Louisiana Voters Send Steve Scalise and Don Cazayoux to Congress
Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- Republican state Senator Steve Scalise easily won the 1st Congressional District seat left vacant by the election last year of pro-life Rep. Bobby Jindal as Governor. Scalise won 75% of the vote against three opponents in the special election run-off. The big news of the day, however, was the upset win of state Rep. Don Cazayoux, a Democrat, in the 8th district. Cazayoux defeated former state Rep. Woody Jenkins, a pro-life Republican, by a 49% to 46% vote, with three independents capturing the remainder. Cazayoux had the support of Democrats for Life of America, DFLA Executive Director Kristen Day told LifeNews.com. “When pro-life Democrats win, we expand the big tent of the Democratic Party," she said. Day said the number of pro-life Democrats in Congress decreased in the Democratic caucus post Roe v. Wade. But pro-life Democrats are on the rise after major victories in the 2006 elections.“This is an exciting time for pro-life Democrats because we're working to protect women and children by reducing the abortion rate,” Day told LifeNews.com. "We have worked with our party to send more Democrats to Congress and advance a serious public agenda that both pro-life and pro-choice Democrats and Republicans can embrace.” The victory could give pro-life Democrats a stronger voice and more influence over the 2008 Democratic Party platform.

New Jersey Gov Jon Corzine Intent on Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- Governor Jon Corzine fully intends to pursue efforts to place another question before the voters to approve embryonic stem cell research in the very near future. It is possible that Corzine and legislative leaders may try to do this in time for this year's November presidential election. That concern comes from New Jersey Right to Life following the announcement that a California stem cell research company is getting $589,000 in New Jersey state grants to open a New Jersey facility. In an AP story on the announcement, Corzine said, "I intend to revisit this issue." That worries Marie Tasy of NJRTL, who talked with LifeNews.com about the problem. "This effort by Governor Corzine to try again on the stem cell referendum defies logic and demonstrates an unspeakable arrogance and blind obsession with killing human beings at their weakest, most vulnerable stage of existence," she said. "As we have in the past, we will work even harder to defeat any effort to provide taxpayer funding of human cloning and embryonic stem cell research in our state." Even Jon Shure, president of the liberal New Jersey Policy Perspective, agreed. "It does seem questionable to be writing checks to companies that are going to hire 12 people when you're cutting higher education and can't pay for transportation," he said of state spending on embryonic stem cell research.

New Paper Warns Against European Union “Moral Regulation” of Abortion
by Samantha Singson of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute
New York, NY -- In a recently released research paper on the European Union (EU) social agenda, scholar Maciej Golubiewski argues that the EU has overstepped its mandate by pursing a regime of “moral regulation” by funding controversial social policy initiatives on the family and the beginning and end-of-life issues. The European Institutions are doing this despite the frequent objections of individual EU member states. In “Europe’s Social Agenda: Why is the European Union Regulating Morality?,” Golubiewski uses the term “moral regulation” to encompass all EU social and human rights policies and initiatives that intrude or potentially intrude on democratic national jurisdiction over moral matters. The paper catalogues controversial programs and policies that are sponsored by the EU such as: competitions and publicity campaigns aimed at ... bureaucratic promotion of reproductive rights encompassing abortion, criticism of pro-life views, anti-religious educational programs aimed at youth, and funding of NGOs that explicitly advocate the legalization of abortion. The author concludes that “Only timely and effective action by national capitals to assert their rights can protect and preserve national traditions of marriage, family, and human life – arguably the most important issues of our time.” Golubiewski is a Polish national working on a doctorate in international relations at Johns Hopkins University and serves as C-FAM's analyst of European affairs.

Planned Parenthood in Nebraska and Western Iowa Scrambles for Funds
Omaha, NE (LifeNews.com) -- As LifeNews.com reported last week, local pro-life advocates in the Midwest were surprised that abortions stopped at two abortion centers in Lincoln, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. They think it is because the local abortion practitioner who does abortions at both centers was unavailable. Jim Sedlak of STOPP International has more. He tells LifeNews.com that Planned Parenthood "been strategizing as to how it can continue to provide its 'services,' since it is running out of government money and the clinics in Nebraska are on the brink of closing." He says the abortion business "has outlined a plan for decreasing the amount of money it receives from the state of Nebraska so that it can receive more money from the state of Iowa." The plan involves a voluntary withdrawal of its Nebraska facilities from Nebraska’s federal Title X family planning program, effective April 1. 2008; consolidation of its Omaha-Dodge facility with its other Omaha locations, effective May 1, 2008' and opening a second facility Council Bluffs in 2008, by using public and private funding sources in Iowa. Sedlak says Planned Parenthood's own documents show it wants to replace its Omaha-Dodge building with a “larger, more attractive facility” -- in order words "a bigger killing center." According to Chris Funk, president and CEO of PP of Nebraska and Council Bluffs, these will be PP’s “key operational changes.”

New Jersey Right to Life Endorses Martin Marks for Congress
Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- New Jersey Right to Life PAC has endorsed Martin Marks for the 7th Congressional seat. Citing the need to keep the 7th Congressional seat pro-life, NJRTL-PAC Director Marie Tasy said that Martin Marks is the candidate best suited to fulfill that goal. “I am convinced that Martin Marks is the strongest pro-life candidate in the race," she said. “As Congressman, Martin will work to secure legal protection for innocent unborn children. Martin will vote for laws that restore a culture of life to our society and strengthen our families. He will vote against federal and international taxpayer funding of abortion." Commenting on NJRTL-PAC’s endorsement, Martin Marks said, “I am honored to have the endorsement of the New Jersey Right to Life PAC. In a campaign like this one, where so many candidates are trying to portray themselves as conservative, it is the recommendation of respected groups like NJRTL PAC that prove to voters who is truly conservative and who isn't.” Marks’s endorsement will provide a strong base of voters in both the primary and general election from which he can build for victory. NRTL-PAC will utilize its various resources to help elect Martin Marks to Congress. The winner of the Republican primary will represent the GOP to replace retiring pro-life Rep. Mike Ferguson.