORY

Right to Life of Michigan Teleseminar on October 7

Have lunch with us on Thursday! A Right to Life of Michigan Teleseminar is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, at 12 noon. You will not want to miss this event with Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing and RLM Legislative Director Ed Rivet. The teleseminar will last about 30 minutes.

Barb will highlight the Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee endorsements with updates on key races. Ed will give us an update on the World Stem Cell Summit.

Feel free to submit questions on the Teleseminar web site page (link is below). Please submit your questions by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. This teleseminar is open to the public. Free free to pass this information on to your prolife friends.

EVENT: Right to Life of Michigan Prolife Update

DATE & TIME: Thursday, October 7th at 12:00pm Eastern

FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)

TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://AttendThisEvent.com/?eventid=15358926

Or, call this number on Thursday, October 7, at noon to listen in:

Primary Number (616) 712-3139
Conference ID 662744#

Three abortion clinics in Michigan cited for violating HIPAA laws

Prolife activist Monica Miller recently received letter indicating that the Chicago Office for Civil Rights supported her allegations against three abortion clinics who violated the federal Health Information Privacy and Accountability Act by dumping patient records in their dumpsters.

In February, March and April 2008 members of CPLS (Citizens for a Pro-life Society) conducted searches of the trash dumpsters used by these clinics. The clinics repeatedly dumped whole patient records, including intake forms, abortion appointment schedule sheets, recovery room reports, lab reports, insurance forms, photo-copied driver's licenses, applications for financial aid to off-set the cost of the abortion and other documents that revealed personal health care information.

Hundreds of patient records were recovered, the largest share from the Woman Care clinic, located in Lathrup Village, MI, and owned by Alberto Hodari. In addition to the patient records, extensive bio-hazard waste and the remains of aborted unborn children were also discovered at the clinic dumpsters. Sharpes Family Planning is located in Detroit with its sister clinic, Women's Advisory, located in Livonia, MI. The latter clinics are operated by Reginald Sharpe. Miller filed the HIPAA complaints in September 2008 and OCR (Office for Civil Rights) notified the clinics of its federal investigation in December of that year. A fourth investigation is still pending regarding Eastpointe Gynecology, owned by Jacob Kalo--another Detroit abortion clinic.

Miller states: I'm glad that the OCR took these complaints seriously, but I have to say, the clinics are getting off with just another slap on the hand. Where are the real penalties for the flagrant violations they committed? Where's the justice for the women whose rights and dignity they violated? The OCR should have made these abortionists pay heavy fines and retribution. These are serious violations of HIPAA law and after two years of waiting, the outcome is rather disappointing. The OCR could have sent a real message to other abortion providers and that opportunity was missed."

FULL STORY

University of Michigan researchers kill human embryos, create embryonic stem cell line

On October 3, 2010, the University of Michigan announced they've created Michigan's first embryonic stem cell line. The line was created by removing cells from and thus killing a human embryo. The cell line joins approximately 76 other embryonic stem cell lines creating by other researchers. The human embryo destroyed for her stem cells was donated by a couple who had remaining embryos after going through in-vitro fertilization.

The University of Michigan press release touting the creation of Michigan's first embryonic stem cell line doesn't mention how many human embryos were killed to get this one stem cell line. The press release does say it took "several attempts," meaning several human beings were killed in order to obtain this stem cell line. Based on previous attempts to create embryonic stem cell lines by other institutions such as the University of Wisconsin and the Jones Institute, researchers likely killed between 4-10 human embryos.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, "While we knew University of Michigan researchers were planning on killing human embryos for their cells, we are saddened to know that human beings were sacrificed without their consent for this unproven research. It is wrong to kill some human beings in the vague hope of treating others. There are many life-affirming alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, it is dishonorable that some researchers in Michigan feel they have to destroy human lives. Embryos who do not have a voice are human enough for experimentation, but not human enough to be given a chance at life."

The University of Michigan has also been able to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. iPS cells are cells which have the same properties as embryonic stem cells, but don't require the destruction of human embryos. To date, human embryonic stem cells have never been successfully used to treat human patients.

Learn more about the World Stem Cell Summit being held in Detroit.

Proposal 2 at Two Years

Dr. Joseph Kincaid, Vice-President of Right to Life of Michigan, has written an editorial discussing how Proposal 2 has fared nearly two years after it passed. Proposal 2 legalized the killing of human embryos for research purposes in Michigan.

The grandiose expectations of Proposal 2 were that millions of dollars would flow into Michigan. It is true that in October 2009 the University of Michigan received eleven grants worth $6.8 million in federal stimulus fund money for stem cell research. However, only one grant involved ESC and that one would have been permitted prior to passage of Proposal 2.

Certainly the anticipated boost in our economy through bioscience jobs and other advantages of a number one bioscience atmosphere have not materialized.

So at present there is no apparent financial gain from Proposal 2. One can wonder how much further we would have been toward the cure of disease if money had been given to ASC research rather than ESC research.

FULL STORY

World Stem Cell Summit to begin in Detroit

The 2010 World Stem Cell Summit will be taking place in Detroit this October 4-6. The summit will consist of scientists, physicians and others interested in the expansion of human embryonic stem cell research.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, "We must acknowledge that to conduct human embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of human embryos. Embryos who do not have a voice are human enough for experimentation, but not human enough to be given a chance at life."

To date, human embryonic stem cell research has produced no treatments nor cures while adult stem cell research has yielded more than 70 treatments for serious diseases and ailments.

Embryonic stem cell research destroys human embryos for the potential end-result of treating another person. Yet, embryonic stem cells have not treated or cured any human being during its 12 years in research and development. However, medical researchers are still encouraging the continuation of the destruction of one life without consent in the hopes of saving another.

Listing said, "Embryonic stem cell research targets the smallest and most vulnerable member of our human family, the human embryo. We all want to realize cures, but cures should never be pursued at the expense of destroying human lives."

Scientists argue that frozen embryos remaining from fertility treatments will be discarded or thrown away, but another alternative is available. Embryo adoptions open a world of possibilities for couples struggling with infertility. Numerous families in Michigan have adopted embryos.

Listing said, "While the World Stem Cell Summit hypes human embryonic stem cell research, Right to Life of Michigan will be a steady voice of reason for the vulnerable embryo. At one time we were all embryos. You have a right to life, I have a right to life and each human embryo has the right to life."

Researchers create iPS cells

Researchers in the state of Massachusetts have published the results of their work which shows that induced pluripotent cells can be created safely and efficiently using RNA.

Induced pluripotent stem cells are cells that have the same properties as embryonic stem cells but don't require the destruction of human embryos.

Reporting in the journal Cell Stem Cell, Dr. Derrick Rossi of Harvard Medical School and colleagues said they were working on new ways to make induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells.

These cells closely resemble embryonic stem cells -- the body's true master cells, which can give rise to all of the body's cells and tissue and which also flourish in the lab.

It takes just 3 or 4 genes to turn back the clock on skin cells or other ordinary cells, and make them behave like stem cells. But most ways of doing this involve using a virus to carry the new genes into the cell, or DNA, and these techniques can lead to other problems, including tumors.

Rossi and colleagues in stem cell leader George Daley's lab tried a new method, using RNA instead. RNA is the compound that carries out DNA's instructions.

To their surprise, RNA from the four "stem cell" genes worked to transform ordinary skin cells into iPS cells. These cells could, like stem cells, be made to form beating heart cells, nerve cells and other cell types.

FULL STORY

Adult stem cells save woman's leg

Researchers in England have used adult stem cells to save the leg of a woman named Diane Stuttard who faced having her leg amputated after being hit by a car and enduring 11 operations.

During her operation, at the private Spire Alexandra Hospital in Chatham, Kent, stem cells from her bone marrow were taken and mixed with a gel called Surgifill, which trapped the cells against the fracture. Within days they started to form healthy new bone, healing the break.

Surgeons also lengthened her leg by cutting into a healthy section of bone, injecting the stem cell mix and using an orthopaedic scaffold to gently pull the bone apart at a rate of almost half an inch (1cm) a month.

While the upcoming World Stem Cell Summit will be focused on embryonic stem cell research, life-affirming research which doesn't require the destruction of human embryos is helping people now.

FULL STORY

Michigan community center ends Planned Parenthood lease

Last week, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency board of directors voted 3-3 to end a lease which allowed Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan to use its buildings. In tie votes, motions are denied so the motion to renew the lease was denied. The 7th member of the board would have voted against the renewal as well.

Opposition to Planned Parenthood’s role as Title X provider for St. Joseph, Branch, and Hillsdale counties began before the contract was awarded, and has continued to build, particularly in the past year. Yesterday morning, more than 100 people packed the BHSJ meeting room in Coldwater, the majority to express opposition to Planned Parenthood, abortion, and to the lease renewal, while others spoke in support of Planned Parenthood’s services.

Summing up what was the sentiment of the majority of those speaking against renewal of Planned Parenthood’s lease, Jim Goethals of Sturgis said, “I’d like to see Planned Parenthood replaced by a medical provider that does not provide abortions.”

A number of speakers, most impassioned in their delivery, told the BHSJ board of their opposition to Planned Parenthood because it is a provider of abortions at its facility in Kalamazoo. Lorijo Nerad of Three Rivers presented a personal narrative of what she said were very negative experiences with the organization.

FULL STORY

RLM News 2010 General Election Now Online

The 2010 General Election Issue of the RLM News is now online here.

The issue includes articles on new educational television ads, Virg Bernero's extreme pro-abortion record and Michigan's 2009 abortion statistics.

Detroit News finds Bernero's abortion ad to be deceptive

The Michigan Democratic State Central Committee has a television ad out in favor of gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero which claims Rick Snyder has an "extreme" position on abortion. The Detroit News reviewed this ad and found it to be deceptive.

The ad says Snyder will "make government ban abortion, even when it puts women's health in terrible danger." A ban "could actually put doctors in jail." Several news sources are cited at the bottom of the clip.

What record says

None of the sources referenced in the ad support its claim that Snyder intends to ban abortion; they only say he opposes it. They don't mention the jailing of doctors.....

The ad draws unwarranted conclusions from truth and presents them as fact. It also oversimplifies Snyder's position on the abortion issue and uses fear tactics to appeal to women voters.

FULL STORY

General Election Endorsement Available Online

Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee endorsements are now available online. A personalized prolife ballot can be obtained at the prolife ballot generator while the full listing of candidates is here.

World Stem Cell Summit set to honor proponents of embryo-killing research

Helping some should never include killing others

On October 4-6, Detroit will host the World Stem Cell Summit which is a conference focusing on stem cell research. The conference will feature numerous presentations by researchers and embryonic stem cell research advocates. The World Stem Cell Summit and its organizer Bernard Siegel are proponents of research which requires the destruction of human embryos and human cloning for research. Two supporters of killing human embryos for research, Governor Jennifer Granholm and Alfred Taubman are set to be honored for their advocacy on behalf of destroying human life for research.

Proponents of human embryonic stem cells often talk about the "promise" of embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell research has been receiving funding from the federal government since 2001, because of this, many think the research has helped those in need. The reality is human embryonic stem cells have not yet successfully treated a single human patient. One consequence of human embryonic stem cell research is the intentional destruction of some human lives for the sake of experimentation.

For more information about stem cell research, visit the Right to Life of Michigan web site devoted to stem cell research, www.stemcellresearchcures.com

Desperate Virg Bernero touts being endorsed by America's leading abortion provider

On September 20, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero used a news conference to advertise being endorsed by Planned Parenthood and attack Republican candidate Rick Snyder for opposing abortion. Recently released numbers from Planned Parenthood show they committed a record 324,008 abortions in 2008.

Bernero also promised to defend the legal killing of unborn human beings if he becomes governor.

"It is crucial we have a governor who understands, believes and is committed to women's rights and women's right to choose and you can count on me doing that," Bernero said in his first of three news conferences scheduled in Lansing, Flint and Southfield.

Bernero has a long record of supporting abortion on demand including partial-birth abortion. For more information about Virg Bernero's extreme pro-abortion voting record, click here.

FULL STORY

Massachusetts abortionist sentenced to jail for involuntary manslaughter

On September 14, abortionist Rapin Osathanondh was sentenced to 6 months in jail after pleading guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of Laura Hope Smith.

Smith was 13 weeks pregnant when she went to Osathanondh's Cape Cod office for an abortion. She died later that day. Prosecutors say he failed to monitor her while she was anesthetized delayed calling 911 when her heart stopped, and lied to cover his actions.

The Board of Registration in Medicine said Osathanondh, 67, had "engaged in conduct that calls into question his competence to practice medicine," had no oxygen or heart monitoring equipment and "failed to adhere to basic cardiac life support protocol."

FULL STORY

New poll finds Americans favor funding life-affirming stem cell research

A new poll conducted by International Communications Research finds that 47% of Americans don't want their tax dollars used to fund embryonic stem cell research. Only 38% favored spending federal tax dollars on this research.

After being informed about life-affirming forms of stem cell research which don't necessitate the destruction of human life, 57% favored only funding life-affirming forms of stem cell research compared to 21% who favored funding all forms of research. The poll also found that the majority of Americans continue to oppose human cloning. The survey was commissioned by the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and was conducted on September 8-14.

"The Senate should not be misled on this important issue," said Richard M. Doerflinger, Associate Director of the USCCB's Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. "Most Americans do not support federally funded research that requires destroying human embryos. They want their tax dollars used for stem cell research that is ethically sound as well as medically promising – the kind of research that has attracted the interest and commitment of more and more stem cell experts in recent years."

FULL STORY

Kent County commissioners move to remove abortion coverage for employees

Three members of the Kent County Commission (Bob Synk, Tom Antor and Stan Ponstein) have pushed for Kent County employee unions to voluntarily remove abortion coverage from their health care plans which are paid for by the county. A county board committee is expected to vote on their measure on today.

UPDATE:The board committee voted in favor of the prolife measure by a vote of 9-0.

Their efforts have culminated with a request expected to be voted on Tuesday by a county board committee. That request directs administrative staff to ask unions to voluntarily remove the benefit, and if they refuse, to make it a negotiating issue when contracts expire. Antor, Synk and Ponstein are members of the committee.

"As a taxpayer, I'm kind of offended that my tax dollars are being used for that procedure," said Antor, who describes himself as a "staunch pro-life advocate.".....

The benefit is not widely used among the county's 1,725 employees that have the coverage. Since Jan. 1 2004, county health benefits have covered $5,601 for 13 abortion procedures, according to the county's human resources department.

The issue caught the attention of Synk, Antor and Ponstein after they heard news reports about a pair of Kalamazoo County commissioners who earlier this year pushed for elective abortions to be eliminated from health benefits.

Kent County Administrator Daryl Delabbio said he and most administrative staff members were unaware the benefit was part of the county's Blue Cross Blue Shield health care coverage until someone asked the question.

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Detroit Free Press story on cord blood donations

On Monday, the Detroit Free Press featured a story on the importance of cord blood donations. Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells and can be used to help patients suffering from about 70 different conditions, according to the Free Press.

Just 19 months old, Makayla needs a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.

She was diagnosed one month after birth with a rare disease, Diamond Blackfan Anemia, which leaves her body unable to make red blood cells.

"She almost died in my arms," said her mother, Amanda Hampton, 21, of Detroit, remembering how she rushed her daughter to the hospital during her first month of life. Her baby could barely breathe, was sweating profusely, and her skin had turned pale.

Makayla's best option is a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, a procedure that transplants cells derived from blood products or umbilical cord blood to help patients rebuild their circulatory or immune systems. Her mother said she hopes to find a match through the Be the Match Registry of the National Marrow Donor Program, a federally designated agency that helps coordinate requests from unrelated donors for stem cell and bone marrow transplants.

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Michigan woman charged with the death of her newborn child

A woman in Northern Michigan named Lynzee Sanders has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after she admitted to authorities that she wrapped up her newborn child and hid her daughter in a shed in October of 2009. The child was found in May of 2010 after two boys discovered the baby's body after it had been removed from the shed by a dog. The article also mention's Michigan Safe Delivery of Newborns Act which allows mothers to legally surrender their newborn children.

Test results from a DNA diagnostic center in Ohio indicated Sanders was the mother of the dead infant. Sanders then told investigators she gave birth to a live baby girl last October but believed the infant died shortly after delivery, court records show.

Area authorities investigated four infant death cases in recent months, including the most recent dead baby found in a backpack Tuesday in Boyne City. The spike in infant deaths prompted authorities to increase promotion of safe options for mothers during pregnancy, including the Safe Delivery of Newborns Act.

The act took effect throughout Michigan in 2001 and allows mothers legally to surrender their infants within 72 hours of birth to an emergency service provider. They can request anonymity and refuse to answer questions when they drop off their infant at a hospital, police station or fire department.

"It certainly is much better than what we've been experiencing," said sheriff's Capt. Dave Meachum. "It's a great, nonviolent option."

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Abortions up, adoption referrals way down at Planned Parenthood

According to the latest numbers from Planned Parenthood, their organization performed 324,008 abortions in 2008, up 6.1% from the 305,310 abortion they committed in 2007. Planned Parenthood performs more than a 25% of all abortions which occur in the United States. While the number of abortions being performed in the United States has decreased over the last decade, the number of abortions performed at Planned Parenthood has risen dramatically.

The number of Planned Parenthood adoption referrals dropped a staggering 51% to 2,405. This means that for every one adoption referral, Planned Parenthood aborts 134 children.

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Court of Appeals stays ruling on federal embryonic stem cell funding, funding will continue

On September 9, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stayed a temporary injunction against the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research after an appeal from the U.S. Justice Department.

In a major victory for supporters of the research, the court said the Obama administration could resume funding the research pending a full appeal of the case.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, ruling in a lawsuit filed by two researchers working on alternatives to the cells, said the funding violated a federal rule that prohibits federal tax money from being used for research that involves the destruction of human embryos.....

The original decision was hailed by opponents of the research, who argue it is immoral to destroy human embryos. But it was condemned by supporters and advocates for patients, who said it was a major setback for one of the most promising areas of biomedical research.

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Federal Judge Keeps Federal Stem Cell Funding Ban in Place

On September 7, Judge Royce Lamberth denied a motion by President Obama's administration to stay a ruling which prevents federal tax dollars from being used on human embryonic stem cell research.

"Defendants are incorrect about much of their 'parade of horribles' that will supposedly result from this Court's preliminary injunction," Lamberth wrote.....

"In this Court's view, a stay would flout the will of Congress, as this Court understands what Congress has enacted in the Dickey-Wicker Amendment," Lamberth wrote in Tuesday's ruling. "Congress has mandated that the public interest is served by preventing taxpayer funding of research that entails the destruction of human embryos."

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Maryland suspends licenses of two abortionists

Health officials in the state of Maryland have ordered two licensed abortionists to stop performing abortions in their state after a woman was severely injured during an abortion procedure. An investigation following the injury discovered the bodies of numerous late-term aborted children. The state of Maryland has also ordered a third abortionist to stop performing abortions in Maryland without a license.

The state Board of Physicians ordered Dr. Steven Brigham to stop practicing medicine without a license in Maryland and suspended the license of Dr. Nicola Riley. Police raided one of Brigham's offices in Elkton looking for medical records, and found dozens of late-term fetuses in a freezer at a clinic.

Riley and Brigham brought an injured 18-year-old woman in a personal vehicle to Union Hospital in Elkton after a failed abortion Aug. 13, according to the board's orders. The woman was then taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where she was found to have a uterine perforation.....

Several days later, the Elkton police department, acting on a warrant for the woman's medical record, found a freezer with about 35 late-term fetuses.

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Detroit News doesn't understand induced pluripotent stem cell research

In an editorial pushing for Congress to expressly allow the federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, the Detroit News editorial board makes a strange argument.

Even though embryonic stem cells are still crucial, researchers in Michigan are striving to convert adult skin cells into "pluripotent" stem cells which are similar to embryonic stem cells.

This research could eventually sidestep the need for embryos, the university contends.

Such strides should not be impeded.

Research into induced pluripotent cells (cells with the same properties as embryonic stem cells but created from adult cells) isn't affected by Judge Royce Lamberth's ruling. His ruling prevents federal funds from being used in research where a human embryo is killed.

One of the reasons researchers are so excited about induced pluripotent cells is that human embryos don't need to be killed in order to obtain them.

Majority of Americans oppose tax dollars being used on human embryonic stem cell research

A survey of 1,000 likely voters by Rasmussen Reports found that 57% of Americans believe that the funding of embryonic stem cell research experiments should be left to the private sector. Only 33% believe their tax dollars should be used to pay for these experiments. The survey was conducted on August 25-26.

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Jack Kevorkian gets applauded at Emmy Awards

On Sunday night, Al Pacino won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Jack Kevorkian in the HBO film, "You Don't Know Jack." During his acceptance speech Pacino praised Kevorkian, a man who assisted in the suicides of more than 100 people, by calling him "brilliant and interesting and unique."

During Pacino's speech, Kevorkian stood up and received some applause from the audience.

Kevorkian was released from jail in 2007 after spending 8 years prison for the murder of Thomas Youk.

Al Pacino was honored as best lead actor in a miniseries or movie for "You Don't Know Jack," about euthanasia advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who was in the audience and stood, smiling, at Pacino's request. The controversial physician received scattered applause.

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Virg Bernero's extreme pro-abortion, anti-life record

As a member of the Michigan Legislature, Virg Bernero voted to uphold the most extreme elements of legal abortion and to keep taxpayer funds flowing to abortion-performing organizations. Bernero served one term in the Michigan House (2001-02) and a partial term in the Michigan Senate (2003-05).

On three different occasions Senator Bernero voted against a bill to ban partial birth abortion (1). The third vote was on an initiative petition submitted by over 460,000 Michigan voters asking the Legislature to again approve the ban Bernero had previously voted against and which had been vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Senator Bernero voted against a bill to close a loophole in Michigan's abortion parental consent law that was allowing pregnant teens to “judge shop” for a favorable judge who would grant the minor a waiver from having to get a parent's consent before having an abortion (2). Gov. Granholm eventually vetoed this bill as well.

In the House, Rep. Bernero voted against a bill to protect women considering abortions from predatory financial practices by abortion clinics. The bill would prohibit abortion clinics from collecting “down payments” in order for women to make an appointment for an abortion (3). Women are given a 24-hour waiting period under Michigan law to consider whether to go through with the abortion. Clinics collecting down payments at the start of the 24-hour period were refusing to refund some or all of the money if the women changed their mind.

Rep. Bernero voted against a bill that would prioritize state funds for “family planning” programs to be given to organizations that do not perform or promote abortion (4). Bernero has been a stalwart supporter of America's #1 abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, which receives millions of taxpayer dollars in Michigan every year. Planned Parenthood has endorsed Bernero in his race for governor.

Rep. Bernero even voted against a bill to allow Michigan drivers the opportunity to purchase a specialty vehicle license plate reading “Choose Life”, that would raise funds for adoption programs and abortion alternative agencies (5).

Prior to serving in the Legislature, Bernero personally and very publicly supported Dr. Jack Kevorkian and his deadly assisted suicide practices. Bernero was a supporter of the the 1998 Proposal B ballot campaign to legalize assisted suicide.

1 Senate Bill 395, votes on 5/1/2003 and 9/30/2003, initiative petition 6/9/2004.
2 House Bill 4478, vote on 1/21/2004
3 House Bill 5971, vote on 5/29/2002
4 House Bill 4665, vote on 12/13/2001
5 House Bill 4759, vote on 12/5/2001

Red flags surround FDA approval of ella

On August 13, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug called “ella” (also known as ulipristal acetate) for use as a emergency contraceptive. Women will need to get a prescription before obtaining ella. This drug has been used in Europe since 2009. Watson Pharmaceutical will market ella and plans to make the product available by the end of 2010.

The FDA’s web site describes ella as a “progesterone agonist/antagonist emergency contraceptive indicated for prevention of pregnancy following unprotected intercourse or a known or suspected contraceptive failure.”

Various prolife groups are concerned ella doesn’t act solely by preventing ovulation but also acts by preventing a human embryo from implanting in a woman’s womb. Prolife groups have serious reason for concern because the chemical make-up of ella is similar to chemical composition of the abortion drug RU-486, which is also an anti-progesterone drug and can used for abortions. RU-486 acts by cutting off the nutrients to the growing unborn child.

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Federal Judge Stops President Obama's Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding Policy, For Now

On August 23, federal district court Judge Royce Lamberth issued a temporary injunction against President Obama's human embryonic stem cell policy, stating that the policy violates the law. Judge Lamberth ruled that Obama's funding policy violates the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, a law which bans federal funds from going to research which destroys human embryos. President Obama's funding policy attempted to get around this law by funding research after the destruction of embryos had taken place. Judge Lamberth found this distinction meaningless.

The judge ruled that the Obama administration’s policy was illegal because the administration’s distinction between work that leads to the destruction of embryos — which cannot be financed by the federal government under the current policy — and the financing of work using stem cells created through embryonic destruction was meaningless. In his ruling, he referred to embryonic stem cell research as E.S.C.

“If one step or ‘piece of research’ of an E.S.C. research project results in the destruction of an embryo, the entire project is precluded from receiving federal funding,” wrote Judge Lamberth, who was appointed to the federal bench in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan.

In other words, the neat lines that the government had drawn between the process of embryonic destruction and the results of that destruction are not valid, the judge ruled.

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