Grassfire Pro-Life Report
Friday, October 19, 2007

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#1-- School Provides Birth Control to 11-13 year-olds

#2-- Presidential Candidates: Do They Measure up?

#4-- Investigation into Death of 22 year-old Girl after Abortion

#5-- Anti-Abortion Amendment Fails to Pass in Senate

#6-- South Korea’s Stem Cell Research Program Rebuked by Pope

#1-- Middle School Provides Birth Control to 11-13 year-old Students
Recently, a school board in Maine approved a proposal that will provide King Middle School students with various forms of contraceptives, including condoms and birth control prescriptions. A supporter of the measure said “It’s not enough to depend on parents to protect their children.” Under state law, middle school students can receive birth control prescriptions after a physical, and are not required to inform their parents. (More Information)

#2-- Presidential Candidates: Do They Measure up to Anti-Abortion Values?

This week conservative Republicans will come together at the Values Voters Summit to assess Republican presidential candidates. Leaders are divided between supporting New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani or risk endorsing a third party candidate. The pro-life movement is encouraging voters to stick to their pro-life principles. Prominent conservatives like Focus on the Family’s James Dobson are also wary of John McCain and Mitt Romney. McCain directly criticized evangelical leaders during his campaign in 2000, and Romney professes Mormon religious beliefs, which are controversial among evangelical conservatives. (Assess candidates yourself)

#3-- Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic Faces 113 Criminal Charges

This week Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline filed 113 charges against a Kansas-based abortion clinic, with “29 felony counts of providing false information, and 84 misdemeanor counts of failure to maintain records”, as well as determining abortion viability and performing unlawful abortions in the third trimester. The attorney was quoted as saying “The facility provided illegal late-term abortions, among other crimes.” The court set a date for November 6 to begin proceedings. (Complete details)

The tragic death of a 22 year-old girl has pro-life activists and family calling for a criminal investigation of the abortionist who performed the procedure. At thirteen weeks pregnant, Laura Smith died at the hands of Dr. Rapin Osathanondh on September 13, at the Women Health Center office in Massachusetts. Osathanondh had left his previous practice after complaints that he had repeatedly threatened his nurses with “execution”, and made no attempt to contact the parents until a week after their daughter had passed away. Mark Crutcher, President of Life Dynamics said “Making abortion legal never made abortion safe.” (Read more)

Yesterday a crucial vote was cast regarding abortion in the Senate. An appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HR 3043) for the fiscal year of 2007-2008 was under review for two possible amendments. The Reid Amendment (S.Amdt. 3395) proposed that “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to effect or otherwise modify provisions of current Federal law with respect to the funding of abortion.” Reid’s Amendment was passed with a vote of 68-25. Vitter’s Amendment (S.Amdt. 3330) unfortunately failed with a vote of 41-52. If passed, the provision of funds to “grantees that perform abortions” would have been prohibited. Vitter’s Amendment was founded on the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which forbade federal funding for abortion. While abortion clinics cannot use federal funding directly for abortions, pro-choice supporters are happy with this decision that allows federal money to support related activities. Look up Reid & Vitter Amendments
(click here) and insert the Bill Number.

#6-- South Korea’s Stem Cell Research Program Rebuked by Pope

South Korea’s decision to allow embryonic stem cell research has raised concerns within the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI pleaded for South Korea to listen to their “inherent moral sensibility” and reject pluri-potent stem cell research and human cloning. South Korea had suspended all research after a national scandal involving fraudulent cloning results, but resumed its stem-cell research programs within the last month. The Pope warned ambassador Ji-Young Francesco Kim “The destruction of human embryos, whether to acquire stem cells or for any other purpose, contradicts the purported intent of researchers, legislators and public health officials to promote human welfare.” (Read more)

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