Abortion

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan charged the Barack Obama administration with selectively adhering to the freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, respecting the rights of abortionists over religious institutions that object to treating "pregnancy as a disease."

In a commentary for The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Dolan said the Obama administration is only willing to defend churches' right to conscience as long as those sensibilities do not challenge the abortion and family planning industries.

"The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease," he wrote. more >>

Ralph Shortey, a Republican Oklahoma state senator, has introduced a bill banning the use of aborted fetuses in food.

The bill, brought forward Tuesday, is a preemptive and meant to raise awareness, as no cases of aborted fetuses have ever been discovered in foods or food products in the U.S.

Senate Bill 1418, requested to become effective in November 2012, asserts, "No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients." more >>

The Family Research Council announced on Monday the release of a new report showing the impact Pregnancy Resource Centers make in local and national communities.

According to the report, titled "A Passion to Serve: How Pregnancy Resource Centers Empower Women, Help Families and Strengthen Communities," PRCs helped reduce the rate of repeat abortions which, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, account for at least 36 percent of abortions." Approximately 50 million abortions have been performed in the U.S. between 1973 and 2008.

Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at FRC, said at a pro-life FRC conference Monday that the report "quantifies the impact pregnancy centers are making." The authors of the study estimate PRCs save taxpayers at least $100 million a year. more >>

WASHINGTON – Although winter weather forced the National Pro-life Youth Rally from its Washington, D.C., location, marchers in the 39th annual March for Life were undeterred.

The youth rally changed from a live concert near the Supreme Court to a live audio webcast after the Washington, D.C. area experienced snow and freezing rain over the weekend.

Students for Life of America, a sponsoring organization for the event, warned attendees of the change, announcing, "For those who are planning to attend the March for Life today, please know that there has been a travel advisory due to overnight ice. In addition, the weather forecast is calling for 90% chance of rain," SFLA Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said. more >>

WASHINGTON – One day after the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, tens of thousands of people gathered on a cold, rainy Monday for the 39th Annual March for Life at the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Families, churches, schools, monks, nuns, Orthodox Jews, and many others from across the country crowded the streets shouting "We love babies!" and telling the watching public that "life counts."

Henry J. Mansell, Archbishop of Hartford, Conn., told The Christian Post that he had been involved in the annual March for Life for "many years" as well as other marches elsewhere in the country. more >>

GOP candidate Rick Santorum, considered by many to have the most conservative views regarding abortion, continues to push his pro-life agenda in an article published Monday in the Wall Street Journal, vowing that, as president, he would work tirelessly to protect the lives of the unborn.

In his article, Santorum cites the importance of the 14th Amendment, which states "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

"The Constitution is clear. The meaning is inconvenient," Santorum adds, evidently acknowledging the moral struggle that accompanies the legality of abortion. more >>