Bishop Tobin: Pro-Abortion Catholic Pols Should Worry About Their Souls, Not Job
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island, who has been involved in an exchange on abortion and communion with pro-abortion Congressman Patrick Kennedy, gave an interview this week to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. On the program, he said pro-abortion Catholic politicians need to be more worried about their souls than their jobs. "The most important commitment we can make is our faith, because that defines our relationship with God. Nothing is more important than that. And if your job, your profession, your vocation gets in the way of that, you have to quit your job and save your soul," Tobin said. Tobin also said on the show that his 2007 decision to ask Kennedy to voluntarily stop receiving communion because of his pro-abortion stance was not a "punishment." "Every Catholic has certain obligations, it means something to say you are a Catholic. No one is forced to be a Catholic," he said. "If you choose freely to be a Catholic it means you do certain things, and you believe certain things, and I think all I'm trying to say to Congressman Kennedy and others who might be involved, say: if you're a Catholic, live up to your faith. Understand what the Church teaches, accept those teachings, and live that faith. If the church, not just the Catholic Church, but the religious community - if we don't bring these values, this spiritual vision to these discussions, who else will do that?"

Pregnant Pro-Life Advocate Attacked by Abortion Center Worker in Kansas City
Kansas City, KS (LifeNews.com) -- An abortion center employee attacked a pregnant pro-life volunteer outside the Central Family Medicine abortion business in Kansas City, Kansas, while she was outside it. On November 14, 2009, an unidentified abortion center employee came out of the Central Family Medicine abortion facility and began to taunt the pro-lifers who had gathered outside. Her verbal abuse escalated into violence as she rammed her shoulder into sidewalk counselor Jennifer McCoy, who is noticeably six months pregnant. A photograph taken by protest leader Mark Gietzen of the Kansas Coalition for Life shows McCoy recoiling and bracing for the hard impact that occurred a split second later. Police were summoned, but the abortion worker attempted to flee the scene before they could arrive. McCoy followed the woman to keep her from evading the police. After realizing that she could not get away, the worker returned to the abortion center where she hid behind locked doors. Police attempted to enter the abortion center to arrest the woman for battery, but they were denied access by another worker who demanded that the police get a search warrant, then lied to them saying that the woman was not there. McCoy has since been in contact with police, who are pursuing the case. There remains the possibility that the second abortion worker could face criminal charges for impeding a police investigation. "This is yet another example of abortion workers engaging in violent or criminal acts, then acting as if the laws don't apply to them," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "We look forward to this woman's impending arrest and conviction with the hope it will serve as a lesson that abortionists and their collaborators are not above the law."

Federal Court: No Review of Order of Canada Award for Abortionist Morgentaler
Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- The Federal Court issued a decision this past week striking the application of Frank Chauvin for judicial review of the decision awarding the Order of Canada to abortion practitioner Henry Morgentaler in 2008. Chauvin won the award in 1987 and he took issue with the secretive process by which Morgentaler had been recommended by the Order’s Advisory Council. Morgentaler’s appointment led to numerous previous recipients returning their honors, several petitions against his conferral, and a national outcry. He pointed out that Morgentaler won the award on a majority vote on the council rather than a unanimous one as is typically the case and that the chair, Justice Beverley McLauchlin, did not recuse herself even thought a Morgentaler lawsuit to make New Brunswick pay for abortions at his center is before her court. Federal Court Prothonotary Kevin Aalto, in the written decision, overturned the lawsuit. “I have been quoted in the media as intending to return my award,” said Mr. Chauvin. “I may yet do so, but I first wanted Canadians to have a chance to take a close look at what can happen when an Advisory Council abandons a consensus model and uses the award to advance a highly divisive view, in this case the effective promotion of the tragedy of abortion in Canada.” He has not yet decided on whether to appeal.

The Rationing Commission: The Unelected Body That Will Make Medical Decisions
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following is an excerpt from a November 15 Wall St. Journal editorial on the rationing problems with the Senate health care bill: As usual, the most dangerous parts of ObamaCare aren't receiving the scrutiny they deserve—and one of the least examined is a new commission to tell Congress how to control health spending. Democrats are quietly attempting to impose a "global budget" on Medicare, with radical implications for U.S. medicine. Like most of Europe, the various health bills stipulate that Congress will arbitrarily decide how much to spend on health care for seniors every year—and then invest an unelected board with extraordinary powers to dictate what is covered and how it will be paid for. White House budget director Peter Orszag calls this Medicare commission "critical to our fiscal future" and "one of the most potent reforms." On that last score, he's right. Prominent health economist Alain Enthoven has likened a global budget to "bombing from 35,000 feet, where you don't see the faces of the people you kill." As envisioned by the Senate Finance Committee, the commission—all 15 members appointed by the President—would have to meet certain budget targets each year. Starting in 2015, Medicare could not grow more rapidly on a per capita basis than by a measure of inflation. After 2019, it could only grow at the same rate as GDP, plus one percentage point. The theory is to let technocrats set Medicare payments free from political pressure, as with the military base closing commissions. But that process presented recommendations to Congress for an up-or-down vote. Here, the commission's decisions would go into effect automatically if Congress couldn't agree within six months on different cuts that met the same target. The board's decisions would not be subject to ordinary notice-and-comment rule-making, or even judicial review. Read the full editorial here.

France Parliament Rejects Legislation Allowing Legalization of Euthanasia
Paris, France (LifeNews.com) -- French parliamentarians rejected the draft of law to make euthanasia legal. Some 326 French deputies voted against the draft and 202 – for. The recommended draft of law defines that any adult having serious health conditions can apply to medical service to having a euthanasia death with a doctor's help. Currently few European states have adopted assisted suicide or euthanasia laws, including Benelux countries, Switzerland; while France, Italy and the UK allow sick people to refuse medical service. The Alliance for Human Life released a statement applauding the vote. The French do not want aggressive treatment. When they understand that aggressive treatment does not include euthanasia, most of our citizens are reassured. We therefore ask that the Leonetti law be known and more fully implemented, which requires a more proactive promotion of palliative care," it said.

Minnesota Woman's Unborn Baby Has Surgery While Still in the Womb
St. Paul, MN (LifeNews.com) -- A Minnesota woman's baby is recovering after doctors performed a rare surgery while the baby was still half in the womb. Jennifer Kuklok calls her daughter Lilyana "a trouper." Lilyana is now 6 weeks old. When her mother had an ultrasound at 20 weeks, doctors discovered a tumor that could kill the baby. The noncancerous tumor stretched through the mouth and connected to the skull base. Once the baby was full-term, doctors partially delivered Lilyana, only pulling her head and shoulders out of the womb. Doctors kept Lilyana attached to the umbilical cord, allowing her to breathe during the procedure. Doctors later did a tracheotomy, so the baby could continue to breathe. They also removed the tumor a couple days later. Lilyana spent another four weeks in the hospital before going home.

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