LifeNet

National Organization of Women (NOW) overlooks Benazir Bhutto assassination

NOW only allows for their brand of feminism.

Tom Faranda's Folly: Why has the National Organization of Women (NOW) had no statement on the murder of Benazir Bhutto?

Benazir Bhutto was prolife advocate

An Islamic, prolife, feminist

Assassinated Pakistan Leader Benazir Bhutto Was Strong Abortion Opponent

The world mourned the loss of assassinated Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto on Thursday, but her death was more than a setback for those hoping for democracy in this war-torn nation. Bhutto was a member of an international pro-life women's movement that understood abortion causes medical, mental health and other problems for women.

When Bhutto was the prime minister of Pakistan, she helped lead a delegation to the 1994 Cairo population conference that confronted abortion advocates looking to make abortion an international right.

"I dream ...of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction," she told the United Nations panel at the time.

Bhutto was one of only two women to address the conference.

Instead of telling women in nations where population growth is an issue that they should kill their offspring, Bhutto told world leaders that the best solutions is "tackling infant mortality, by providing villages with electrification, by raising an army of women."

She hoped to "educate our mothers, sisters, daughters, in child welfare and population control, by setting up a bank run by women for women, to help women achieve economic independence, and to have the wherewithal to make independent choices.”

Bhutto warned conference participants that "this conference must not be viewed by the teeming masses of the world as a universal social charter seeking to impose adultery, abortion...and other such matters on individuals, societies and religions which have their own social ethos."

One of the leading pro-life women's groups in the United States, Feminists for Life of America, honored Bhutto in the 1998 issue of its publication The American Feminist. The group named Bhutto as one of the first and best "remarkable pro-life women" around the world.

"Prime Minister Bhutto advocated a more holistic approach to resolving population-control issues worldwide," the group said of the Pakistani leader.

FFLA said Bhutto prefers "the empowerment of women" over their destruction via abortion.

Related web sites:
Feminists for Life of America - http://www.feministsforlife.org

Merry Christmas from LifeNet!

Picture from LifeZine, online publication of Family and Life of Republic of Ireland

Prolife civil disobedience at Giuliani HQ in New Hampshire

Joan Andrews Bell, amongst others. And here's the video - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftsbBlCSUAM

More Arrests at Giuliani Headquarters -- Second Sit-in in Two Days

"There should be 1,000 pro-lifers sitting in at Giuliani's offices nationwide; he is like Joseph Stalin when it comes to killing the innocent." -- Joan Andrews-Bell

MANCHESTER, NH, Dec. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Manchester Police have arrested 3 more pro-lifers in connection with protests against Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid. As of 6:30 p.m. eastern time, they are all still in custody.

One of those arrested is Joan Andrews-Bell, a pro-life legend, lovingly referred to by pro-life activists as "St. Joan of Newark" for her efforts on behalf of the unborn. She has spent over 3 years in incarceration on behalf of the unborn.

Photo: Dec. 19 sit-in in front of Rudy Giuliani's office in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Another arrested and in custody is Joan Andrews- Bell's adopted son, Emiliano. Emiliano Bell was abandoned in a garbage pale in Mexico City by his natural parents shortly after his birth. Police heard him crying, and saved his life. He has no lower legs, and has other congenital physical handicaps - but is mentally "as sharp as a tack." He would have been a prime target for death by abortion in Rudy's "pro- choice world."

Also arrested was Willy Lewis.

Randall Terry stated, "The purpose of these protests and sit-ins is to highlight the fact that Giuliani is a hard core pro-abort, and is trying to pass himself off as a conservative Republican.

"When it comes to moral issues that grip our political debates, there is no difference between Giuliani and Hillary. He must be stopped at all cost. The key is showing that Rudy is a phony - a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"These Manchester sit-ins are the beginning of a series of events that will take place in several states and escalate through Super Tuesday. Our plan is that February 5th will be the funeral of Rudy's treacherous presidential bid."

More on adult stem cell therapies

This is from Wesley Smith's weblog-

Secondhand Smoke: Adult Stem Cell News Blockade Continues to Crumble

A promising new adult stem cell treatment for breast reconstruction of women who have had lump-ectomies to treat breast cancer has been reported in the Washington Post.

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Promising results in early human trials with adult stem cells are popping up all over the place. Now that the iPSC breakthrough has sucked much of the anti-Bush venom from the issue, expect the media to report more stories like this. The news blockade is, at last, crumbling.

You can get to the full Washington post article either through Smith's weblog or by going here:

Stem Cells Used to Fix Breast Defects - washingtonpost.com

A sad, but faith-filled, life-affirming message

This from Amy Welborn's new weblog

The little boy featured in this video with his loving family died 11 minutes after he was born, last week. The parents had received a diagnosis of anencephaly earlier in the pregnancy, were advised to abort, but made the decision to accept the “counsel and wisdom of the Church and bring him to full term” (from a letter accompanying the video).

Hit the link to see the video - it's beautiful.

The latest from Kieran Michael Lalor in his effort to unseat rookie pro-abortion Congressman John Hall

Veterans Rally Against Soros/Hall

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Thank you for your generous contributions. Your support has been overwhelming. With strong grassroots support, come next November we are sure to beat John Hall.

You may have heard that George Soros, MoveOn.org's billionaire patron, is holding a fundraiser in his Manhattan townhouse for John Hall this Monday, December 17th. Then again, you probably have not heard about the event. Hall goes out of his way to distract voters from his ties with the radical left.

Even though Hall has personally contributed to MoveOn.org and received their support in 2006, he realizes that Hudson Valley voters are not fond of the defeatists at MoveOn.org. A group that slandered General Petraeus with the "General Betray Us" ad doesn't represent the sentiment of the Hudson Valley. That doesn't mean Hall won't reach into their deep coffers as he seeks reelection, though. He just trolls for MoveOn.org money quietly, out of the district.

I refuse to allow Hall to escape responsibility for his close connection to Soros and MoveOn.org. With other proud veterans, I am organizing a rally to protest our congressman's association with this anti-military group. We will be gathering outside the fundraiser this Monday, December 17th from 5:30PM to 7:00PM. The fundraiser is in Manhattan at 1060 5th Ave. (the intersection of 5th Ave. and 87th St.).

I urge you to join us Monday to help hold Hall accountable. We won't let him get away with playing both sides. His pious public demonstrations of his respect for veterans are meaningless when he implicitly endorses Soros and MoveOn.org.

If you have any questions about the rally please send them to [email protected]. I hope you can join us.

Please continue your generous support. Your contributions are powering the campaign. This election is going to be defined by our grassroots enthusiasm. Hall is raising hundreds of thousands from the MoveOn.org crowd, but with your help we can beat him.

Please remember the importance of donating by December 31st, the end of this fundraising quarter.

If you are considering contributing to the campaign, now is the time.

 

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow's mother was urged to have an abortion

She became sick while a missionary in the Phillipines

Tebow's family ties - News - GainesvilleSun.com

We taught our children from a young age that in everything, you give thanks to the Lord," she said. "There's something supernatural that takes place when you trade your anxieties for God's peace."

Pam says most of Tim's life lessons began at home, on the family's 44-acre farm on the outskirts of Jacksonville, where all of the Tebow children were home-schooled.

She credits her husband with using the farm to teach the five children a strong work ethic � something that she says has allowed Tim to excel on and off the football field.

"They would mend fences, take care of the vegetable garden and the cattle," she said. "There were things that were required of them. Part of my husband's strategy was to build strong men, not just build fences."

For Pam, though, Tim's story begins years before life on the farm in Jacksonville.

In 1985, she and her husband moved to the Philippines, where they served as Christian missionaries.

Hoping to expand their family, they prayed for "Timmy" by name.

Just before she became pregnant, Pam fell into a coma after contracting amoebic dysentery, a bacteria transmitted through contaminated drinking water.

Her treatment required a series of strong medications. As a result of those medications, doctors told Pam the fetus had been irreversibly damaged, and they strongly advised her to have an abortion.

She refused because of her faith, she said.

Pam spent the last two months of her pregnancy on bed rest, and on her due date  Aug. 14, 1987. she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who she described as "skinny, but rather long."

Japanese researcher with breakthrough converting skin cells to Pluripotent cells had developed moral qualms about his prior research on embryos.

The NY Times had an article on scientist Shinya Yamanaka.

Shinya Yamanaka - Stem Cells - Science - Risk Taking Is in His Genes - New York Times

Dr. Yamanaka was an assistant professor of pharmacology doing research involving embryonic stem cells when he made the social call to the clinic about eight years ago. At the friend’s invitation, he looked down the microscope at one of the human embryos stored at the clinic. The glimpse changed his scientific career.

“When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters,” said Dr. Yamanaka, 45, a father of two and now a professor at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University. “I thought, we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way.”

This article was picked up on by Lifenews.com:

Embryonic Stem Cell Alternative Researcher Doesn't Like Destroying Life

The teams released studies in the medical journals Science and Cell that show how they were able to make adult stem cells revert to their embryonic form.

The studies confirm that human skin cells (fibroblasts) can be used to make pluripotent stem cells sharing essentially all the features of human embryonic stem cells.

Pro-life groups have welcomed the findings because they represent another alternative to destroying human life to advance science.

Ultimately, Dr. Yamanaka says he has to have some reliance on embryonic stem cell research to advance his own work, but he hopes alternatives will eventually outpace the use of human embryos.

“There is no way now to get around some use of embryos,” he said. “But my goal is to avoid using them.”

Westchester parish holds a Serenata to celebrate December 12th feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Holy Name of Mary parish of Croton-on-Hudson held a traditional Hispanic Serenata. Very interesting and very well-received.

Go here to find out about it.

Tom Faranda's Folly: My Church hosts a Serenata to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dec 12; Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Online

When we reflect on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe we learn two important lessons, one of faith and one of understanding.

Missionaries who first came to Mexico with the conquistadors had little success in the beginning. After nearly a generation, only a few hundred Native Mexicans had converted to the Christian faith. Whether they simply did not understand what the missionaries had to offer or whether they resented these people who made them slaves, Christianity was not popular among the native people.

Then in 1531 miracles began to happen. Jesus' own mother appeared to humble Juan Diego. The signs -- of the roses, of the uncle miraculously cured of a deadly illness, and especially of her beautiful image on Juan's mantle -- convinced the people there was something to be considered in Christianity. Within a short time, six million Native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians.

The first lesson is that God has chosen Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter what critics may say of the devotion of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants) to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe their Christianity to her influence. If it were not for her, they would not know her son, and so they are eternally grateful. The second lesson we take from Mary herself. Mary appeared to Juan Diego not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess speaking to him in his own Aztec language. If we want to help someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we must appreciate the culture and the mentality in which they live their lives. By understanding them, we can help them to understand and know Christ. Our Lady of Guadalupe is patron of the Americas.

Westchester Pro-lifers take on County Legislators’ Greed & Ethics!

Pro-life Action Plan:

Determine the amount of tax money earmarked for WCLA & PPHP in the 2007-2008 Westchester County Budget. Demand accountability for $$$ & late disclosure of budget’s outrageous pay increases. Stop fiscal thugery!!!

Goal:

Publicize to Westchester, Rockland, Suffolk pro-life committees amount of Westchester County tax dollars going to PPHP & WCLA – hard to get exact numbers, 1-3 items still up for bid! Get all pro-lifers to challenge politicians publicly by letters, e-mails, phone calls, or by speaking at at least one respective County Board of Legislators Meeting. Shine light of truth on PP and demand legislative transparency from public officials, most elected by these groups and who owe them, big time.

It was Frederick F. Guida, M.D.’s turn. Legislators’ ears perked when they heard he was from Chappaqua, only to be stunned at the verbal lashing he gave them; irrefutable medical facts about human life, abortion as “murder,” the Gardasil dangers, and the contraceptive mentality and high-steroidal chemical doses women are accepting – something no man ever would. He concluded with his hope that one day the Board would be held accountable for their complicit crimes against humanity. Oh, it was quite a night.

The above Action Plan is in motion thanks to the determined efforts of Ed Riely, Regina Riely and their

band of pro-life stalwarts and volunteers who have been doggedly monitoring the public and committee meetings of the Westchester BOL for years. (Regina sued them for First Amendment violations and Women’s Equality Day Reformed got $10,000) PP and the WCLA, etc., have been on the receiving end of NY taxpayer monies thanks to a heavily pro-abort Democrat majority. The Westchester budget process currently underway defies description in a few paragraphs; it is cloaked in a “smoke and mirrors” approach to public disclosure. Finding the amount of money funneled to PP and its minions is even more difficult.

The Rielys sought a FOIL request to get answers. Legislator Burton gave Ed a $300,000 amount, only to seek him out a day or so later at this public hearing on the budget on Wednesday, December 5, in White Plains to tell him that this number had changed – to “$50,000”. (Ed.Note: It has since moved up to $75,000-150,000 and counting!)

There was fascinating public commentary that night with demands that the budget and process be changed. Board spending, including staff counts and salary expenses, were missing reported the Journal News the next day. Some thanked the Board for support (My Sisters Place); others (like us) spoke our outrage that after many attempts to present them with facts about illegalities and deaths and dangers to women, they still fund these groups.

Regina Riely and Judy Anderson spoke, as did Ralph and Dr. Fred Guida and Ed Riely.

One young woman, a senior at Purchase College supporting PP, told her personal story of contracting HPV and developing cancer cells that needed surgery; her mother immediately got the vaccine for younger siblings.

The promotion of Gardasil to the young, serious risks and all, is #1 on the PP radar screen these days (latest budget earmark: “$25,000” and counting) along with their Sex Ed push into middle schools, condom distribution, ingestible contraceptives, abortifacients “Plan B”(morning after pill budget latest earmark: “$50,000” and counting) and RU-486, and surgical abortions, all increasing in minority communities. Quite a legacy.

Reina Schiffrin, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, was there and spoke near the end, thanking the Board for “$25,000”(????), with “more needed”. Right.

To help with this project, with questions or clarifications, call Ed Riely or call RTL Party locally:

Stacia Vogel, Western New York, 716-997-3360

Richard Bruno, Rockland County, 845-359-5823

Joseph Carr, Sr., Putnam County, 845-628-4690

Walter Dougherty, Putnam County, 845-628-8997

Christine Tighe, Orange County, 845-496-0391

William Conroy, Jr., Esq.,Orange County, 845-386-9323

Joseph Eldred, Sullivan and Orange, 845-928-8794

Elizabeth Costanzo, Westchester County, 914-478-1189

Ed Riely, Westchester County, 914-271-5585

Regina Riely, Westchester County, 914-319-7491

Carol O’Hea, Suffolk, 631-757-7393

Peter O’Hara, Suffolk, 631-862-9370

Paul Driscoll, Nassau, 516-747-2476

Marietta Canning, Staten Island, 646-662-3914

Carlo Versella, Staten Island, 718 448-4024

John Cronin, Queens, 516 297-8171       

Christea Garifalia, Queens & Brooklyn, 347 885-3099

Dennis Maloney, Dutchess, 845-471-0236

Anthony Murty, Niagara                                                   

Take the Roe vs. Wade IQ test

Just got here. You may be surprised by what you don't know!

Roe IQ Welcome

Forty Days for Life: Replay of December 5th teleconference of what's next

Go here if you want to here a recording of the "40 Days for Life" Teleconference announcing "next step".

40 Days for Life 2008 "Next Step" Announcements December 5 at 9 PM Eastern

Another step forward for ethical stem cell research; scientists cure sickle cell anemia in mice

Advances are coming quickly with iPS cells (Induced Pluripotent Stem cells), derived from skin cells.

Scientists Cure Mice Of Sickle Cell Using Stem Cell Technique - washingtonpost.com

Using a recently developed technique for turning skin cells into stem cells, scientists have cured mice of sickle cell anemia -- the first direct proof that the easily obtained cells can reverse an inherited, potentially fatal disease.

Researchers said the work, published in yesterday's online edition of the journal Science, points to a promising future for the novel cells. Known as iPS cells, they have been touted by President Bush and some scientists as a possible substitute for embryonic stem cells, which have been mired for years in political controversy.

But researchers also cautioned that aspects of the new approach will have to be changed before it can be tried in human patients. Most important, the technique depends on the use of gene-altered viruses that have the potential to trigger tumor growth.

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"I think it is a really exciting proof-of-principle that clinical applications of iPS cells are technically feasible," said George Q. Daley, a stem cell researcher at Children's Hospital Boston. "There will be lots of unanticipated setbacks before we end up in the clinic, but this work suggests that we will ultimately get there."

Nonprofit organizations and political campaigns

The Washington Post had a comprehensive feature on nonprofit corporations - 501(c)(4) groups - and their political activities.

This is an issue that has frequently come up in the past - how much political activity can a prolife nonprofit organization such as The Hudson Valley Coalition for Life engage in?

Nonprofits Become A Force in Primaries - washingtonpost.com

Nonprofit groups created to educate the public and lobby on issues have started inserting themselves into the presidential primaries, adding an unexpected wild card to wide-open elections in both parties.

The groups provide a new avenue for routing millions of dollars into an election cycle already awash with spending by traditional political organizations. The nonprofits are competing with the campaigns for voter attention, especially in early-voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, and their advertising, phone calls and mailings could help diffuse the candidates' own messages.

The nonprofits enjoy advantages over traditional political groups because there is no limit to who can give or the size of the donations, and no requirement to publicly disclose the contributors.

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The 501(c)(4) groups pay no taxes on the donations they collect, but -- unlike charities -- their donors do not get a tax deduction. They are allowed to make political endorsements and engage in other political activities as long as political action is not their primary purpose.

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Federal election regulators are closely watching the activities of independent groups because of their ability to raise unlimited amounts of money, including from corporations and labor unions. If the FEC determines that the groups should be designated as political committees, they can accept no more than $2,300 from any individual.

If nonprofits put up an advertisement that expressly urges viewers to vote for or against a candidate -- or solicits donations for that purpose -- the FEC will intervene, said Robert D. Lenhard, the commission's chairman.

"We will look at what they say in their ads, and what they say in their solicitations," Lenhard said. "To the degree that influencing elections is their major purpose, they will need to register as a political committee."

Campaign activity by these nonprofits only adds to the cacophony already put out by traditional political groups. One 527 group, the conservative Club for Growth, plans to make a six-figure television-advertising buy in Iowa this week with a commercial that concludes with the line: "Call Mike Huckabee. Ask why he supported all those taxes."

Emily's List, a longstanding PAC, has spent more than $100,000 on polling, a special Web site and staff to encourage caucus-goers to support Clinton in Iowa. "That's just the beginning," said Ramona Oliver, the group's communications director. "It's going to be a significant investment."

Notes from Tony Felicissimo, the Advocates of Life, Yonkers, NY

1.  St. Eugene's Church in Yonkers will be conducting the National Night of Prayer for Life on the

     Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Eucharistic Adoration will be held in the main church

     beginning at 9 p.m. and will end at 1 a.m.  Please come and beseech the Lord and His Mother

     for the restoration of the culture of life.

2.  Ed Riely contacted me to ask you for your assistance THIS WEDNESDAY, December 5. 

     Planned Parenthood is asking for more funds from Westchester County.  Ed is asking that

     anyone available to speak at the 7 p.m. meeting of the Legislature in White Plains to please

     be there no later than 6 p.m. to sign up to give your three minute presentation.  Anyone

     interested can call me for further details.

3.  Please keep January 23 on your calendar.  To commemorate the Jan. 22 Roe v Wade

     decision, Planned Parenthood is inviting Dr. Edelin, a famous African-American abortionist to

     speak at a yet to be disclosed Westchester location.  This "doctor" became nationally known

     when he was charged with performing an abortion on a 18 week old unborn baby.  For further

     details please go the  their  website,  pphp.org, and read about him from the horses mouth.

     We can't let this event go without a public response, both in the media and by our picketing

     outside this event.

4.  Dr. Alveda King, neice of Dr. Martin Luther King, recently spoke at Cardinal Spellman High

     School about her involvement in civil rights, including her work in the pro-life movement.  I'm

     trying to get her to Yonkers to speak to African-American congregations.  Please pray that if

     it God's will that she would be able to make it and that local Protestant churches would be

    open to having her preach at a service (I have my mind set on Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, a

    very large Baptist, African-American Church on Nepperhan Ave.  I don't know the views  of

    the current minister on abortion).

5.  The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal will be conducting a pro-life Mass and prayer vigil

     in Mahattan on the feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28.  After the Mass and procession

     to the abortion mill they will then sing Christmas carols on the stairs of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

     Please check the Friars website for more information.

  Please pass this information on.  May the Lord bless us in His mercy.

In case you missed this story out of England; women who abort and sterilize themselves to reduce their "carbon footprint"

Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly | the Daily Mail

Incredibly, so determined was she that the terrible "mistake" of pregnancy should never happen again, that she begged the doctor who performed the abortion to sterilise her at the same time.

He refused, but Toni - who works for an environmental charity - "relentlessly hunted down a doctor who would perform the irreversible surgery.

Finally, eight years ago, Toni got her way.

At the age of 27 this young woman at the height of her reproductive years was sterilised to "protect the planet".

Here's a commentary response from syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker -

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Survival of the Stupidest

Those of us who have managed to see a pregnancy through to birth recognize the irony of these tales.

If we're not saving the planet for our kids, for whom are we saving it? After we're all sterilized and aborted, who's going to appreciate the fact that global warming is, by golly, under control? Who's going to live to tell the tale?

Tell me: When was the last time you read a good book by a polar bear?

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What I'm nostalgic for is sanity.

The couples who choose abortion and sterilization may not save the planet, but they're saving the gene pool a mess o' trouble by purging their own from the mix. The Darwin Awards folks, who honor those who improve the species by accidentally removing themselves from it, will have to create a new category:

People Too Narcissistic To Procreate.

Far be it from me to suggest that people must have children to be content or to contribute to life on Earth. But abortion should never be confused with a selfless act. It is clearly the ultimate and most-vivid expression of the opposite.

Raising children is quantifiably the most persistently unselfish act known to mankind, as millions of veterans of sleepless nights will attest. Parenthood is when "I" takes a backseat to "thou" -- when the infant-self submits to adulthood so that the real infant gets a necessary turn at the well of self-importance.

Although I doubt there are many willing to sterilize themselves in order to reduce the size of their carbon footprint, such extreme materialism is the evolutionary product of our gradual commodification of human life.

Suddenly, the unborn is of no greater importance than the contents of our recycling bin. Like Weight Watchers dieters substituting carbs for sugars, we trade off future members of the human race to neutralize insults to Earth's balance in the present.

Here's how the mental calculation goes: Let's see, if I abort my child, maybe I can travel first-class to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

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On a lighter note, we might have avoided all such concerns if only the mothers of Toni, Ed, Sarah and Mark had been as "virtuous" as they are.