Judge Tells Woman Who Neglected Child No Kids, May Encourage Abortion
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- A judge in Travis County, Texas has handed down a unique sentence for a woman convicted of child neglect. District Judge Charlie Baird told Felicia Salazar, 20, who admitted to failing to provide protection and medical care to her then-19-month-old daughter last year, that she can’t have any more children. Though the decision makes sense in terms of not giving the young woman more parental responsibilities some pro-life advocates say there is a concern it could encourage Salazar to have an abortion should she become pregnant again. Baird sentenced Salazar, who had no criminal history, to 10 years of probation after she reached a plea bargain with prosecutors. In Texas, judges set conditions of probation. In addition to requiring Salazar to perform 100 hours of community service and to undergo a mental health assessment and setting other typical conditions, Baird told Salazar not to have any more children. Baird told the Statesman newspaper that Texas law gives judges the discretion to set any conditions of probation deemed reasonable. He also said that neither Salazar nor her lawyer, Kent Anschutz, objected. "When you look her background, the circumstances of this case," he said, "a reasonable condition of her probation was that she not conceive or bear any children." But Anschutz told the newspaper he is worried how this decision will play out. "Although I fully understand the sentiment and perspective of the judge in this matter, I question the enforceability of that particular condition," he said.

Alliance Defense Funds Challenges IRS on Pastors Not Making Endorsements
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Alliance Defense Fund, a pro-life law firm, is recruiting several dozen pastors to endorse political candidates on September 28 despite a federal ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship. The effort is intended to elicit an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service that ADF would then challenge in federal court, with the ultimate goal of persuading the Supreme Court to overthrow the 54-year-old ban. ADF attorney Erik Stanley said, "For so long, there has been this cloud of intimidation over the church. It is the job of the pastors of America to debate the proper role of church in society. It's not for the government to mandate the role of church in society." Stanley also said, "We're not encouraging any congregation to violate the law. What we're encouraging them to do is exercise their constitutional right in the face of an unconstitutional law." A pro-abortion group of Christian and Jewish clergy, led by United Church of Christ pastors Eric Williams and Robert Molsberry, will petition the IRS to stop the protest before it starts, calling the political endorsement effort an attack on the law and the separation of church and state. The group, which is backed by three IRS officials, wants the agency to determine whether ADF, a not-for-profit organization, is risking its own tax-exempt status by organizing an "inappropriate, unethical and illegal" series of political endorsements. Stanley said three dozen church leaders from more than 20 states have agreed to deliver a political sermon that will endorse a political candidate despite the risk of losing their churches' tax-exempt status. He added, "The sermon will be an evaluation of conditions for office in light of scripture and doctrine. They will make a specific recommendation from the pulpit about how the congregation would vote." Stanley added, "They could oppose a candidate. They could oppose both candidates. They could endorse a candidate. They could focus on a federal, state or local election."

Oregon Pregnancy Center Was Victim of Arson, Police Now Confirm
Lebanon, Oregon (LifeNews.com) -- An Oregon pregnancy center was an apparent victim of arson in a possible attack on it from an abortion advocate. That’s what local police confirmed on Friday. Officials say the cause of a fire at the Pregnancy Alternatives Center in Lebanon was arson. They told AP the FBI has joined the investigation along with the Oregon State Police, the Oregon Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The fire caused heavy damage to the attic and roof of the building, which is located in the downtown area of this small city. Pregnancy Alternatives Center of Lebanon, Oregon offers free, confidential help to women with unintended pregnancies. Information is available on all options, including parenting, adoption, and abortion. Abortion advocates have launched numerous legislative attacks on pregnancy centers with bills to regulate the content of information they hand out to pregnant women. The pro-abortion activists complain that pregnancy centers are telling women about the medical and mental health risks associated with an abortion such as the link between abortion and breast cancer, and the numerous mental health concerns such as depression and an increased risk of drug or alcohol abuse following an abortion.

Ethical Stem Cell Lines Now Available Based on Adult Stem Cell Research
Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- Ten pluripotent stem cell lines derived from human skin or bone marrow cells are now available for research on disorders with genetic components, ranging from Down's syndrome to Parkinson's disease, said researchers in Boston. The cells originated in patients with the 10 diseases and thus carry the genes that may contribute to their pathology. "Such disease-specific stem cells offer an unprecedented opportunity to recapitulate both normal and pathologic human tissue formation in vitro, thereby enabling disease investigation and drug development," wrote George Q. Daley, M.D., Ph.D.,of Children's Hospital here, and colleagues in reporting the accomplishment online in Cell magazine. Because the cells come from diseased patients, they cannot be used as a basis for cellular therapy, the researchers said. In addition to Down's syndrome and Parkinson's disease, the new stem cell lines model type 1 diabetes, severe combined immunodeficiency, Gaucher's disease (type 3), Duchenne muscular deficiency, Becker muscular deficiency, Swachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome, Huntington's disease, and Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (carrier). Most of these disorders involve well-characterized genetic abnormalities. But diabetes and Parkinson's disease, in which the genetic components are not fully catalogued and environmental factors play an important role, are multifactorial, the researchers said.

Kentucky Sees 2500 People Take Part in Thirtieth Annual Walk for Life
Louisville, KY (LifeNews.com) -- The Kentucky Right to Life Association held its 30th annual Walk for Life over the weekend that saw 2,500 pro-life advocates excited about the upcoming elections. Margie Montgomery said the people involved are excited because the election results could lead to the reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy. "I know people are very excited now because they feel that we're a lot closer in our country to obliterating abortion in our country totally," she said. The participants took part in the walk, departing from St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church on Shelby Street. Montgomery introduced the pro-life candidate for Louisville's 3rd Congressional District, Anne Northup. The former lawmaker said she is excited because McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate. "In particular I have felt all along that it was really important that we had young women who were unabashed about being pro-life, and doesn't Sarah Palin just put a smile on your face," Northup told the crowd. "Her love of being a mother of five children, her embrace of her children … are so evident that the American people are mesmerized by it."Montgomery said she hopes that the U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed abortion will be overturned someday and the annual walk will be a "victory" walk and "Roe v. Wade will simply become a footnote in history."

Indiana Hospital in Ft Wayne to Offer Abortion Practitioners Admitting Privs
Ft. Wayne, IN (LifeNews.com) -- A Ft. Wayne, Indiana hospital has indicated it would give admitting privileges to local abortion practitioners after county commissioners considered a new proposal to make abortion practitioners have them. Admitting privileges allows women who are victims of botched abortion to get medical care in such situations. Allen County commissioners are seeking public comment on the proposal. Jim Howard, an attorney who's vice president of Allen County Right to Life, came up with the ordinance, which has been used in other states to put abortion practitioners out of business. If the ordinance passes, Parkview Health spokesman John Perlich said it would grant admitting privileges to any abortion practitioner seeking them. He told The Journal Gazette that nearly 700 doctors have admitting privileges at Parkview's hospitals in the county. Last month, commissioners in Vanderburgh County, which includes Evansville, became the first in Indiana to pass an ordinance like this. Indiana Right to Life said that the ordinance would provide better care to patients who might experience problems after surgical procedures. The organization has supported efforts in the Indiana Legislature to create statewide hospital-privilege requirements, but those proposals failed in 2007 and 2008.

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