Catholic Bishops Release Pro-Life Respect Life Sunday Statement on Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a statement to mark Respect Life Sunday, October 4, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia called attention to those who are most vulnerable in recent debates on health care reform – the unborn, the poor, the elderly and the immigrant – and called upon Catholics to “examine how well we, as a nation and individually, are living up to our obligation to protect the rights of those who, due to age, dependency, poverty or other circumstances, are at risk of their very lives.” Cardinal Rigali chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Cardinal Rigali noted that the lives of the unborn are those most at risk in America and “despite the opposition of 67% of Americans to taxpayer-funded abortion, all current health care proposals being considered by Congress would allow or mandate abortion funding, either through premiums paid into government programs or out of federal revenues. Noting that the unborn are not alone in being under attack in current proposals, Cardinal Rigali called for health care that recognizes the humanity of the immigrant. “How can a just society deny basic health care to those living and working among us who need medical attention? It cannot and must not,” he said. Cardinal Rigali also addressed a dangerous and false cultural attitude that some persons are not worth protecting because of their perceived “low quality of life.” He stated that “death is not a solution to life’s problems. Only those who are blind to the transcendent reality and meaning of human life could support killing human beings to mitigate economic, social or environmental problems.”

Illinois ACLU Exploiting Loophole, Helping Unqualified Teens Get Secret Abortions
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- The judicial bypass provision of parental involvement laws on abortion are supposed to be reserved for the very rare teenagers who face abuse at home if their parents learn they are pregnant. Instead, the Illinois ACLU is exploiting that loophole in the law to get abortions for any teenager who doesn't want to tell their parents. Anna Clark at RH Reality Check, is excited about the prospects fore more secret abortions without parental involvement. "If you are not quite 18 years old and living in Illinois, if you are pregnant, if you need to terminate your pregnancy and if you know that telling your family is not a safe or wise choice, then, as of this summer, you have only a single legal option," she complains. "You need to navigate a courtroom obstacle course to get a judicial bypass for your abortion." Leah Bartelt, the pro-abortion staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois, is among those who have teamed together to form The Illinois Judicial Bypass Coordination Project as a response to the state’s new parental involvement law. Clark admits the ACLU is going to exploit the abuse provision. "It is designed to not only protect the right of the judicial bypass, but to make it accessible to young women who might otherwise be daunted by dodging through the legal process on their own, she said. The project is developing a guide it will push on young girls through physicians, health care providers, school health centers, all girl-serving agencies and other places that cater to teen girls. A Texas version of the hotline found 469 minors from around the country called to get secret abortions with its help.

University of Wisconsin System Newspapers Deny Pro-Life Ads on Abortion
Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Two University of Wisconsin System school newspapers are under fire for rejecting an advertisement offer from Pro-Life Wisconsin on the basis of avoiding controversy. Both the Advance-Titan of UW-Oshkosh and The Pointer of UW-Stevens Point decided not to run a 12-page insert created by the Human Life Alliance because both papers believed the insert would cause an unnecessary controversy. “(The decision) actually had nothing to do with the content that was in there; I sat down with my advisor and advertising manager and we discussed it,” Andrew Munger, editor in chief of the Advance-Titan, said. “They don’t provide a service of any sort, just an ideology.” According to Munger, to call this decision censorship is ludicrous since the newspaper makes public their right to print and advertise as they see fit. The Pointer also chose not to run the advertisement. Editor in Chief Jacob Mathias likewise said they did not run the advertisement because the content did not provide a service, yet the decision was also made to avoid controversy, he added. Peggy Hamill, a pro-life advocate, says she believes by not placing the advertisement, the two schools are showing a bias. “They obviously have that right to do so; however, if they consider themselves a non-biased newspaper of integrity, then common sense would tell them they should be accepting an advertising piece of such researched information,” Hamill said.Hamill added the newspaper at UW-Stout has refused these inserts in the past and in March 2008 Marquette University debated whether to run the advertisement, only running it once pressure was applied by the university, students and alumni.

Pro-Abortion Group NARAL Endorses Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd for Re-Election
Hartford, CT (LifeNews.com) -- U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd today won the endorsement of one of the nation's largest pro-abortion groups. NARAL cited the Democrat's leadership on the issue and his pro-abortion record, even though he faces abortion advocates in potential matchups. One of Dodd's Republican opponents, former Congressman Rob Simmons, is also a longtime supporter of abortion . Simmons received NARAL's support in 2006, when he was locked in a tough -- and ultimately unsuccessful -- campaign against Joe Courtney, a Democrat who favors abortion. Another GOP opponent, Linda McMahon, has also supported abortion , giving $250 to the Republican Majority for Choice PAC in 2006. "Sen. Dodd has a long and distinguished record of protecting and defending a woman's right to choose," Nancy Keenan, the group's president, said in a press release announcing the endorsement. "Just recently, under Sen. Dodd's leadership, a key committee defeated repeated attempts by anti-choice senators to politicize health-care reform legislation with divisive anti-choice amendments." NARAL has more than 14,000 Connecticut members. The group's political action committee pledged to give Dodd the maximum contribution of $10,000 for the primary and the general election.

Singer Jaime Thietten Announces Special Promotion with National Right to Life
Nashville, TN (LifeNews.com) -- Award winning recording artist Jaime Thietten has announced a special promotion with the National Right To Life Committee offering her compelling and powerful video My Chance as a premium gift for subscribers to the NRL News. NRLC has posted a special link on their home page which states “A Pro-Life song so compelling it WILL save lives” and takes the viewer to a special splash page featuring Thietten’s video and the opportunity to receive it free by giving a gift subscription to the monthly newspaper. Dave Andrusko, editor of the NRL News says, “When NRL Convention Director Jacki Ragan IM-ed me a link to the My Chance video, it came with Jacki's highest commendation. Had Jaime been available, she would have been a prominent part of NRLC's 2009 national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. You don't have to be a music critic to recognize talent this awesome. Halfway through "My Chance," it's clear that Jaime's voice is a gift from God. It’s an extraordinarily sensitive and powerful pro-life song. We are certainly looking forward to having her share at our 2010 national convention.” With clarity for God’s calling upon her heart, Jaime is dedicating a portion of her music ministry to raise awareness and become a voice for the unborn and for those who cannot speak for themselves. Although she has never experienced an abortion herself, God has put upon her heart a passion to help those who have experienced this devastating emotional trauma to heal and find hope. “I feel so honored to have NRL doing so much to help get the song "My Chance" heard," she said. "What a blessing it has been to be a part of such a life-saving song, I know I would not have reached as many people without their help." See the video at http://www.jtmusic.net

Korea Says 96,000 Women Use Dangerous Mifepristone Abortion Drug Last Year
Seoul, South Korea (LifeNews.com) -- Many pregnant women make the hasty decision to have an abortion because of medication they were taking when they became pregnant. The practice is often based on unfounded fears that the medicine could lead to fetal deformities, says Dr. Kim Tae-yoon, head of the gynecological department of Miz Medi Hospital. "Though doctors assure them that most of the drugs are okay and recommend them to keep the baby, they just ask for the procedure," he said. Kim's remarks came in response to the Korea Food and Drug Administration's report that about 96,000 women, 10 percent of pregnant women, were having abortions for drug-related reasons each year. These women say they were unaware of their pregnancy when they were medicated and want to err on the side of caution by having an abortion. Most had taken weight-loss pills, painkillers, antibiotics, cough drops and anti-histamines. Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the governing Grand National Party, however, claimed that 70 percent of the drugs they were taking were actually irrelevant to the health of a fetus and that the abortions were unnecessary. Most did not affect the central nervous and endocrine systems, or cardio-related areas, Shim claimed. "Had the expectant mothers been given enough direction about what they can take and what they can't, they would have had healthy babies," he said. "At a time when the country is suffering from a low birthrate, providing them with correct information is necessary."

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