Abortion

While pro-life and pro-choice supporters continue to argue about the health care reform bill in their favor, independent analysts say the current proposed legislation leaves it “unclear” whether tax payers will pay for abortion services.

“Frankly we just don’t know yet,” said ABC News’s Kate Snow, who ran a fact check on whether abortion will be paid using public money, on “World News with Charles Gibson.”

Under current law, federal funds cannot be used for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger. The proposed House bill “does not override the Hyde Amendment” which prevents the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion services outside of the exceptions listed above, a Denver Post fact check stated. more >>

Forty pro-life college students who walked across the country from California witnessing about the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death will reach Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Organized by pro-life group Crossroads, the 40 young adults from colleges around the country spent 12 weeks walking through 36 states, thousands of municipalities, towns and cities, and collectively logged 10,000 miles during the summer pilgrimage.

In the cities they traveled through, the students took part in activities such as peaceful protests and sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics. more >>

The number of self-described “pro-life” Americans has increased since late last year and more visibly in 2009, a new USA Today/Gallup survey reveals.

Conducted in mid-July, the survey found 47 percent of Americans called themselves “pro-life,” compared to 46 percent who identified themselves as “pro-choice.” These latest figures reflect a loss for the pro-life camp when compared to a similar Gallup survey in May when 51 percent of Americans said they are pro-life and 42 percent said they are pro-choice.

But July’s very slight pro-life advantage over the pro-choice position is still much higher than all the similar Gallup Poll survey results from 1995 to 2008, during which the majority of Americans had described themselves as “pro-choice.” more >>

Chinese health officials reported Thursday that compared to 20 million births, more than 13 million abortions are performed each year in China.

The number of abortions given does not include unreported procedures and medication-induced abortions, reported the state-run newspaper China Daily. According to Wu Shangchun, a research official with the National Population and Family Planning Commission, about 10 million abortion-inducing pills are sold in China each year.

In terms of the rate of abortions, 13 million translates to about 24 abortions for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. more >>

An anti-abortion amendment to a controversial health care bill was voted down late Thursday just hours after it had received approval.

The amendment, which was approved in the Energy and Commerce Committee after conservative Democrats joined Republicans to support it, sought to bar health care legislation from imposing abortion mandates, except in limited cases.

A second vote called by committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), however, shot down the amendment, with conservative Democrat Rep. Bart Gordon of Tenessee changing his vote from “yes” to “no” and Rep. Zack Space of Ohio – who didn’t vote the first time – voting “no.” more >>