Life Advocacy Briefing

Apology!

PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGY for the lateness of this bulletin without advance warning. Conflicting commitments caught up with us. We hope to get back on schedule with the next edition.

In Secret

SELECTED DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS of the House and Senate are cobbling together yet another version of ObamaCare, excluding input from GOP lawmakers and planning, according to the Associated Press, to “bypass traditional procedures,” hoping to pass the massive measure “to remake the nation’s healthcare system,” reports AP, by the time of the State of the Union address, expected in early February.

“Democratic aides said the final compromise talks [underway now] would essentially be a three-way negotiation,” reports AP, “involving top Democrats in the House and Senate and the White House.” To suggest that such can be termed “compromise talks” is to suggest massive disagreements within the Democratic Party itself. If only one could be a “mouse in the corner” during these “talks!”

Early reports suggested the players in the “negotiations” are, in addition to the Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate, the chairmen of the committees which have enjoyed jurisdiction over the process all through 2009, leaving pro-life Democrats, as an example, outside the door.

Those pro-life Democrats have not been engaged in thumb twiddling, according to other reports. From the moment ObamaCare/Senate passed the Senate, Rep. Bart Stupak (MI) has been securing commitments from fellow pro-life Democrats to hold out their votes against any proposal which does not explicitly exclude abortion subsidies from any healthcare subsidy legislation.

Rep. Stupak is co-chairman with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) of the House pro-life caucus. He is also the chief sponsor of the Hyde-like amendment which received some 240 votes in the House last summer, prohibiting the federal government from spending tax dollars on abortion.

Already in December, Rep. Stupak was predicting, in an interview with Cybercast News Service (CNSNews.com), “‘If they expect the House to accept the Senate bill, it’s going to go down in flames.’”

Since that time, he has reportedly been regathering his coalition of pro-life Democrats to join what will likely be a united Republican delegation in seeking to block any “negotiated” measure which does not faithfully reflect the Stupak/Pitts/Hyde Amendment which was incorporated into the House bill before it advanced.

Any reader who lives in the district of a House Democrat who claims to be pro-life should be contacting that Member by phone (1-202/224-3121) and electronic mail (www.house.gov) to urge that he or she join with Rep. Stupak in insisting explicit exclusion of abortion from any healthcare bill and in refusing to vote for any such measure without Stupak/Hyde language.

Reading the Tea Leaves

THREE PROMINENT DEMOCRATS ANNOUNCED RETIREMENT last week, two from the US Senate and one from the statehouse in Colorado.

Long-time Democratic abortion advocate Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT) read the tea leaves and bowed out of a planned re-election bid. Ditto, unexpectedly, Sen. Byron Dorgan (ND), whose pro-life voting record, measured by National Right to Life, is a paltry 25%. And Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said last Wednesday he would not seek re-election.  Mr. Ritter attempted to restore state funding for Planned Parenthood in 2007, stripped abstinence education funding from the state budget and signed legislation authorizing adoption by homosexuals.

They will be missed by some, but by us? Not so much.

Protesting Planned Parenthood ‘Super Center’

ANGUISHED CITIZENS WILL MOBILIZE FOR PROTEST IN HOUSTON next Monday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside a building being renovated by Planned Parenthood into an abortion “super center.” The abortion mill is expected to be the second largest in the world, second only to a facility in Red China.

The six-story building, offering PP 78,000 square feet, is, reports LifeSiteNews.com, “right in the middle of four minority neighborhoods. Three of these neighborhoods,” notes LifeSite, “have an average 88% Hispanic population and the fourth is 80% Black American.

“The third floor is being specially built as an ambulatory surgical center,” reports LifeSite, “for the purpose of [committing] late-term abortions.”

The building is a former bank, notes Catholic News Agency (CNA) and, appropriately enough, is “shaped like a cash register.”

Incompetent Abortionist Sidelined, for Now

SAN DIEGO’s ANDREW RUTLAND IS OUT OF THE ABORTION TRADE for now, but Administrative Judge James Ahler, reports Operation Rescue (OR), has “allowed [Mr.] Rutland to keep his license so he could continue to see patients for consultations.”

The California Medical Board had asked the judge for immediate suspension of the abortionist’s license, but the judge tossed back to the CMB the decision as to whether to permanently revoke it. The judge did order Mr. Rutland “to stop doing abortions and delivering babies,” reports OR, while the CMB deliberates on his future.

Deputy Atty. Gen. Douglas Lee, notes OR, “questioned [Mr.] Rutland’s professional judgment, noting repeated negligent acts committed by him that led to the death of 30-year-old Ying Chen during a second-trimester abortion” in July 2009.

“[Mr.] Lee pointed out,” reports OR, “that [Mr.] Rutland has a history of dishonesty and corruption. He has lied to patients and authorities repeatedly, according to the formal revocation petition filed against him on Christmas Eve” by the CMB.

In the case of Ying Chen, reports OR, he “had committed a second-trimester abortion … at an unlicensed office in San Gabriel, California, during which he administered an overdose of lidocaine. He failed to recognize the symptoms of the overdose,” notes OR, “and the patient went into cardiac arrest. He and his staff were untrained and unequipped,” complains OR, “to handle the medical emergency. After a ‘significant delay’ in contacting 911,” OR reports, “the woman was transported to a local hospital where she died.” To compound the violations, the abortionist “failed to report the emergency transport, hospitalization and patient death as required by law.”

Mr. Rutland’s license has been revoked before, in 2003, reports OR, but was reinstated in 2007. The couple whose daughter’s death had led to the 2003 revocation were present during the hearing before Judge Ahler. “They expressed disappointment,” reports OR, “at the reinstatement of his license in 2007 and at [last week’s] decision.”

Legatus to Honor, Meet with Pres. Bush II

FORMER PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH WILL BE HONORED in early February by Legatus, an organization of Catholic business leaders, at the annual Legatus Summit in Dana Point, California.

The former commander-in-chief will be presented the Cardinal John J. O’Connor Pro-life Award and address Legatus members for the second time. He had previously addressed the group at its first annual pro-life conference in Washington in early 2001, reports LifeSiteNews.com, shortly after taking office as President.

Past recipients of the prestigious award have included Priests for Life national director Fr. Frank Pavone, Human Life International’s Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, American Life League’s Judie Brown, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and the late former Rep. Henry J. Hyde.

The Secret Plotting

Jan. 11, 2010, FRC Washington Update by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

The House of Representatives returned to Washington this week to kick off the second session of the 111th Congress – after a first half that hardly left Americans begging for more. Although the Senate isn’t slated to return until next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will use these first few days to get a head start on the messy negotiations that await both chambers on the healthcare bill.

Before the leadership can put this controversial issue in its rearview mirror, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have to navigate through the touchy process of merging the two bills. And right now, that “process” isn’t scheduled to include Republicans. Instead of taking the legislation to conference, where members could iron out their differences in the open, a handful of Democrats have decided to hole up in the leader’s office and hash out the $2.5 trillion plan on their own.

The move was so outrageous that it triggered a challenge from C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb, who admonished Congress to keep the process honest by broadcasting it. Interestingly enough, the idea wasn’t his – it was the President’s. As a candidate, Barack Obama promised eight times to air the final healthcare negotiations on C-SPAN so that “the public would be a part of the conversation and see the choices that are being made. We will work on this process publicly. It will be on C-SPAN. It will be streaming over the web.”

For now, however, the delicate dance will take place over the next few weeks in secret. Once the two bosses sign off on a compromise, the bill will head to the House floor, where it will have to pass by majority vote.

That could be tricky, given the major disparities of the two plans – like taxpayer-funded abortion, which the Senate bill allows and the House version bans. The two chambers also disagree on the timetable of reform. Both raise taxes immediately, but Speaker Pelosi would rather implement her plan sooner (2013) rather than later (2014). Also, the Senate plan hangs most of the price on the states, while the House relies entirely on the federal government. One thing the leadership can agree on is moving quickly to resolve their differences. Both sides see the handwriting on the voting booth wall and will do everything they can to make this bill a distant memory by Election Day.

March for Life & Related Activities

Compiled by Matt Anderson for LifeSiteNews.com; all the events listed below are scheduled for various venues in and near Washington, DC (Washington unless otherwise noted)

Wednesday, Jan. 20

American Life League Training & Activism Week – www.all.org/taw
1:30 – 6:15 p.m., followed by evening movie, Washington Court Hotel

Mass for Life – www.cardinaloconnorconference.com/mass
5:30 – 6 p.m., Georgetown University

Thursday, Jan. 21

Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life – www.cardinaloconnorconference.com
8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Georgetown University

March for Life Convention – www.marchforlife.org
1 – 4 p.m., Hyatt Regency Hotel

American Life League Personhood Conference – www.all.org/taw
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Washington Court Hotel

March for Life White House Mini-rally – flashlight program – www.marchforlife.org
6 – 8 p.m., Lafayette Park

Opening Mass for National Prayer Vigil for Life – www.usccb.org/pro-life/prayervigil
6:30 p.m., Basilica of the National Shine of the Immaculate Conception

Rock for Life Concert – www.all.org/taw/concerts.php

Friday, Jan. 22

Human Life Int’l Mini-conference – www.hli.org
8:45 a.m. – Noon, Washington Court Hotel

Rock for Life Concert – www.all.org/taw/concerts.php
7 p.m., Washington Court Hotel

Giant 2010 Youth Rally & Mass for Life – www.adw.org/service/jan22.asp
7:30 – 11:30 a.m., Verizon Wireless Center

Closing Mass for National Prayer Vigil for Life – www.usccb.org/pro-life/prayervigil
7:30 a.m., Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Blogs4Life Conference 2009 – www.blogs4life.com
8:30 – 11:30 a.m., Family Research Council HQ, 801 G St., NW

Lutherans for Life Worship Service – www.lutheransforlife.org/march_for_life.htm
9 a.m., Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1801 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA 22301

Rally for Life – www.marchforlife.org
Noon, National Mall at 7th Street

March for Life – www.marchforlife.org
1 p.m., National Mall

Silent No More Awareness Campaign – Testimonies – www.silentnomoreawareness.org
4 p.m., Steps of the Supreme Court
Immediately following the march, women from the Silent No More Awareness Campaign will be giving testimonies of their experiences with abortion.

March for Life Rose Dinner – www.marchforlife.org
6 p.m., Hyatt Regency Hotel

Saturday, Jan. 23

Students for Life of America Nat’l Conference – www.studentsforlife.org
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. (with meal breaks), Pryzbyla Center, Catholic University of America

American Life League Training & Activism Week – Rock for Life – www.all.org/taw
9 a.m. – Noon, Washington Court Hotel

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