Free Republic

Emily's List spends millions of dollars supporting the campaigns of pro-abortion rights women. They advocate for complete and unrestricted access to abortion. EMILY's List boasts that they are the largest political action committee (PAC) with more than 100,000 members. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY's List has raised over $240 million and claims to have helped elect 80 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 15 to the U.S. Senate, and nine women Governors to state houses. Pro-abortion women candidates benefit greatly when landing an endorsement from Emily's List. For the 2007-2008 election cycle, Emily's List raised $43 million to...

Tomorrow millions of children across America will be putting on their scariest costumes and going door to door asking for candy. Its that Halloween time of the year once again. An whether you are a parent or not, or whether your children go "trick or treating" or not, I guarantee that your house is going to be swarmed by lots of little ghosts, goblins, spider-men and Pink Power Rangers. Many of the visitors will be carrying the little orange UNICEF boxes, when you see them give up the candy, but please DON'T GIVE ANY MONEY TO UNICEF !! UNICEF money...

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia endorses Steve Shannon for Virginia attorney general. Women are counting on you — don't forget to vote on November 3! Dear xxxx, The stakes are high in this election. As a trusted advocate for tens of thousands of women and young adults who need critical health care and education, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia has a strong interest in electing an attorney general who supports women's health and reproductive rights. This fall, there is only one candidate that fits that description: Steve Shannon. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV) enthusiastically endorses Steve Shannon for the...

Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and 10 members of the council are sponsoring a bill that Catholic leaders believe harasses pro-life pregnancy support centers. City Council Bill 09-0406, “Limited-Service Pregnancy Centers –Disclaimers,” would require pregnancy support centers to post a disclaimer noting that they do not provide abortion or contraceptive services. Centers that do not comply would be fined $500 per day. In an Oct. 16 letter to Rawlings-Blake, Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien said the bill targets non-profit organizations whose mission is to help women carry pregnancies to term. He said it is “well-known” that pregnancy support centers are...

<p>The tug-of-war over Ted Kennedy's soul seems to be eternal.</p> <p>"It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself in this manner," said Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, whom the pope transferred to Rome in 2008 after Burke's often-stormy tenure as archbishop of St. Louis.</p>

According to this post at USA Today’s Faith & Reason blog, that could be the depressing reality following the interim appointment of Paul Kirk to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, until a special election is held next January. Kirk was appointed yesterday by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and was sworn into the Senate today by Vice President Joe Biden.  But as USA Today notes, while Kirk is Catholic (in fact, he’s the grandnephew of Cardinal William O’Connell, who served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907-1944), Kirk also has a...

Pro-life laws recently passed in Arizona are being challenged in state and federal courts. Pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, are responsible for the lawsuits, but Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy is not surprised. "As we've seen repeatedly through the years, the abortion industry will challenge virtually every pro-life law that's passed that puts forth a reasonable measure to regulate abortion," she contends. According to Herrod, one of the laws being challenged would bar nurse practitioners from performing surgical abortions. "As the abortion industry, led by Planned Parenthood, has difficulty getting doctors to perform abortions, they are increasingly allowing non-doctors to perform...

(CNSNews.com) - In his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama said the health care plan he is pushing will not provide federal money for abortions. But pro-life congressmen and Planned Parenthood agree that abortion would be covered under the plan under an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D.-Calif.). “One more misunderstanding I want to clear up,” Obama said Wednesday night. “Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.” Pro-life members of Congress and Stop the Abortion Mandate, a coalition of pro-life groups, responded to Obama’s remarks at a...

Reaction to the shooting death of a 63-year-old disabled man who was gunned down as he held up a sign protesting abortion near a high school in Owosso, Mich., on Friday came swiftly as pro-life groups across the nation offered eulogies about an individual they said was passionate about the fate of unborn children. Known as “the sign man,” Pouillon, who had leg braces and required oxygen, was a pro-life activist for many years and well-known by other pro-life advocates around the country.

OWOSSO, Michigan, September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In contrast to the swift condemnations issued by every major pro-life group across America in the hours following the slaying of late-term abortionist George Tiller in May, a deafening silence from nearly every U.S. pro-abortion group has accompanied the hours of nationwide media buzz following the shooting death of Michigan pro-life activist Jim Pouillon early Friday morning. The only statements from pro-abortion forces thus far have been issued by the local Michigan chapter of Planned Parenthood, and the pro-abortion website RHrealitycheck.org.Pouillon, 63, was shot multiple times and killed at 7:20 a.m. as...

OWOSSO, Mich. (AP) - A man carrying grudges against several people in town set off on a shooting spree Friday morning, authorities said, killing an abortion protester outside a school because he didn't like that the activist carried a sign with graphic images of a fetus in front of students. Before he was done, the gunman drove to a gravel pit and shot and killed the owner, apparently for different reasons, police said. Authorities believe they stopped a third killing by catching up with him before he could pull the trigger. "The defendant had ill will toward these three individuals—not...

UPDATE- NARAL Responds to Michigan shooting: “Today’s shootings in Michigan are tragic and our thoughts are with the families so deeply affected by this senseless violence. Although law-enforcement officials still have not commented on the shooter’s motivation, we understand that one of those murdered today was an anti-choice activist.

Bishop John M. D'Arcy Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug 25, 2009 / 11:35 am (CNA).- Bishop John M. D'Arcy, whose diocese encompasses the University of Notre Dame, is not letting the issues raised by the university's honoring of President Obama lie dormant. Instead, the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend has penned a poignant article for the upcoming edition of America magazine that calls on the renowned university to evaluate the consequences of its failure to respect the authority of the bishops. In an article that will be the cover story of the Jesuit-run America magazine on August 31, bishop D’Arcy...

Fiorella Nash London, England, Aug 21, 2009 / 05:55 pm (CNA).- The British woman Fiorella Nash owes the release of her father from prison in Malta in the 1970s to Amnesty International. For Nash, supporting the organization over the years was a given, but recently she decided to suspend her support because of group's pro-abortion agenda.According to the website Religion Confidencial, “Fiorella Nash owes her father’s life to Amnesty International.  For many years she worked with the NGO until she became aware of its pro-abortion slant.”Since its founding by Catholic British lawyer Peter Benenson, Amnesty has been one of...

A new leader at the table It’s easy to see why the board of Call to Action chose Jim FitzGerald as its new executive director. He is a young, bright Catholic with a decade of experience in not-for-profit management and an advanced degree in theology. And he has been involved in leadership of Call to Action for several years, so already knows and supports church reform. But it’s also not so easy to understand why they chose a candidate with Planned Parenthood on his resumé, given how hard Call to Action has worked to remain neutral on the hot-button issue...

The new executive director of Call to Action is Jim FitzGerald, formerly of Planned Parenthood. Here are some selected excerpts about him from an article in the National Catholic Reporter: “What’s missing in our church is the freedom to talk without fear about issues like abortion or gay marriage or stem cell research. “That’s what I love about Call to Action: Everyone’s at the table,” he says, quoting the theme for Call to Action’s November conference. “It’s easy to be in conversation with people who think like you. But if we only do that, we miss out on something that...

The president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, has penned a scathing editorial, published today in the Huffington Post, in which she sets her sights on the U.S. Catholic bishops, slamming them for their opposition to the abortion mandate in the Obama health care bill, and to abortion in general. "Does anyone else see the irony in the U.S. bishops wanting to define universal health care as covering everything except for what they don't support?" writes Richards. "Since when does universal health care mean denying comprehensive reproductive health care supported by the majority of Americans?"

VSHL PAC 6767 Forest Hill Avenue • Suite 270 Richmond, Virginia 23225 804/560-8745 www.vshlpac.org August 20, 2009 Dear friends, VSHLPAC has today launched www.deedsisforabortion.com, a new website dedicated to getting out the truth about just how pro-abortion Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Creigh Deeds actually is. Pro-life Virginians have a clear decision to make in the voting booth this year between Pro-life Bob McDonnell and Pro-abortion Creigh Deeds. Please visit www.deedsisforabortion.com and share with your pro-life family and friends as well! Please check out the new site as well as the main home page of VSHLPAC, www.vshlpac.org for more info and continued...

August 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, has penned a scathing editorial, published today in the Huffington Post, in which she sets her sights on the U.S. Catholic bishops, slamming them for their opposition to the abortion mandate in the Obama health care bill, and to abortion in general."Does anyone else see the irony in the U.S. bishops wanting to define universal health care as covering everything except for what they don't support?" writes Richards. "Since when does universal health care mean denying comprehensive reproductive health care supported by the majority of Americans?"Richards then goes...

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments today on remarks made yesterday by Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood: Planned Parenthood is getting restless knowing that its abortion-happy health care reforms are on the skids. Cecile Richards is now accusing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of seeking to make “American women second-class citizens.” And that’s just the danger they are doing at home. Abroad, “their hard-line opposition to women’s rights also endangers millions of women around the globe.” Why they haven’t been locked up, she does not say. Richards was recently summoned to the White House to discuss health...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a letter condemning the House Democrats' healthcare plan, alleging that the plan's purported prohibition on federal funds for abortion is a "legal fiction." Of course, the House healthcare bill may not be the last word on abortion coverage in the federal healthcare plan, should one pass. But it's unlikely that the Democrats, including President Obama, will heed the bishops' and other social conservatives' call for an outright ban on abortion coverage in health insurance plans that are subsidized with federal funds, including the public option. And that, along with mounting Democratic support...

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds will launch a campaign this week to portray his opponent's longtime efforts to restrict abortion as out of the mainstream, a potentially risky strategy for a Democrat in the once solidly conservative state. Deeds (Bath), a state senator who supports abortion rights, said he will join female supporters in Annandale on Monday for the first of three events across the state where he will argue that Republican Robert F. McDonnell devoted too much of his 17 years in public office working to limit access to abortions. McDonnell has said he is against abortion...

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds is going to use the abortion issue against his Republican opponent Bob McDonnell. I think this is a desperation tactic. It contradicts Deeds’s statement in a debate two weeks ago that he would not emphasize social issues, but that’s almost beside the point. The main thing is that 2009 is a year of economic distress, and voters’ minds are mostly on economic issues. McDonnell has been campaigning on jobs and economic growth, and in the process has emphasized his opposition to national Democrats’ position on the unions’ card check bill and the various Democratic...

July 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A men's advice column published on the sexually suggestive AskMen.com website, which describes a coercive plan of action for men on how to talk their pregnant girlfriends into aborting their unborn child, has prompted outrage from pro-life groups and commentators. The backlash over the column appears to have been so forceful that the site has now pulled the offending piece.The advice column was written by Isabella Snow, who is described as a Sex Education Correspondent. Snow offers what she claims to be an insider's look at how women react to becoming pregnant and the...

In voicing his opposition to President Barack Obama’s bid to overhaul the nation’s health care system, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee charged on Wednesday that Obama is the “most pro-abortion president in U.S. history.” “His position on this issue is far beyond most of the people in his own party. Most of the Democrats don’t support partial-birth abortion, he does. Most Democrats don’t support late-term abortion, he does,” the unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential contender said in a Web video — "Health Care Reform = Elective Abortions" — posted on his political action committee’s website. Huckabee said he opposes current health...

You’re better off reading the Standard’s rundown of what happened than listening to me blather about it, but here’s the nutshell version. Last night, led by pro-life Dem Bart Stupak, Waxman’s committee passed an amendment barring any mandate in ObamaCare for private insurers to pay for abortions. One curious hitch: Waxman voted for it. Why? Because, only if you vote yes do you get to ask for a “reconsideration” of the amendment later, which Waxman promptly did after he “convinced” (i.e. likely bought off) Blue Dog Bart Gordon to switch his vote. The result: A new “compromise” amendment introduced by...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Bill Clinton may no longer occupy the White House, but the abortion advocate can still make use of his fundraising prowess. Clinton penned an email fundraising pitch for the big pro-abortion group Emily's List that it sent out today to its members. The email focuses on the 2010 Congressional elections and Clinton asks abortion advocates to give Emily's List money to supports it efforts to keep pro-abortion stalwarts in control of the House. "We can't afford to lose our Democratic majority in 2010, and women -- our nation's most progressive force -- will be crucial to...

In a rare disclosure of sensitive family-planning statistics, the state-run China Daily newspaper blamed ignorance about contraception for the figure. It described the widespread use of abortion as "unfortunate and avoidable" but did not clarify whether the number was rising. Wu Shangchun, a Family Planning official, said research showed 62 per cent of women undergoing abortions were under 29 and usually single. She added that the real total may be far higher since a large number of abortions were performed in unregistered clinics, especially in the countryside. A further ten million "morning after" contraceptive pills are sold each year. At...

A bill under the guise of reducing abortion could actually do the opposite. LifeNews.com reports Congressmen Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a former pro-lifer who abandoned his views and was subsequently kicked off the board of Democrats for Life of America, and Representative Rose DeLauro (D-Connecticut), a former staff of NARAL, have introduced a bill being touted as pro-life legislation but is being called a "bailout for the abortion industry." According to Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee, the $647-million "Reducing the Need for Abortions Initiative" does not live up to its name. "It’s authored by a former leader...

After several weeks of uncertainty about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's commitment to abortion, NARAL announced today it was convinced from Sotomayor's statements during the confirmation process that the judge is adequately in favor of abortion. "President Obama made a sound choice in nominating Judge Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court," reads the joint statement from two NARAL leaders. The group says that the nomination "reflects the president's commitment to ensuring that justices have strong legal credentials and understand how the law affects everyday people's lives, including the need to keep politicians from interfering in our personal, private medical decisions."

Kansas Rep. Todd Tiahrt touched off a controversy last Thursday when he urged Congress not to fund abortions in D.C., pointing out that had such funding existed years ago it could have snuffed out the African-American luminaries of today before they were born. The children aborted in Washington, D.C., correlating to the city's community of poor on a whole, are disproportionately African-American. During his remarks the Kansas congressman called for an up-or-down vote in the House of Representatives on the abortion funding in the Financial Services Appropriations bill. The bill had adopted a suggestion by President Obama to eliminate a...

Famed CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite has been lauded in the media since his death on Friday, at the age of 92, with tributes paid not only from secular media, but even Vatican Radio and other Christian news sources. But while remembered by many as "the most trusted man in America," many of Cronkite's more radical, but lesser known views, would be considered repugnant even to many of his greatest fans. For instance, up until his death Cronkite served as honorary chair of the Interfaith Alliance, an organization dedicated to countering the influence of conservative Christianity on federal politics. In...

Judge Sonia Sotomayor / NARAL President Nancy Keenan Washington D.C., Jul 22, 2009 / 11:34 pm (CNA).- The pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America has announced its support for Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.NARAL president Nancy Keenan and NARAL Pro-Choice New York president Kelli Conlin issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying that President Barack Obama made a “sound choice” in nominating Sotomayor.“From the beginning, we have said her nomination reflects the president's commitment to ensuring that justices have strong legal credentials and understand how the law affects everyday people's lives, including the need to keep...

Washington D.C., Jul 22, 2009 / 07:05 pm (CNA).- As debate continues about de facto federal funding for abortion in proposed health care legislation, U.S. Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) has filed an amendment which would deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood through Title X Family Planning.

Obama Staffer Speaks at Planned Parenthood Event, Urges Pro-Abortion Lobbying Washington, DC -- A top official with the administration of pro-abortion President Barack Obama spoke to gathering of Planned Parenthood activists last week. There, she promised leaders of the abortion business that Obama is a pro-abortion president and urged them to continue their pro-abortion lobbying efforts. See http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5267.html

YouTube Bans Video of Planned Parenthood Hiding Sexual Abuse, Abortion Washington, DC -- The popular video sharing web site YouTube has again censored a video exposing Planned Parenthood hiding a potential case of sexual abuse of a teenager. The video also shows the Planned Parenthood employee telling a woman posing as a teenager how she can evade the state's parental consent abortion law. See http://www.LifeNews.com/state4305.html for full story and link to full video.

Regina M. Benjamin grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and attended a Catholic elementary school in her home town of Daphne, Ala., nestled along the Gulf Coast. Benjamin, President Obama's pick to be surgeon general, attends Mass regularly and has received an award from Pope Benedict XVI and another inspired by Mother Teresa. But the Alabama country doctor also backs Obama's position on reproductive health issues, a position that potentially could put her at odds with the Catholic Church.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jessica Honke, 804.564.3725 July 17, 2009 Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia Endorses Creigh Deeds for Governor RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia today announced its endorsement of Creigh Deeds for Governor of Virginia. "Planned Parenthood is proud to endorse Creigh Deeds for Governor," said Jessica Honke, Director of Public Policy, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. "Creigh's unwavering support for women's health and his 17 year voting record prove that he is the right person to lead Virginia forward in these uncertain times." Along with Laura Meyers, Chair of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, and...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama turned to the Deep South for the next surgeon general, a rural Alabama family physician who made headlines with fierce determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. An administration official said Obama will announce the nomination of Dr. Regina Benjamin later Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the official announcement.

Obama Surgeon General Pick Regina Benjamin Wanted Docs to Learn Abortions Washington, DC -- President Barack Obama named Alabama physician Regina Benjamin as the next Surgeon General of the United States. Benjamin is an African-American doctor who is known for rebuilding her medical clinic after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and then ravaged by fire in 2006. However, Benjamin has also urged that future physicians be trained to learn how to perform abortions. See http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5208.html

Search engine giant Google is apparently disallowing advertisements for abortion businesses in several nations, some of which prohibit abortions and some of which don't. The rational behind the Google decision remained unclear, which abortion advocates are blasting, LifeNews reports. Pro-abortion activist Lori Adelman corresponded with a staff member at Google who confirmed the denial of abortion advertising.

The L.A. Times reports that "pharmacists are obliged to dispense the Plan B pill, even if they are personally opposed to the 'morning after' contraceptive on religious grounds, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. In a case that could affect policy across the western U.S., a supermarket pharmacy owner in Olympia, Wash., failed in a bid to block 2007 regulations that required all Washington pharmacies to stock and dispense the pills. Family-owned Ralph's Thriftway and two pharmacists employed elsewhere sued Washington state officials over the requirement. The plaintiffs asserted that their Christian beliefs prevented them from dispensing the pills, which...

The general counsel for the National Education Association (NEA), America's largest teacher's union, complained last week of the "conservative and right-wing bastards" that are "after" the NEA. At the same meeting, the NEA rejected a proposal that would have ceased their abortion advocacy, and went on record in support of same-sex "marriage." "We are not paranoid, someone really is after us," said General Counsel Bob Chanin in an address to NEA affiliates on the occasion of his retirement. "Why are these conservative and right-wing bastards picking on NEA and its affiliates? I will tell you why: it is the price...

The right to an abortion is not different than any other “fundamental right,” according to a legal brief issued by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF), in a case regarding Missouri state funding restrictions on abortion from 1988 when attorney Sonia Sotomayor was a member of the group’s governing board. Sotomayor, now a U.S. court of appeals judge nominated by President Barack Obama to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, served on the board from 1980 to 1992, during which time the organization weighed in on five abortion cases. These included the 1988 case...

The more that the American public learns that Sonia Sotomayor may supports unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy if she is confirmed for the Supreme Court, the more they oppose her nomination. A new Rasmussen Report poll finds a plurality now oppose the Senate confirming her. The finding comes as more information is revealed about her involvement with a pro-abortion Hispanic group that filed numerous legal briefs promoting unlimited abortions. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey find a small 37 percent believe Sotomayor should be confirmed while a larger 39 percent say she should not. The rest of those polled are...

PHOENIX -- Police say a man pulled a gun on a woman standing outside a Planned Parenthood in Phoenix Wednesday morning. Video report shown at link July 1st, 2009 UNCUT: Police say man pointed gun at Planned Parenthood protester - A man pulled a gun on a protester outside a Planned Parenthood in Phoenix Wednesday morning. Phoenix police Lt. Larry T. Jacobs said the man had just dropped his girlfriend off at the Planned Parenthood near Seventh and Campbell avenues. As he was leaving, one of the women outside handed him a pamphlet. That's when the suspect pulled a gun...

Hartford, CT (LifeNews.com) -- Under a new bill pro-abortion Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell signed into law last week, an ultrasound of an unborn child can't be done without a medical reason or authorization from a physician. The bill could have a negative impact on pregnancy centers that use ultrasounds to help women considering abortion.Studies have shown that ultrasounds, which show the humanity of the unborn children throughout pregnancy, convince at least 80 percent of women considering an abortion to keep their baby.Rell claimed she signed the bill because she is concerned about the health and safety of mothers and...

Wichita, KS (Lifenews.com) -- An abortion advocate attacked the national headquarters of the pro-life group Operation Rescue on Friday. The attack saw someone attempt to disabled the pro-life organization's security system.

Amnesty International attacks Poland abortion policy New York City, N.Y., Jun 27, 2009 / 05:04 pm (CNA).- Amnesty International has continued its promotion of abortion with a report on the state of human rights which criticizes Poland for denying Polish women “access to abortion.” The organization’s actions could reflect its partnership with a pro-abortion group to redefine abortion as a “human right.” The Amnesty International (AI) 2009 report’s entry on Poland cites May 2008 criticism of its abortion policy by the Human Rights Council, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) reports. Amnesty also criticized the Polish government for...

Karen England Sacramento, Calif., Jun 27, 2009 / 08:04 am (CNA).- The Modesto City School Board on Monday voted to allow junior high and high school students to leave campus during the school day for “confidential medical services,” such as abortions, without the consent or knowledge of their parents. The school board adopted the new policy in a preliminary vote of 4-3, the California Catholic Daily says. The board members will take another vote on the issue on July 13.Karen England, executive director of the pro-family lobbying group Capitol Resource Institute, attended the meeting and reported that four people...