Appeals court rules in favor of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research

A U.S. Appeals court ruled 2-1 on Friday that taxpayer funding of human embryonic stem cell research can continue. The ruling overturns a federal judge's injunction that temporarily stopped funding, though funding was allowed to continue while the injunction was appealed.

Judge Douglas Ginsburg, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, wrote that it was "entirely reasonable" for the NIH to interpret the law as "permitting funding for research using cell lines derived without federal funding, even as it bars funding for the derivation of additional lines."

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, said the federal law was clear about banning funding for human embryonic stem cell research and that the court majority was engaging in "linguistic jujitsu" to back it.

The case emerged from two researchers who opposed work with embryonic stem cells and sued to block such funding. They argued that they were at risk of being squeezed out of federal grants for their own work with adult stem cells, which do not involve the destruction of embryos.

The researchers, Dr. James Sherley, a biological engineer at Boston Biomedical Research Institute, and Theresa Deisher, of Washington-based AVM Biotechnology, could appeal the ruling to the full appeals court, a lawyer involved in the case said.

FULL STORY

Baby Joseph doing well at home, father feels victorious

The Windsor Star has an updated report on Baby Joseph, the terminally ill Canadian child who was transported to St. Louis for a tracheotomy after Canadian doctors almost took him off life support.

Only months ago, the fate of 15-month-old Joseph Maraachli was a question mark. Doctors at London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ont., sought to take the infant off life support as he battled a progressive neurological disease.

But on Sunday, the round-cheeked baby was home in Windsor, resting in a cradle packed with plush toys. Now and then he opened his eyes or wriggled a little, or moved his arms beneath father Moe Maraachli's occasional touches and kisses.

When Maraachli held out a finger at one point, Joseph's own stubby fingers curled around it.

He's breathing without a ventilator, Maraachli said, after surgery in St. Louis ? the airway-opening tracheotomy his family sought but couldn't get in Canada as they battled to bring Joseph home to die.

"I feel victorious," Maraachli said, smiling broadly as he stood by Joseph's crib. "I feel I won and my baby's alive."

But he's also been left with questions about why he and wife Sana Nader had to go to the U.S. for help.

"That's what makes me mad," he said. "Why I have to travel to St. Louis?

FULL STORY

RLM's Legislative Day a huge success

On April 27, more than 350 prolife people from across Michigan came to Lansing to let their voices be heard as they learned about important prolife legislation, got tips on lobbying from the Right to Life of Michigan Legislative team, Ed Rivet and Mollie Schweppe, and discussed legislation and prolife issues with their state legislators during lunch. The keynote speaker for the event was Yvonne Florczak-Seeman from Illinois.

Yvonne shared her moving testimony of past abortions and her journey to healing. Her desire is to bring a message of hope and healing to post-abortive women and help women who are facing unplanned pregnancies. The message is found in her organization, Love from Above.

National Right to Life's president discusses the work of prolife organizations

The National Review is featuring an interview with Carol Tobias, the newly elected president of the National Right to Life Committee. Carol discusses NRLC's work, prolife legislation and the importance of defeating Planned Parenthood.

LOPEZ: Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to work on this issue?

TOBIAS: Our Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." I believe that: that life is an unalienable right. For me, personally, I oppose abortion because all human life is created by God; innocent human life should be respected and protected. Unborn babies are being killed by having their arms and legs torn from their torsos, or are being sucked into a vacuum machine. Elderly men and women, and disabled persons, are being starved to death because someone believes they cannot contribute to society. How can anyone know this is happening and not get involved?

LOPEZ: What do you make of all this "war on women" talk?

TOBIAS: Pro-abortion groups like to create rhetorical smokescreens that distract the public from the real issues at hand. When they say pro-lifers have launched a "war on women," what they're referring to (but don't want to say straight out) is pro-life efforts to stop the flow of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood — the nation's largest provider and promoter of abortion. Pro-abortion groups know that if they talk about what really happens in an abortion, they'll lose the argument, so they have to resort to inflammatory rhetoric that portrays pro-lifers as militants attacking women.

FULL INTERVIEW

Baby Joseph safely returned home

On April 21, Baby Joseph flew from St. Louis to Windsor, Canada with his family. Baby Joseph is a terminally-ill 1-year-old whose case made international headlines after a hospital in Canada refused to perform a tracheotomy and nearly removed his life support against the wishes of his parents. For the last month, Baby Joseph has been cared for at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis. A tracheotomy was successfully performed and he has been off a ventilator for more than a week.

Joseph Maraachli left Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis before dawn and flew with his parents and 7-year-old brother to their home in Ontario, exactly one month after receiving a tracheotomy aimed at extending his life, the hospital said in a statement.

Baby Joseph suffers from the progressive neurological disease Leigh Syndrome. Doctors in Canada had refused to perform the tracheotomy, saying it was futile, and an Ontario court decided doctors could remove the child's breathing tube.

His family sought help from American hospitals, and Cardinal Glennon agreed to treat Joseph.

The hospital said the tracheotomy was a success and that Joseph has been breathing without a ventilator for more than a week.

FULL STORY

Judge rules Lathrup Village abortion clinic can stay open for 2 more weeks

Yesterday, Judge Denise Langford Morris ruled that Alberto Hodari's WomenCare abortion clinic in Lathrup Village can stay open for at least two weeks to give time to both sides to develop their cases.

At issue is the Freestanding Surgical Outpatient Facilities license, required of certain medical facilities not associated with hospitals that perform surgeries and procedures such as endoscopy, cosmetic surgery and abortions, provided that abortions make up more than 50% of the patient load per year.

WomanCare of Southfield had been licensed since 2008, but in 2010, Hodari opted against renewing the facilities license.

A 2009 MDCH inspection found numerous health and safety violations, all of which Hodari fixed except one -- building an additional fire exit to service the split-level building on Southfield Road.

FULL STORY

Abortionist Alberto Hodari will fight to keep Lathrup Village clinic open

A lawyer for Michigan abortionist Alberto Hodari has told the Detroit Free Press he will appear in court to fight efforts by Attorney General Bill Schuette and the Michigan Department of Community Health to close down one of his abortion clinics.

Last summer, based on the cost of fire code compliance tied to the license, Hodari decided against renewing. The doctor, whose medical license is separate and valid, applied to have the building grandfathered, as it is older than the codes, but was denied, according to legal filings.

The state, after monitoring Hodari’s practice for several months, found he was in violation of the license law, and the Attorney General’s office filed suit earlier this month. During that time, Hodari tried to submit plans to fix the fire code violation......

Hodari’s attorney said the doctor has gone to great lengths to recruit gynecological patients to keep his abortion services under 51%, and that the state is unfairly imposing itself on the clinic, which has been in the spotlight before for improperly disposing of medical records.

FULL STORY

Abortion clinic in Southgate, Michigan closes

The prayers of prolife sidewalk counselors were answered on April 16, 2011, when two moving trucks pulled up to WomanCare Downriver Medical Surgical Center and the equipment in the abortion clinic was loaded into the trucks. After everything was loaded into the trucks, a closed sign was taped to the door and the door was locked.

This abortion clinic was owned by infamous abortionist Alberto Hodari and formerly had been up for sale. One of Hodari's other abortion clinics is currently being sued by Michigan's attorney general and the Michigan Department of Community Health for operating without a license.

Prolife legislators working on passing stem cell reporting legislation

Prolife legislators in Michigan are hoping to pass legislation which would require universities who take part in embryonic stem cell to report a variety of items, including the number of human embryos they have, how many human embryos they've killed, etc.

Some Republican lawmakers want to know exactly how Michigan's research universities are using stem cells. They want the universities to report how many human embryos they have and how many stem-cell lines they have created using them.

The measure was tucked into the higher education funding bill passed last week along a party-line vote in a higher education subcommittee. The same method was tried last year to get the measure passed, but it failed.

"We want to know exactly what's going on with stem cells," said state Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, chairman of the subcommittee. "It's still a pretty big issue. We can at least keep a grip on what's going on."

He said those who led the drive in 2008 to get voters to approve the use of stem cells from human embryos promised the move would create jobs.

He's skeptical that's happening.

"Some of us feel duped," he said.

FULL STORY

U.S. House, U.S. Senate vote on de-funding Planned Parenthood

On Thursday, April 14, the majority of U.S. House of Representatives voted to de-fund Planned Parenthood, but when members of the U.S. Senate had the opportunity, a majority voted to continue funding, with our tax dollars, the number one abortion business in the United States, Planned Parenthood.

The U.S. House members voted 241-185 for a resolution that would prohibit the Planned Parenthood abortion business from qualifying for family planning funds. Those from Michigan who supported this prolife measure included: Dan Benishek (R-1); Dave Camp (R-4); Bill Huizenga (R-2); Thaddeus McCotter (R-11); Candice Miller (R-10); Mike Rogers (R-8); Fred Upton (R-6); and Tim Walberg (R-7). Full Role Call

Following the vote in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate voted 42-58 defeating the bill to cut off federal funds to the Planned Parenthood. Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow cast pro-abortion votes opposing the bill to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Full Role Call

U.S. Senate defeats measure to de-fund Planned Parenthood

By a vote of 58-42, the U.S. Senate voted against a bill to de-fund Planned Parenthood, America's #1 abortion provider. The U.S. Senate also voted 53-47 on party lines against a bill to de-fund the health care law passed in 2010 which contains a plethora of anti-life provisions.

The roll call of the vote to de-fund Planned Parenthood is here. Both Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow voted against de-funding Planned Parenthood and against de-funding the health care law.


FULL STORY

Rep. Amash Needs to Hear from You Today

The U.S. House is expected to vote on Resolution 36 (the Pence Amendment to de-fund Planned Parenthood) this Thursday. Rep. Justin Amash voted "present" the last time it came up (equivalent to a "no"vote).

Please contact Rep. Amash immediately - today if possible - to ask him to vote YES on Resolution 36 - the Pence Amendment to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

Rep. Amash's Grand Rapids district Office number is: 616-451-8383 and his D.C. office number is: 202-225-3831.

We must impress on Rep. Amash the importance of de-funding the largest abortion provider in the nation and remind him that he considers himself to be prolife and committed to protect the unborn.

National Right to Life Committee has a new president

Over the weekend, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) board of directors voted to elect Carol Tobias as NRLC's new president.

“I am extremely humbled and honored to be elected president by the National Right to Life board, which represents our nationwide network of state affiliates and local chapters,” said Mrs. Tobias. “As the late pro-life Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois said, National Right to Life ‘is the flagship of the pro-life movement.’ I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help our pro-life network in its continuing effort to educate the public and pass laws protecting mothers and their unborn children.”

A native of North Dakota, Tobias has served on the NRLC board of directors since 1987. From 1983 to 1991 she was executive director of North Dakota Right to Life and in 1991 was hired as NRLC political director, a position she held until 2005. During her tenure as NRLC political director, pro-life majorities were elected to both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. In both 2000 and 2004, she oversaw the efforts of NRLC’s political action committee on behalf of George W. Bush.

FULL STORY

U.S. Senate to vote on Pence Amendment

The battle to de-fund Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion business in the United States, continues. Prolife U.S. House Speaker John Boehner has negotiated cutting taxpayer funding of abortion in the District of Columbia and guaranteeing a straight up-or-down vote in the U.S. Senate on the Pence Amendment.

House Republicans have already approved the Pence Amendment to remove tens of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood. Now, it's the U.S. Senate's turn to take a vote.

This is what we know: Throughout the debate on de-funding Planned Parenthood, representatives of Planned Parenthood have claimed women who use Planned Parenthood's non-abortion services will have nowhere to turn if Congress votes to prevent federal tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood.

Despite Planned Parenthood's claims, there are more than 140 community health centers in Michigan which served nearly half a million people in 2008. Planned Parenthood is not the only game in town. Now is the time to clearly state to our U.S. Senators we do not want our hard-earned tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood.

Contact our two U.S. Senators today and let them know: "I support the Pence Amendment. I do not want my tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood."

If you have contacted U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Senator Carl Levin already, please contact them again. While both are pro-abortion, they need to hear that federal funding for Planned Parenthood is not acceptable.

Senator Carl Levin (D)

Phone: (202) 224-6221

Web Site: www.levin.senate.gov/


Senator Debbie Stabenow (D)

Phone: (202) 224-4822

Web Site: www.stabenow.senate.gov/

Planned Parenthood Funding Big Issue in Budget Negotiations

Several media outlets are reporting that a provision to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood, which performed 332,278 abortions in 2009, is a major sticking point in budget negotiations to avert a government shutdown at midnight tonight. Vote on whether you think Planned Parenthood should be defunded at the link below.

An Associated Press report says that, “the White House and Republicans have agreed on a spending cut of $38 billion but a fight over federal dollars for Planned Parenthood is blocking a deal.”

FULL STORY

Prolife group exposes Planned Parenthood's history, business model

In an ad placed in various Washington-area newspapers today, the prolife Susan B. Anthony List asks, "Should Planned Parenthood really force taxpayers to fund the convictions of Margaret Sanger?" and then lists a variety of quotes from Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood.  The ad also discusses how Planned Parenthood's business model relies on abortion and that "98 percent of Planned Parenthood's services to pregnant women were abortions."

FULL AD

University of Michigan researchers kill more embryos, create new embryonic stem cell lines

Researchers at the University of Michigan announced over the weekend they killed more human embryos and created two new embryonic stem cell lines which have the genes of human embryos with genetic mutations.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, "It is a sad day when researchers triumph over the destruction of vulnerable, innocent human life."

In 2008, Michigan voters were promised a plethora of cures with the passage of Proposal 2. The result is not what people expected, Michigan's Constitution was negatively altered to allow for the destruction of human embryos. Researchers are now saying the cells they created by killing human embryos aren't "necessarily going to drive us toward discoveries of stem cell replacement therapies, but will give us information we've never had before with regards to how the diseases form and progress."

Instead of providing the previously promised cures, researchers now admit they wanted to kill human embryos so they could do basic research on how diseases form and progress.

How many Michigan voters were manipulated into voting for Proposal 2 based on the illegitimate promise that allowing Michigan researchers to kill human embryos would revolutionize medicine? It seems researchers knew all along that the destruction of human lives would merely help them gather more information.

The University of Michigan is also in the process of attempting to collect more human embryos with genetic diseases which they hope to kill for their stem cells.

Ed Rivet, Legislative Director for Right to Life of Michigan said, "If you look at the history of ethical research, we don't destroy an individual with a disease in order to find cure for the disease.

Human life starts at the moment of conception. Tiny human embryos have unique genetic blueprints that have already decided if they will be a boy or a girl and if they will have blue, green or brown eyes. These are facts that we cannot forget.

Listing said, "We reject the taking of innocent human life to resolve the challenges of life itself."

Prolifers in Oakland County open pregnancy resource center in same building as abortion clinic

The Oakland Press recently covered the efforts of prolifers in Oakland County to open Birth Choice Pregnancy Resource Center in the same building as an abortion clinic.

Besides confidential counseling, free infant supplies and adoption referrals, Birth Choice offers free pregnancy tests, childbirth and parenting information and post abortion support. In the next few months, Schupbach said they will also be offering free ultrasounds, and, until then, they will be referring expectant mothers to clinics with free ultrasounds.

“We're just showing them a picture of their baby. We're not telling them if anything is wrong,” said Schupbach. “When they see a picture of the baby, they realize it's a baby.”

Executive Director of Birth Choice Brenda Savage, who has a background in health service administration, legislation and politics, said she is very pleased with how quickly the center has grown and by the support of the Independence Township community.

“So many women feel helpless and hopeless. They don't realize that it's only right here around the corner, and that they're not coming here to be judged. They're coming here to be loved. In doing that, we want to share with these women that they are important, and if they understand that we care about them, it will be easier for them to care about their baby,” said Savage

FULL STORY

Meet Your Prolife Representative: Rep. Tim Walberg

It's important for prolife citizens to know who their legislators are and what they think about life issues. We asked all prolife representatives from Michigan three questions to get each legislator's views about the importance of being prolife. Each month, we'll highlight the responses from one representative and provide you with ways to keep in touch or contact the representative.

Rep. Tim Walberg

Michigan Seventh Congressional District - Battle Creek, Jackson, Adrian

418 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6276

Website: http://walberg.house.gov/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/repwalberg

Twitter: http://twitter.com/repwalberg

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/repwalberg


What does it mean to be prolife?

To me, being prolife means that I recognize that life is a sacred gift from God and is intended to be preserved from conception to natural death.

View all of Representative Walberg's answers.

Abortion Recovery Awareness Month

April is Abortion Recovery Awareness Month and its goal is to educate the public on abortion's effects on individuals and family and offer hope, healing and help to individuals suffering from an abortion experience.

Abortion Recovery Awareness Month (ARAM) (aka: Abortion Recovery Month) was established in April 2005 by Abortion Recovery InterNational, Inc. (ARIN) as a way to encourage and extend healing opportunities to individuals and families hurting from an abortion experience.

Co-founders Stacy Massey and Christine Jackman believed abortion recovery was just as significant as other awareness efforts.

During the month of April, ARIN Affiliates and Advocates enlighten society by reaching out to others in their community through many different venue.

Learn more at http://www.abortionrecoveryawarenessmonth.org/