Kagan questioned on partial-birth abortion memos

During her confirmation hearings on June 30, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was questioned by Senators on memos she wrote regarding partial-birth abortion. Recently released memos show that Kagan added language to a statement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on partial-birth abortion.

As a Republican-controlled Congress in the 1990s debated whether to ban the controversial procedure, Kagan wrote a memo in which she expressed concern about a statement that the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist was going to release that revealed its panel of experts found no circumstances in which the procedure was the only option for saving the life of the woman.

"This, of course, would be a disaster," she wrote.

Kagan revised the language so the final statement in 1997 said that the partial-birth abortion "may be the best and most appropriate procedure in particular circumstances to save the life or preserve the health of the woman."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told Kagan on Wednesday "that's a very different spin and obviously a more politically useful spin."

FULL STORY

RLM-PAC endorsement available online

Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee endorsements are now available online at www.rtl.org. All candidate endorsements are listed here and individuals can type their name and street into the 2010 Michigan ballot generator to create a personalized prolife ballot.

National Right to Life to U.S. Senators: Oppose Kagan nomination

National Right to Life Committee has sent a letter to the members of the U.S. Senate urging them to oppose the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. After examining memos and documents released after the nomination, NRLC concludes,

Our conclusion is that Elena Kagan is first and foremost a social engineer, animated primarily by a desire to shape public policy on a host of issues. Her legal training and talent is chiefly directed to these ends.

On the issue of abortion, NRLC shows how Elena Kagan played a key role in keeping partial-birth abortion legal while Bill Clinton was president.

The White House documents reveal Ms. Kagan to have been a key strategist ? perhaps, indeed, the lead strategist within the White House ? in the successful effort to prevent enactment of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act during the Clinton Administration. The picture that emerges of Ms. Kagan is not that of a staffer who presented the President with objective information and disinterested analysis, but rather, a staffer who sometimes presented selective and tendentious information, and who employed a variety of legal and political arguments, to achieve her overriding goal of defeating the legislation.

They also note how it appears that Kagan worked to intentionally mislead President Clinton and the public about the frequency and reasons for partial-birth abortions.

Early on (in January, 1996, if not earlier), it appears that Ms. Kagan was instrumental in providing President Clinton gravely distorted assertions regarding the frequency of partial-birth abortion and the reasons for which it was typically performed, although more accurate information had been published by a congressional committee and was readily available. In June, 1996, she described a private briefing from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in which she learned that ?[i]n the vast majority of cases, selection of the partial birth procedure is not necessary to avert serious adverse consequences to a woman?s health . . . . there just aren?t many [circumstances] where use of the partial-birth abortion is the least risky, let alone the ?necessary,? approach.? Although Ms. Kagan herself described this briefing as ?a revelation,? she also advised against immediately conveying its substance to the President. Moreover, in December 1996, when Ms. Kagan obtained an ACOG draft for a proposed public statement that reported that ?a select panel convened by ACOG could identify no circumstances under which [the partial-birth] procedure . . . would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman,? Ms. Kagan wrote that such a public statement ?of course, would be disaster.? It appears that Ms. Kagan was dismayed not by the realities of partial-birth abortion, but by the prospect that public awareness of those realities would harm the White House efforts to prevent enactment of the ban.

FULL LETTER (in PDF)

RLM News Online

The Primary 2010 issue of the Right to Life of Michigan News is now online.

It includes articles about RLM-PAC's endorsement of Mike Cox, the abortion provisions in health care reform, an essay by our 2010 Youth Award recipient, and our oratory contest results.

Adult stem cells reverse blindness caused by burns

Italian scientists have documented how they've successfully treated dozens of patients who were partially blinded when one of their eyes came in contact with chemicals.

The treatment worked completely in 82 of 107 eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far. One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago now has near-normal vision.

"This is a roaring success," said ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab of the University of California, Davis, who had no role in the study — the longest and largest of its kind....

In the study, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers took a small number of stem cells from a patient's healthy eye, multiplied them in the lab and placed them into the burned eye, where they were able to grow new corneal tissue to replace what had been damaged. Since the stem cells are from their own bodies, the patients do not need to take anti-rejection drugs.

FULL STORY

Euthanasia deaths rise in the Netherlands

LifeNews reports that the number of individuals killed by their doctors in the Netherlands rose substantially. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize euthanasia.

The number of euthanasia cases in the Netherlands has increased and, last year, 2,636 Dutch people were killed by doctors. Some 80 percent of the cases involved physicians administering lethal drugs and patients returning home to die.....

The number of euthanasia cases in Holland rose 10 percent from 2007-2008 and numbered 2,331 at that time.

That was an increase on the 1,815 reported cases in 2003, the year after the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to legalize the practice.

Critics say the rising numbers are underreported and that more people have their lives taken by their physicians - in some cases when they can't legally consent to killing themselves.

FULL STORY

President Clinton says Elena Kagan played a role in his decision to veto partial-birth abortion bans

In a phone interview with the New York Times, President Clinton noted that Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan helped persuade him to veto Congressional bans on partial-birth abortion. Clinton claims that both he and Kagan believed partial-birth abortions were medically necessary despite the overwhelming evidence and testimony against such claims. Clinton also says he might have signed the ban if his advisors (including Kagan) thought it was a “close call” on whether the legislation was constitutional or not. His advisors (including Kagan) thought the partial-birth abortion ban was unconstitutional because it didn’t have an exception for the health of the mother. Such an exception would allow any abortion because of how “health” is so broadly defined by the Supreme Court with regards to abortion.

From the article:

One such instance, he said, was his decision to twice veto legislation written by Republicans to outlaw the procedure opponents call partial-birth abortion. Mr. Clinton said the fight over banning a procedure that he himself opposed was very intense as Republicans sought to build a case for coming elections.

He said he might have been inclined to sign the measure had advisers found it to be a “close call” on whether it was constitutional and did not require an exception for cases where the health of the mother was at risk — a main point of contention.

But he said his view was bolstered by internal legal opinions that said the Republican measure was flawed without an exception for the health of the mother. His decision to veto the measure was driven home at a White House news conference, he said, when five women spoke agonizingly about undergoing the procedure because of serious risks to themselves and their fetuses.

“The truth is, for a very small percentage of women with a problem it was medically necessary,” Mr. Clinton said. “At least that is what I thought and that is what she thought.”

Over and over again medical experts have testified that partial-birth abortion is never necessary to save a woman’s life or health.

FULL STORY

June 16 is . . . Proudly Prolife Social Networking Day

Here's a reminder to all of our prolife social networkers to join us Wednesday, June 16, at 11 a.m. EDT for Proudly Prolife Social Networking Day. We'll be with you online spreading the message "I am proudly prolife" throughout Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn, etc.

Recent polling data indicated that more Americans consider themselves prolife than "pro-choice," but many that say they are prolife don't feel comfortable talking with others about the issue of abortion. Most polled said they would need to receive a message about the issue in order to spread it. Proudly Prolife Social Networking Day will do just that and make communicating a prolife message with others simple using social networking.

Our goal is to make a significant buzz on Wednesday, inspire other people to get more involved and encourage those in the middle or on the sidelines with the message that being prolife is, as Gallup put it, the "new normal."

What can I do?

* Be sure to change your status messages and tweets to say "I am proudly prolife." For those on Twitter use the hashtag #pplifeProudly Prolife

* Some may want to change their profile picture to a prolife message. We have a profile picture available for copying

* Promote a link to our web page "It's Easy To Be Prolife" for ideas on how to get involved

* Invite friends and family to connect with Right to Life of Michigan's social networking pages, see the links below for web addresses

* Comment in groups or start discussions on prolife issues

* Add links on your profile to a prolife news story, music video, YouTube video, local prolife pregnancy center website, picture, political cartoon, or other online content.


We're proud to be prolife! Let's show it together on Wednesday, June 16, at 11 a.m.

Right to Life of Michigan PAC endorses Mike Cox in Republican gubernatorial primary

Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee recently endorsed Attorney General Mike Cox in the Republican primary for governor.

"The years ahead will bring us new opportunities to defend the civil rights of the unborn, handicapped and elderly frail," said Right to Life President Barbara Listing and PAC Chairman Paul Miller in a statement.

"Mike Cox's support and leadership will be absolutely essential in restoring the basic right to life to the most helpless members of our human family."

Cox, who defended a 2004 citizen-initiated ban on certain late-term abortion procedures that was overturned in federal court, said Friday "true justice requires that we recognize, protect and defend every human life, from conception to natural death."

The Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee’s by-laws require the PAC to endorse one candidate in races with multiple prolife candidates if one of the electable candidates isn’t prolife. In the Republican primary for governor, Rick Snyder didn’t meet the PAC’s criteria for endorsement.

FULL STORY

Proudly Prolife Social Networking Day

It's Getting Closer . . .

Here's a reminder to all of our prolife social networkers to join us Wednesday, June 16, at 11 a.m. EDT for Proudly Prolife Social Networking Day. We'll be with you online spreading the message "I am proudly prolife" throughout Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn, etc.

Recent polling data indicated that more Americans consider themselves prolife than "pro-choice," but many that say they are prolife don't feel comfortable talking with others about the issue of abortion. Most polled said they would need to receive a message about the issue in order to spread it. Proudly Prolife Social Networking Day will do just that and make communicating a prolife message with others simple using social networking.

Our goal is to make a significant buzz on Wednesday, inspire other people to get more involved and encourage those in the middle or on the sidelines with the message that being prolife is, as Gallup put it, the "new normal."

What can I do?

* Be sure to change your status messages and tweets to say "I am proudly prolife"Proudly Prolife

* Some may want to change their profile picture to a prolife message. We have a profile picture available for copying

* Promote a link to our web page "It's Easy To Be Prolife" for ideas on how to get involved

* Invite friends and family to connect with Right to Life of Michigan's social networking pages on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace

* Comment in groups or start discussions on prolife issues

* Add links on your profile to a prolife news story, music video, YouTube video, local prolife pregnancy center website, picture, political cartoon, or other online content.

We're proud to be prolife! Let's show it together on Wednesday, June 16, at 11 a.m.

Rick Snyder keeps deceiving the public about being a "pro-life" candidate

In another op-ed for the Grand Rapids Press, gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder claims he is a “strong pro-life” candidate, is “strongly committed to the rights of the unborn,” looks forward to “being a strong voice for life” and believes in “protecting the dignity and rights of others.”

This is the same Rick Snyder who gave $2,000 to Cure Michigan in October of 2008. Cure Michigan was the organization behind Proposal 2, a campaign which legalized the killing of unborn human embryos for research purposes.

Where was Rick Snyder’s commitment to the rights of the unborn when he wrote that check?

Where was Rick Snyder’s belief in “protecting the dignity and rights of others” when he gave a sizable amount of money to an organization committed to erasing the dignity and rights of some unborn human beings?

Instead of “being a strong voice for life,” Rick Snyder financially supported an organization whose sole goal was to legalize lethal experiments on vulnerable human beings. Instead of using his voice to defend these human beings when it counted, Rick Snyder used his checkbook to help keep them silent.

FULL STORY

Being prolife equals more than words

When candidates say they're prolife, does that necessarily result in prolife actions? Looking past the words is worth the time. Here's how Right to Life of Michigan responded to gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder's claims that he's "pro-life."

In a recent guest commentary on the web site of the Grand Rapids Press, Michigan gubernatorial Rick Snyder claims that he is "pro-life" and "strongly believe(s) in the rights of the unborn."

Rick Snyder may claim to be "pro-life" and "believe in the rights of the unborn" but his financial support for the Proposal 2 campaign to legalize the killing of human embryos for research in Michigan proves otherwise. Individuals who truly believe in the rights of the unborn don't give $2,000 to a campaign whose goal was to legalize lethal experiments on the most vulnerable unborn children, human embryos. If Rick Snyder was truly prolife, he wouldn't have supported an effort which treats unborn children like they are mere commodities to be experimented on and killed at a researcher's whim.

In the guest commentary, Snyder goes on to argue that he can lower the abortion rate in Michigan "by focusing primarily on the economy." Governor Jennifer Granholm was another politician who claimed to be 'personally pro-life," but during her time in office Governor Granholm vetoed a number of prolife bills.

While the strength of the economy may have an effect on the number of abortions, the number of abortions performed in Michigan has lowered dramatically over the last 2 decades during economic good times and bad times. Michigan's abortion and economic history provides a great example of how prolife laws can do much more to lower the number of abortions than a thriving economy.

FULL STORY

Elections Have Consequences

Our elected officials have great authority in our lives. They create laws which we must follow or face punishment. This is an awesome responsibility which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Unfortunately, many individuals believe that if something is legal, it is therefore “a right.” When our elected leaders turn their backs on the first and most basic of all rights, the right to life, it shouldn’t be a surprise when some individuals embrace abortion as a “right.”

In the past, our government has failed to secure the right to life for children in the womb. In the 2008 election, voters elected as President a man whose public record reflects a support of abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.

FULL STORY

Download a printable flier which discusses the consequences of the 2008 elections. You can share this flier with friends and family.

Prolife Rally Inspires, Motivates Teens

Just shy of 200 high school students representing six Right to Life of Michigan affiliates gathered in Caro, Michigan, for a prolife youth rally on April 14. Bryan Kemper, creator of Rock for Life and president of Stand True Ministries, was the featured speaker.

The rally's main event was a dynamic presentation by Bryan Kemper, who works with prolife youth across the country. Kemper's main message compared abortion to the holocaust, and stressed how active youth must be in ending abortion.

Read more about the Caro prolife teen rally.

Michigan abortionist being sued for forced abortion

Notorious Michigan abortionist Alberto Hodari is being sued by Caitlin Bruce, a former patient who claims he didn't stop performing an abortion when she asked him to.

Caitlin describes what happened at Flint’s Feminine Health Care Clinic on Saginaw Road as terror. She says Dr. Abraham A. Hodari forced on her an abortion she decided she did not want after seeing the ultrasound image of her unborn baby.

“He was inserting the speculum, and I told him I’m nervous. I just told him stop please,” she says. “I'm really nervous and I don't want to do this anymore.”

“When she said stop, it was too late,” Dr. Hodari told NBC25 on the phone while on a trip in Italy.

He admits he had an assistant then hold his patient down.

Hodari claims he had to continue the abortion but other doctors disagree.

Dr. Mona Hardas, M.D., a Flint obstetrician and gynecologist says when a patient asks a doctor to stop treatment, a doctor has to respect that request.

“Even if someone has signed a consent form, if someone wants you to stop you have to stop,” says Dr. Hardas.

She says in such a situation she would pause and calm her patient with empathy, not force. She would then explain what options are available to the patient.

For example Dr. Hardas says Dr. Hodari could have offered Bruce the opportunity to be transported to the emergency room for an exam and a second opinion as to whether the fetus could be saved.

“I am shocked,” said Dr. Hardas. “I can’t believe this is still happening in this day and age.”

FULL STORY


Related: LifeNews has an article which runs down some of Hodari's previous problems, including the deaths of at least three women.

Abortion ad runs on British television

On May 24, the international abortion provider Marie Stopes was allowed to run a television advertisement for abortion on British television. The ad encourages women who have an unplanned pregnancy to contact Marie Stopes for "help" if they're not sure what they're going to do. As Marie Stopes' web site makes clear, the only option they can "help" with is abortion.

Marie Stopes International, a sexual health group akin to the U.S.'s Planned Parenthood that provides abortions and other services at clinics throughout the U.K., has purchased a time slot for a 30-second commercial scheduled to air Monday night, the Telegraph reports. The ad ? which does not mention the word abortion, but directs women to a 24-hour hotline after posing the question, "Are you late?"? has stirred heated debate and prompted condemnation from anti-abortion advocates and religious organizations.

FULL STORY

Right to Life of Michigan announces Outstanding Prolife Youth Award winner

Right to Life of Michigan is happy to announce the winner of our 2010 Outstanding Prolife Youth Award is Tyler Perry of Tuscola County Right to Life.

Tyler is a senior at Cass City High School and plans on attending Hillsdale College this fall. Tyler was a 2009 state finalist in the Right to Life of Michigan High School Oratory Contest. Tyler's volunteer highlights include speaking at several local prolife events and founding a prolife student club, Cass City Meant2Live, at his high school.

To read Tyler's essay, you can go to our Youth Award page here.

Students speak up for life at high school oratory contest

The 21st Annual Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund Oratory Contest featured 23 high school participants. The competition was in Holt, Michigan, on May 8. Contestants each presented five to seven minute speeches concerning one of several prolife issues including abortion, infanticide, cloning and embryonic stem cell research.

Casey Miller from Tri-Cities Right to Life claimed first place. Casey, a sophomore at Grand Haven High School, spoke about the harmful effects of abortion on women. Sarah Michalek from Sanilac County Right to Life came in second. Sarah, a senior at Deckerville High School, spoke about the dangers of human cloning. Katerina Parsons from Jackson Right to Life came in third. Katerina, a home-schooled junior, argued that abortion is wrong because every unborn child is a "person" with rights.

Congratulations to the winners and all of the contestants for their excellent speeches!

Be inspired and read more about the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund Oratory Contest.

West Virginia passes ultrasound legislation

On May 17, 2010, West Virginia joined Michigan as a state which gives women considering abortion the right to see an ultrasound image of their unborn child before undergoing an abortion. The law passed both chambers of the West Virginia legislature by large margins and was signed on Monday by Governor Joe Manchin.

View the text of the legislation online here.

Being prolife is "the new normal"

Gallup has released results of a new poll on abortion.

Slightly more Americans call themselves "pro-life" than "pro-choice," 47% vs. 45%, according to a May 3-6 Gallup poll. This is nearly identical to the 47% to 46% division found last July following a more strongly pro-life advantage of 51% to 42% last May.

While the two-percentage-point gap in current abortion views is not significant, it represents the third consecutive time Gallup has found more Americans taking the pro-life than pro-choice position on this measure since May 2009, suggesting a real change in public opinion. By contrast, in nearly all readings on this question since 1995, and each survey from 2003 to 2008, more Americans called themselves pro-choice than pro-life.

Both women and men are more likely to consider themselves prolife than pro-choice and the prolife label has become more popular for every age group.



FULL STORY

America's leading abortion provider thinks Elena Kagan would be a great judge

Below is a statement from Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (America's leading abortion provider) on President Barack Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. If Planned Parenthood thinks Kagan's nomination is good news, then the nomination can't be good news for pregnant women and unborn children.

"Elena Kagan is an accomplished and experienced lawyer and legal scholar who has been a trailblazer throughout her career. She was the first woman to be named solicitor general of the United States. Earlier in her career, she was also the first woman to serve as dean of Harvard Law School.

"It is clear that Americans want a Supreme Court justice who has a deep understanding of the law, an appreciation of the impact of the court's decisions on everyday Americans, and a commitment to the rule of law and protecting our individual liberties. We are confident that Kagan will bring the dedication and commitment that have marked her career with her to the highest court in the land."

FULL STORY

Profits or women? What really matters to the abortion industry?

See what a former Planned Parenthood director told the audience at Right to Life of Michigan's Legislative Day about how her former employer does business.

During her speech Abby shared how she first became involved with Planned Parenthood as a volunteer during college and then quickly moved up the ranks until she was directing a Planned Parenthood before her 30th birthday.

Abby also shared some inside information on how Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers do business. As a clinic director, Abby was tasked to meet specific patients goals for the various services her Planned Parenthood provided. During one meeting she noticed the goals for the number of abortion patients kept rising while the goals for non-abortion services like breast exams and colon cancer screenings stayed the same. She questioned her superiors about this situation and they noted the importance of bringing in more money to help Planned Parenthood’s finances.

FULL STORY

President Obama nominates Elena Kagan to U.S. Supreme Court

On May 10, President Barack Obama nominated 50-year-old Elena Kagan to fill Justice John Paul Stevens’ seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. For the last year as Solicitor General, Kagan has represented the U.S. Government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Kagan has never served as a judge and has a limited record on the abortion issue. During her confirmation hearing for Solicitor General, Kagan was not asked about her position on abortion. In the past, she has criticized a Supreme Court ruling (Rust v. Sullivan) which upheld regulations which prevented Title X funds from going to projects which counseled women about abortion.

After the announced retirement of Justice Stevens, President Obama was asked if his nominee would ever not support abortion and President Obama claimed he did not have an abortion litmus test for potential nominees but then said, “But I will say that I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights, including women's rights. That is something that is going to be very important to me."

In the coming months, Kagan will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about her judicial philosophy. If the Senate Judiciary Committee votes to approve Kagan, the U.S. Senate will then decide whether to confirm her nomination. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) hopes Kagan will be confirmed by the end of the summer.

Right to Life of Michigan will provide updates on when the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings will take place and when any votes on Kagan’s nomination are scheduled.

Fetal Development: There's an App for that

Pampers has developed an application which allows individuals to follow the development of their unborn child with images and fetal development information.

You’ve heard a lot about the ways your baby will develop during your pregnancy—now Pampers enables you to experience baby development like never before: at simulated life-size, right on your iPad. Enter your due date to track week-by-week typical progress and learn about the important changes happening. Hold the iPad in front of your tummy and see a typical representation of the baby, with richly detailed images illustrating his or her growth. Hello Baby is a whole new way to get your family excited to welcome its newest member.

Things you can do:

1. See how a baby grows during your pregnancy. View close-ups of little hands and feet, and listen to what a heartbeat might sound like.

2. Add personalized details including your child’s due date, name, size, and weight.

3. Take the iPad wherever you go to share the exciting developments with friends and family.

You can download the "Hello Baby" app here.

University of Michigan Researcher Eva Feldman Lies about Research and Proposal 2

University of Michigan Researcher Eva Feldman was featured in two Crain’s Detroit Business articles. The main article discusses how she hopes to expand her ALS research into research on patients with Alzheimer’s. In the other article she falsely claims to reporter Ryan Beene that the reason she got the stem cells she uses in her research from the Maryland-based Neuralstem is because “the ban on research in Michigan before the 2008 passage of Proposal 2.”

This is completely untrue. Eva Feldman is doing research on ALS patients using cells derived from the spinal cord of an aborted child as page 1 of the patient consent form used in her work at the Emory School of Medicine clearly indicates.

Proposal 2 did nothing to legalize research on cells obtained from tissue of aborted children. It legalized research on and the killing of human embryos created for fertility treatments and who are no older than 14 days old. Feldman’s comments show the length some University of Michigan researchers will go to in attempts to deceive the media and the public. Even after Proposal 2 passed they still feel like they need to lie about what Proposal 2 did and what research was legal in Michigan before Proposal 2.

Unfortunately, reporter Ryan Beene failed to fact check any of Feldman’s claims.