Pro-Life News: Wal-Mart Plan B, Stem Cell Research, Terri Schiavo 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 25, 2006
Wal-Mart Says it Will Carry Morning After Pill Over the Counter at Pharmacies
Bentonville, AR (LifeNews.com) — Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, says it will carry the morning after pill over the counter at its pharmacies. The announcement comes on the heels of a decision by the Food and Drug Administration approving the Plan B drug for purchase without a doctor’s visit for anyone older than 18 years of age. The company indicated the drugs will likely be available at all pharmacies by the end the year. Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner told CNN the drugs will be sold once the FDA approves the new packaging. It will ask for a photo ID for anyone purchasing the drugs, which pro-life groups oppose because they may cause an abortion in limited circumstances. Mike DeAngelis, spokesman for CVS, the number two largest pharmacy chain behind Walgreen said it will wait to make a decision until the FDA formally releases its decision on over the counter sales.
Billionaires Responsible for Keeping Embryonic Stem Cell Research Going
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — While lawmakers, capital investors and the American public are reluctant to invest in embryonic stem cell research, a handful of billionaires have made funding embryonic stem cell research a top priority. Eli Broad, founder of builder KB Home who is worth $6 billion, gave $25 million in February to the University of Southern California to erect a stem-cell building and more gifts may be forthcoming. He’s upset President Bush vetoed a measure forcing taxpayers to pay for the research, which has yet to help a single person. Other billionaires spending money on the research include Michael Bloomberg, the Republican mayor of New York; Ray Dolby, inventor of the Dolby sound system; Oracle founder Larry Ellison; and such philanthropies as the Starr Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Andrew Grove, an Intel Corp. founder, has also invested considerable money into the research, which requires the destruction of human life. Other billionaires lobbied voters in California to spend as much as $6 billion, including interest, of taxpayer dollars on the controversial research at a time when the state faced budget problems. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Ebay founder Pierre Omidyar backed the measure. Still, Gates’ foundation has yet to fund embryonic stem cell research — giving just a $2 million grant to Chinese scientists a lab at Peking University in China. Pro-life advocates say it doesn’t matter who funds the research. Carrie Gordon Earll of Focus on the Family told Forbes, "To destroy those human embryos is a huge moral question. We’re opposed to destructive embryo research regardless of who funds it."
Attorney for Terri Schiavo’s Parents Describes Disabled Woman’s Last Days
St. Petersburg, FL (LifeNews.com) — The attorney for Terri Schiavo’s parents talked about her final days in a speech last week at a local church. David Gibbs discussed the disabled woman’s euthanasia death in a talk at Berean Baptist Church and signed copies of his new book Fighting for Dear Life. he described standing with Terri’s mother Mary Schindler during her last visit with her daughter. "I was terribly embarrassed for our nation. I thought, ‘In God’s name, what are we doing,’" Gibbs said. "Instead of doing what we can to try to foster life, we’re literally watching her die." Gibbs said Terri was never in a vegetative state and talked about how courts denied the testimony of numerous medical experts who said Terri had a good chance of recovery had her former husband Michael Schiavo given her proper medical care and rehabilitative treatment. "Her only life-support was she needed help with food and water," Gibbs said. "Here was someone that was as alive as any person sitting here." The audience indicated its strong support for Terri when he said "How many understand Terri Schiavo matters to God, and what you do to Terri Schiavo you do to God himself?"
Family Debates Medical Treatment of Disabled Man Similar to Terri Schiavo
Thousand Oaks, CA (LifeNews.com) — A family is split on the medical treatment of a California man whose situation is similar to that of Terri Schiavo. Karl Bernstein, 76, has been diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and hasn’t spoken to anyone for four years. His wife Olga Bernstein wants to take his life when his condition worsens while his son Scot Bernstein wants to make sure he is provided with proper medical care. Scot has control of Karl’s medical decisions after Olga relinquished them following a court battle. Since then they have fought over pain medications and what kinds of nutrition to give the man. The battle resulted in part because Karl did not make any of his end of life care wishes known beforehand. Scot says he is carrying out his father’s wishes and indicates Karl told him before he entered into his current condition that he thought other relatives who had died gave up too easily on the chances of recovery.
Poland Political Party in Ruling Government Wants Total Abortion Ban
Warsaw, Poland (LifeNews.com) — A political party that is a member of the ruling government coalition in Poland wants the nation to approve a complete ban on abortions. The The League of Polish Families, a minor coalition partner, wants to change Poland’s constitution to prohibit all abortions. Its leader and vice-premier Roman Giertych appealed to his coalition partners and the opposition Civic Platform and Polish Peasant Party to support the amendment. He said its introduction would be a milestone, that would honor the late Pope John Paul II. Abortions are legal in Poland only in the rare cases of rape, incest, the pregnancy threatens the woman’s life or there is a chance the baby will be severely deformed.
