North Dakota House Approves Egg-as-Person Legislation
The North Dakota House yesterday approved a measure that would give fertilized eggs human rights, the Associated Press reports.
The bill declares that "any organism with the genome of homo sapiens" is a person protected by rights granted by the North Dakota Constitution and state laws.
The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, said the legislation did not automatically ban abortion. Ruby has introduced bills in previous sessions of the Legislature to prohibit abortion in North Dakota.
The bill now moves to the North Dakota Senate.
USA Today talks to pharmacists, women's health advocates, and anti-choice activists about the new HHS provider conscience expansion. USA Today says those who oppose contraception are "on the extreme end of the spectrum."
Opponents question whether providers rights are more important than patients' rights. They paint a picture of women in isolated areas, forced to go without care, or intimidated by pharmacists who won't fill their prescription for emergency contraception. "What people don't realize is restrictions are making it inaccessible for a number of women, and those restrictions are equally as bad as a ban for some women," said Janet Crepps, deputy director in the U.S. legal program at the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Pelosi to Meet with Pope; Some Catholics Want Pope to Deny Communion
Speaker Nancy Pelosi will meet with the Pope at the Vatican today. "Some pro-life Catholics don't want that to happen and have started a petition asking that Catholic Church leaders prevent the pro-abortion lawmaker from receiving the sacrament," reports LifeNews.com. Writes the Boston Globe, "Pelosi, of course, is a practicing Catholic and mother of five (and grandmother of seven), but also is a supporter of abortion rights, and that combination has infuriated some conservatives who argue that support for abortion rights should disqualify Catholic politicians from receiving Communion and from being honored by Catholic universities."
Fight on the Right Over What Reduces Abortion
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and other anti-choice organizations on the right find themselves in disagreement over "what reduces abortion." Catholics in Alliance has argued that states with higher welfare spending have lower rates of abortion, while laws restricting access -- mandatory delay, or parental involvement laws -- had little effect. Professor Michael New, of the University of Alabama and the Witherspoon Institute, countered the claim, writing,
Unfortunately, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good continues to miss the boat and mislead the public. There exist plenty of peer reviewed studies which find that public funding restrictions and parental involvement laws reduce the incidence of abortion. However, instead of acknowledging the positive impact of pro-life legislation and constructively working with pro-lifers to promote social policies that will further reduce abortion rates, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good seems primarily interested in providing moral, political, and theological cover for supporters of Barack Obama and other Democrats who support "abortion rights."Catholics in Alliance responded,
In his article, "Holding ‘Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good' Morally Accountable," Michael New mischaracterizes Catholics in Alliance entirely. The Alliance promotes a consistent ethic of life and challenges both political parties to help end the tragedy of abortion. Our primary interest in commissioning the study, Reducing Abortion in America: The Effect of Socioeconomic Factors, was to explore ways to reduce abortions and find common-ground policies that support families, not to "provide cover" for any political party or ideology. In addition, as explicitly stated in the report, the Alliance endorses a comprehensive approach to reach this goal, including informed and parental consent laws.
Other News to Note
Feb 15: The Week: Sex in the recession
Feb 17: Contra Costa Times: The agony of endometriosis: Chronic pelvic
pain not easy to diagnose
Feb 17: Broadsheet: Too hot for high school
Feb 17: The Week: Nadya Suleman's laissez fertility
Feb 17: Christian News Wire: If Pro-Choicers Want to Reduce Abortions,
They Should Support Waiting Period Says Fr. Pavone
Feb 17: Life News: Electrician Quits Working on Abortion Center
Repairs After Pro-Life Pressure
Feb 18: Tulsa World: AP: State House committee approves anti-abortion bill
Feb 17: News Channel 11 TX: Local activists mobilize over abortion bill
Feb 17: News Health Guru: Is there such a thing as baby addiction?
Feb 17: Life Site News: 40 Days For Life Campaign Goes Global:
Australia, Northern Ireland Join Campaign
Feb 18: Washington Times: China's one-child controversy reignites
Feb 17: The Daily Item: Lynn Teen Births Make Alarming Rise
Feb 17: WorldNetDaily: Biohazard bag case mom feels 'cheated': 'They
never said anything that would make me think it was a baby'
Feb 18: Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Planning a family? Text message
service tells you when the time is right
Feb 18: Charleston Daily Mail: Dozens of abortion bills introduced
in the Legislature
Feb 18: Online Journal: Another victory for the anti-abortion movement
