The Justice Coalition has launched an emergency petition to rally grassroots support to save Terri's life and affirm the value of life for all Americans.

The petition will be delivered to Gov. Jeb Bush and legislative leaders this week.
Please click here to sign this petition.

A wonderful testimony


Hat tip: Sunnye at GOP Insight

Time's The case for compromise on abortion: How the pro-choice side is wielding a new principle that's tough to argue with

"Why shouldn't a future Democratic candidate commit to an actual goal of reducing abortions nationally by, say, one-fifth in a four-year term? Alas, the pro-life side is leery. A key part of their coalition is made up of conservative Catholics who oppose any kind of birth-control devices; others are hostile to any adoption rights for gay couples. Still others may fear that if the number of abortions drops significantly, their argument for making it completely illegal may become less salient.

But none of those arguments makes sense on its own terms. If abortion really is the evil that pro-lifers believe it is, they should stop at nothing to reduce its prevalence--now. Is it really better that someone should have an abortion rather than be on the pill? Is it really preferable for an unborn life to be snuffed out than to allow him to have loving gay parents? Those are the questions that pro-choicers should be posing to pro-lifers. Saving human life is the priority. Why are you so reluctant to do it? Call this position the pro-choice, pro-life compromise. If Democrats want to regain credibility on moral issues, it's a great way to start. And if Republicans want to prevent abortions rather than use the issue as a political tool, they can get on board."

The perfect baby syndrome

"Our culture has bought into the bizarre idea that the best way to eliminate certain illnesses is simply to eliminate people who are ill before they have a chance to be born. It's like a passage out of Madeleine L'Engle's famous novel A Wrinkle in Time, where three children discover a planet that has "conquered all illness, all deformity", because they have decided that "it is so much kinder simply to annihilate anyone who is ill"."

Terri's life would be saved by Florida bill 701, Legislature reconvenes March 8

Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala), a funeral director, has introduced a bill in the house which, if passed, would supercede all existing court orders otherwise applicable on or after the effective date of the act. Once passed, the law would take effect immediately and save and protect the life of Terri Schiavo and all other vulnerable and disabled adults in the State of Florida and indeed, perhaps the entire nation.

HB701 addresses the withholding or withdrawal of nutrition or hydration from incompetent persons. It declares than an incompetent person is presumed to have directed health care providers to provide the necessary nutrition and hydration to sustain life, prohibits a court, proxy or surrogate from withholding or withdrawing nutrition or hydration except under specified circumstances; and provides that the presumption to provide nutrition and hydration is inapplicable under certain circumstances.

Five minutes video of Terri shows interaction between mother and daughter

"The nearly five-minute-long video includes scenes of Terri together with her mother, Mary Schindler, and shows Terri apparently interacting with her mother and trying to speak. In one segment, the mother enters Terri's hospice room and speaks her daughter's name, at which point Terri's eyes open wider, and she attempts to sit upright in her hospital bed."


Hat tip: Richard at Blogs for Terri

"Why "Tyler"?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just liked that name. I thought of it when I was six weeks pregnant"

And I could almost see him smiling.

A good man is hard to find,
You always get the other kind.
Just when you think he is your pal,
You look for him and find him fooling 'round some other gal.
Then you rave, you even crave to see him laying in his grave.

-Eddie Green (1918)

Justice Coalition to help Terri

"We believe that Terri is a victim and we are positioning ourselves to become involved in the case as victim advocates," Ted Hires, founder of the influential victim rights group said.

"She continues to be victimized."

Imagine a nation without Roe v. Wade

"Roe is not going away anytime soon, it must be remembered, and might not, ever. Those hanging-by-a-thread warnings that issue occasionally from abortion rights advocates are based on a 5-to-4 count that places Justice Anthony Kennedy among Roe's opponents; many court watchers think that's a misreading of Justice Kennedy's abortion opinions, and that the actual count is 6-3 in support of the central holding in Roe, that women's fundamental right to abortion trumps states' power to ban or restrict it. If the 6-3 count is right, it would take an especially precise sequence of events to bring about a full reversal of Roe v. Wade."

From Sunnye at GOP Insight:
3 lies the media insist on spreading about Terri

Terri Schiavo is NOT a "vegetable". She is NOT "brain dead" nor is she in a "persistent vegetative state". She recognizes and responds to others and makes attempts to verbally communicate. "Momma" or "help me", she says. The evidence -- videos and the truth about her condition is available here and here. Terri is NOT on life support but does receive food and water through a removable tube, which experts testify would not even be necessary if she were given therapy. This assisted feeding is a natural means of preserving life and not a medical act of life support or heroic measures.

'Judge Greer put us on notice that he has ordered Michael Schiavo to remove the feeding tube in three weeks (as opposed to allowing him to do it, now he is ordering him to do it)', says Blogs for Terri.

That is someone's daughter there. Imagine if the situation is reversed. Wouldn't you want us to do the same?

Help her.

Please scroll down (or visit Blogs for Terri) to find the contacts to the Florida legislature, Gov. Bush and President Bush, as well as the various online petitions.

Here's one to impeach Judge Greer...

Here's another petition for Terri.

Ashley Horne: I'd never divorce my wife! But I'd kill her

Shameless in Colorado

Maybe it is just me, I don't know.. but didn't these mothers relinquish their rights (to their unborn) when they decided to kill them? And now they want to get mad at the church for giving them proper burials? I say, be thankful. Some of us don't even know what happened to our babies' remains, if they ended up in some disposable bags at the back of the hospital or flushed down the sewage.

It's your turn, Mr President, says David Bass

"President Bush often speaks about building a culture of life. He emphasizes the blessings brought about by shaping a society that welcomes and protects life in all of its stages. But if Terri Schiavo is starved to death, America's conscience will be blotted in a way that time will not erase. The culture of life is nothing more than a pipe dream when our judicial system grants more rights to squirrels and capital murderers than to the elderly and disabled. If this state-sanctioned murder takes place, a legal precedent will have been established that will inevitably lead to the outright legalization of euthanasia on demand. Quality of life will replace sanctity of life, and convenience will replace justice.

Mr. President, my generation does not want to inherit an America like that. We want an America that honors life, even if it is unborn; we want an America that cherishes each individual, even if they are old or disabled; we want an America in which Jesus Christ's command to love others as you love yourself is not political rhetoric, but is fused into the hearts and minds of its citizenry.

Mr. President, you have a duty. The life-honoring constituency that elected you in November is watching. We expect you to fulfill your sacred oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution, which grants all citizens, including Terri Schiavo, the right-to-life and due process under the law.

Individuals from every corner of America see Terri not as a vegetable or houseplant, but as a sister human being created in the image of God. They have stepped forward to defend the life of this precious human being."

... a sentiment echoes by Callie Woodlief :

"In the Culture of Death that rests its grisly hand on our nation, oaths are too easily broken, promises too easily forgotten and lives too easily taken.

Mr. President, Gov. Bush, Florida physicians, George Felos, Michael Schiavo - the time has come for you to fulfill your vows. To fulfill your vows as a loving husband, even if your wife is disabled; to fulfill the vows of your profession, even if doing so is difficult or controversial; to fulfill your vows as elected officials and protectors of the weak and disenfranchised, even if those who preach death fight against you.

Elected officials, it's time to stop passing the buck to someone else. Remember that it was the so-called "values voter" who handed President Bush a second term victory on a silver platter. We are ready to begin a new culture of life in this great country, and we expect you to join us. In fact, we expect you to lead us. "

Gee.. doesn't this sounds familiar? Heh.

Bill to prohibit the abortion of gay children

State Rep. Brian Duprey in Maine introduced the measure that would protect gay babies. Apparently it was listening to the Rush Limbaugh show that spurred this bill. Limbaugh had commented that if scientists ever discovered a gene that caused a person to be gay, then homosexual activists would become pro-life "overnight."

"Most people would agree that to kill someone just because that person might be gay would constitute a hate crime," Duprey said.

Here's a wonderful piece from Blogs for Terri -- about a newspaper columnist who changes his mind about Terri Schiavo. This guy had previously written that he felt Terri's feeding tube should be removed. And guess what? He had a change of heart ...

I no longer so blithely believe Schiavo's feeding tubes should be pulled and her life allowed to end. I'm no longer so sure her parents do not deserve a say in their daughter's future. I no longer am totally comfortable assuming her husband, Michael, who now has two children by another woman, is acting unselfishly.

Read it here

Terri to live till March 18

Judge Greer has granted a 3 weeks stay (Reports here, here, here), and unless someone or a higher court grants a stay, that bastard husband of hers will be able to remove Terri's tubes at 1p.m. Friday, March 18.

So much for "in sickness and in health"... obviously he can't wait to have her dead..

(Excerpts from his statement from a 1992 malpractice lawsuit)

"I believe in the vows that I took with my wife. Through sickness, in health, for richer or poorer. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm going to do that."

Notice how the media keep misrepresenting this case? Here's one from the mail -- This memo seeks to clarify several misconceptions that have been circulating throughout the media.

Terri's parents will meanwhile, continue to appeal Greer's death order.

The Schindlers still have motions pending before Greer to remove Schiavo as the guardian and to allow new medical testing. Attorneys for the Schindlers have also said that they intend on appealing the recent denial of the 2nd District Court of Appeals on a religious liberties issue to the U.S. Supreme Court and intend to appeal Greer's recent denial of a motion to void the 2000 order due to denial of Terri's due process rights to the 2nd DCA. The Schindlers contend that their daughter has been denied her right to independent counsel to represent her in the entire matter and that Greer cannot continue to hold the conflicting roles of judge and guardian ad litem.

David Gibbs III of Seminole, the Schindlers' attorney, said that there will be "a number of filings on Monday. We are 100% committed to saving the life of Terri".

He said that he had spoken with numerous medical professionals who have indicated that they could never allow the feeding tube to be removed from Terri.

"They have said as medical professionals, they could never do it. Terri Schiavo is far too alive for her to be killed in this painful fashion," Gibbs said. "We need to realize starvation and dehydration is one of the most torture-some deaths imaginable and to do that to a disabled woman, it still shocks my thought that that would ever be considered in our country. We intend to do everything we can, reasonably and legally, to save Terri".


Visit Blogs for Terri for more.

"Dadda come home"

It does seems like Tyler has found himself a new love interest in my cables, as fascinating as it sounds. It makes mommy crazy!

He's gone from the nursery to my bedroom and the living area to my study where I try to use my computer instead. Chad had baby proofed most parts of the house the last time he was here, but Tyler is getting more 'adventurous' I say. He bumped his head, creeping up the computer chair today, that munchkin. "Mamaa mammaaa," he said as I looked down to a pair curious eyes. "What is it?... Didn't I tell you not to creep up like that?" He looks at me and say, "Dadaaaa?"

My heart broke. That was the first time he ever said that.

Here, read this:
Eye witness account of Terri's current condition


Cardinal Renato Martino appeals for Terri: "No one can be the arbiter of life except God himself."

Student body at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has called for the immediate recusal of Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer in the guardianship case of Theresa Marie Schindler-Schiavo

Abortions have reached an all time high, with increasing numbers of women over 30 choosing not to have babies, statistics revealed today.

Overall numbers have been rising in England and Wales since the 1970s, reaching a rate of 18.6 abortions per thousand women in March 2004, according to the Office for National Statistics. Figures also showed that more and more women in their early 30s are choosing to terminate pregnancies.

"I was in a Pesistent Vegetative State": Andrea's story

"I was in a PVS after my brain surgery in 1984. Unlike Terri, I got therapies and learned to talk and walk again. I finished school and later graduated from college with honors. Don't tell me miracles don't happen: I am living proof!!! If someone could get terri angry enough, she'd talk: that's how I did it...

I want to tell you all a little of what I remember after my brain surgery in 1984 when I was PVS, mute and paralyzed. My earliest memory was from late November- about two or three weeks after surgery. My aunt came to visit me and gave me a gift: a music box that played "It's a small world". She played the music for me and asked me if I knew the song. I knew it! I was so mad that I couldn't tell her .

I came home for Christmas that year. My parents thought it'd be my last Christmas so they made everything perfect for me. I got lots of attention and lots of gifts. My uncle gave me a doll for Christmas. I knew it was a doll and cuddled it. In fact, I have a picture of me in my wheelchair (I couldn't hold my head up- I looked just like Terri with my head cocked to the side ) holding the doll.

I had a picture board to communicate which I brought home with me that Christmas. I had been pointing to pictures of things that I wanted: a blanket, a doll, mom and dad, etc. I also had pictures of the alphabet. One day my mom wanted to make me lunch. She gave me several options for lunch: none of which included a peanut butter sandwich. After grunting and pointing to the letters, I got my peanut butter sandwich!

I was walking by the time I was discharged from the hospital but I was still mute and vomiting. My brother had just gotten a bunk bed and I wanted to sleep in the top bunk that night. Because I was vomiting, he wouldn't let me. I stomped, grunted and threw things to show my anger. I got so mad that I screamed "No"! Mom was so surprised that she had me talk again and again. Then I had to call everyone we knew. That night I finally got to sleep in that top bunk.

Maybe doctors know what Terri is capable of understanding. Her parents say that she recognizes them: I recognized my parents. Maybe Terri could indicate what she wants if she had a picture board. I don't know for certain and no one knows because it (to the best of my knowledge) has not been tried. And she may never get a chance to show the world what she does understand. God help the society that has such little value for human life."


(Thanks to Andrea for sharing and Tim at Blogs for Terri for posting the wonderful testimony!)

Saving Terri:

Okay, folks. You can now use PAYPAL at Blogs for Terri for your pledged donations.

100,000 names on a petition to save Terri Schiavo will be delivered to the representative of Gov. Bush in Tallahassee tomorrow. Here are the list of petitions once again:

http://www.renewamerica.us/petitions.htm

Save Terri Schiavo (The Center For Reclaiming America)
http://www.cfra.info/213/petition.asp

Save Terri Schiavo--GOVERNOR BUSH, PLACE TERRI INTO PROTECTIVE CUSTODY" (Petition Online)--
http://www.petitiononline.com/chisana7

Request for Presidential pardon of Terri Schiavo
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/PresPardon

http://www.petitiononline.com/19461949

Please sign them if you haven't, and help let Terri live.

You can also take a step further, call President Bush and ask him to personally intervene:

President George W. Bush
(202) 456-1111
president@whitehouse.gov

Kansas Attorney General investigates abortions on sexually-abused teens

Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline is launching an investigation into possible sexual abuse of teenagers who obtained late-term abortions in the state. The news follows on the heels of a state investigation into the January late-term abortion death of a Texas woman at a Wichita abortion business.

Kline has long been concerned about the sexual exploitation of minors and using abortions to cover up any pregnancies that result. He says state law requires reporting to officials any occasion in which a girl under 16 years of age has sex, as such an act is statutory rape.

A Catholic website for teens and young adults:

Nextwave Faithful

... check it out!


Hat tip: Elena at My Domestic Church

Jenni Parker and Bill Fancher at AgapePress write, In rejecting the petition, the Supreme Court basically stated without further comment that it would not hear the appeal. According to an Associated Press report, McCorvey told media at a Dallas news conference yesterday that she has now done everything she knows how to do to overturn Roe v. Wade and now "the weight of the world is no longer on my shoulders."

No great surprise, but a great disappointment. A CNN.com article points out that the high court's rejection of the appeal came as no surprise to most, considering that a decision to reopen a case on so-called "changed circumstances" is rare and two lower courts had already refused to review the 1973 ruling. The outlet also pointed out what may have been additional influencing factors: namely, the current, intense speculation about the possibly imminent retirement of ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and the fact that liberal groups have vowed to fight any pro-life judge nominated to fill the vacancy his departure would create.

But McCorvey's attorney, Allan Parker, felt his client's case was strong and released a statement in response to the justices' decision, commenting, "It is tragic and disappointing that the Court is not willing to consider the aftermath of 32 years of abortion and its devastating affect to women, their families, and our culture." Parker, president of The Justice Foundation, went on to note that he had presented the Supreme Court with "a thousand more witnesses than did the original Roe case in 1973" and "submitted over 5,000 pages of evidence, including expert testimony of which the Court had none in 1973." He added, "This year alone, 100,000 women will be in abortion recovery programs across the nation. We find it tragic that their voices have been rejected."

The Feminist Daily News Wire quotes, "McCorvey's case is based on anecdotal "evidence" that abortion harms women."

But what REALLY happened? Let's hear it from Annie.

There has been a new development in the abuse allegations in the Terri situation. The Florida Department of Children & Family Services (DCF) is seeking a 60-day stay on the removal of Terri's feeding tube while it investigates new allegations of abuse and neglect.

The DCF request was shared with attorneys in the case, said Matt Davis, an attorney with the law firm representing Bob and Mary Schindler.

Judge George Greer is expected to issue a ruling Friday on whether a longer stay is granted. Michael Schiavo is currently blocked from ordering the removal of his wife's feeding tube until 5 p.m. Friday - which is the 15th anniversary of Terri Schiavo's debilitating collapse.

Read the article here


(Thanks to Liz at GOP Insight for the update)

I got a note from Earl who will be interviewed regarding the fight for Terri and euthanasia on the Steve Kane Show , which airs on WNN at 1470 on your AM dial in South Florida, at 7:30 am ET tomorrow.

You can catch the show online here, and join Earl in the defense of the defenseless. The nationwide toll-free call-in number is 877-275-2326 if you'd like to join in.

You go, Earl!

Prayer request:

I'm currently working with a woman (whom we shall call Ms X) who had been diagnosed with and is now in the second stage of breast cancer. Details are still unclear at this point, although I am aware that she is in great pain (she was with me this morning) and I am working with her on the various course of treatment we could possibly explore. She had been through a couple of tests and biopsy since, I'm getting the paperwork transferred as we speak and making arrangement for her to see Dr Back, my oncologist. Ms X has two young children and she is determined to beat the disease. Please, I ask that you keep her in your prayers.

Clemency for the inconvenient: Terri Schiavo's story



"The courts have failed Terri Schiavo. She has received minimal care in the last 15 years and no rehabilitation. She has a family that just wants to take her home, yet the courts want to kill her because her husband says that it is what she would have wanted. They have ignored the fact that what her husband asks is in clear conflict with Terri's religion as a Catholic and goes against Papal statements about the preservation of life."

'Precious suffering'

With the pope's condition is deteriorating, for all to see, and he's becoming a potent symbol for his message: that life is sacred, no matter how painful.

A new documentary takes viewers into the mysterious world of pregnancy and demonstrates the fragility of the human life within the womb.

With the use of 3D and 4D ultrasound technology, "In the Womb" explores the life of a fetus in each trimester in amazing new detail. Viewers will also witness a rare fetoscope operation, performed in the hope of correcting life-threatening complications before birth.

"In The Womb" premiers 0n the National Geographic Channel March 6 at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. PT

Terri's life spared, DCF begins abuse investigation

Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer late Wednesday afternoon extended the stay two more days to allow Terri's parents, Mary and Robert Schindler Sr., to seek further legal remedies in overturning the mandate of the 2nd District Court of Appeals issued Tuesday that allowed Schiavo to remove the feeding tube pursuant to Greer's 2000 court order. Greer's new order also keeps a request intact by the Schindlers to block another court order that would allow the removal of the tube. He said the extension would also give him time to consider the arguments and new materials that have been presented to him by the Schindlers in their request for new medical tests for Terri and whether Michael Schiavo should be removed as her guardian.

Several weeks ago, it was revealed that the Department of Health had mishandled some 24,000 cases and had not referred cases involving alleged criminal wrongdoing to the proper law enforcement agencies. It was contended that the Schiavo case was one of those.

Me: Really, I'm fascinated with.. the teachings of the Catholic church..

Him: And how is that going to fit in with a wiccan household?

Frozen embryos are people, says Judge

In Illinois, the judge explained, a fetus qualifies as a deceased person for purposes of the Wrongful Death Act. Furthermore, said the judge, "a pre-embryo is a 'human being'... whether or not it is implanted in its mother's womb." For this conclusion, the judge cited another Illinois law that specifically finds that an "unborn child is a human being from the time of conception and is, therefore, a legal person."

Pro-life conference in April:

What: Catholic Moral Values and Public Policy

When: April 16 - 17 2005

Where: Franciscan University of Steubenville

Speakers: Priests for Life's Fr. Frank Pavone will be the featured speaker, and he will be joined by Dr. David Hess, chairman and professor of Medical College of Georgia's Department of Neurology; Liz Brown, licensed professional counselor; Chris Bell, founder and executive director of Good Counsel, which provides homes for single mothers and babies; Joan Bell, pro-life activist; and Brian Scarnecchia, attorney and professor of legal studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville

How much: $79 for full conference, $40 for just Saturday's banquet and presentation by Fr. Frank and Joan Bell

The full conference includes a eucharistic holy hour, lunch and evening banquets and a networking session.

To register: Call (800) 437-8368 or visit www.franciscanconferences.com/prolife.asp to download a registration form.

The Governor has acknowledged the death of abortion patient in Wichita, investigation is on the way (althought the clinic is protesting the inquiry and Tiller the killer has be subpeonaed by Texas. Let's pray for justice to prevail, for our fallen sisters and unborn children.

Update: 19-year-old girl who died at Tiller's clinic is disabled

Updates on the Terri situation:

In what comes as last minute attempt to save Terri, a surprise filing has been made from an unexpected source.

The Florida Governor and other parties while they have not done everything to the public's satisfaction in regards to saving a disabled, purposely-denied-from-rehabilitation human life they have contributed somewhat and have introduced some delays which may prove useful in giving other parties enough time to go before the courts as well as the public opinion.

Now that this matter is coming right down to the wire other parties such as Gordon Watts have come before the courts. Although, there are some perhaps who think that Mr. Watts doesn't have a right to come before the courts so far they have been proved wrong because it is the courts that have allowed Watts' filing to remain alive since October 2003. Even as the Governor's spirited case has been dismissed and denied by the courts thereby denying due process at all levels in efforts to bring to light all the facts, Mr. Watts has now made a last minute filing which may prove to be one of Theresa's saving graces.

You can see Mr Watts' filing here: http://www.eeng.net/eeng/MotionExpediteSC03-2420.doc

Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF) has stepped in. Details of the agency's involvement in the case were not immediately available; Circuit Judge George Greer denied a DCF attorney an opportunity to speak at the afternoon hearing.

A state circuit judge Wednesday extended until 5 p.m. Friday the stay keeping Terri Schiavo's feeding tube intact, saying he needed time to consider more arguments from her parents from her parents that she should undergo new medical tests and that her husband should be dismissed as her guardian. The DCF filing came in light of allegations that Michael Schiavo has abused Terri.

George Felos, who represents Michael Schiavo, criticized the DCF move, saying it "reeks of the intervention of politics into the case and is an affront to the court."

A court filing by the agency remained sealed, but both Felos and David Gibbs, a lawyer for Terri Schiavo's parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, said it was related to allegations Michael Schiavo abused his wife.

The DCF involvement came hours after Gov. Jeb Bush told reporters he was seeking a means to intervene in the case.

As for the rest of us, please continue praying, blogging amd communicating the truth out. If you haven't please pledge your contribution to the Blogs for Terri here. If you have already pledged, please overnight your donations to:

Franciscan Brothers of Peace
1289 Lafond Ave.
St. Paul Minn. 55104

Be sure to earmark the funds for the Terri Schindler Schiavo BlogsforTerri ad campaign.

I understand from Richard that you can now use PayPal. A paypal account should be in place later this evening on Blogs for Terri for the Franciscan Brothers of Peace in order that they can transfer the funds directly to the newspaper(s). Since the funds have to directly to the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, it has taken a few extra steps. A link to their Paypal account will be placed here at Blogs for Terri.

Keep checking this space and Blogs for Terri for more updates.


Hat tip: Richard and Tim at blogs for Terri and all other sources who contributed to the above

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

"We live in a society in which sex is mere pleasure. We excuse rampant teenage sexual activity. But we shun pregnant girls. The Catholic Church is not the problem. If anything, it is a solution. If more people were willing to look upon sexuality as something important and God-given, we might have fewer unwanted pregnancies. As long as we continue to glorify sex and reject responsibility for our actions, we will be forced to deal with unwanted pregnancies. And abortion never is the answer to them."

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation funds Planned Parenthood

The interesting part is, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (SGK), supposedly dedicated to the "eradication of breast cancer," gave more than $475,000 to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider funded by U.S. taxpayers from its fundraising. That move prompted medical research analyst and former employee of the foundation Eve Sanchez Silver to resign her position there. SGK justifies its gifts to PP by arguing that the abortion provider provides breast exams to the poor. However, during the past five years PP's overall revenue and the number of abortion sales have increased, while breast exams have declined 13.3%.

Since 1973's Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, a woman's chance of developing breast cancer has jumped 40%, from 1 in 12 to 1 in 7.5.

Body of slain pregnant woman found

.. ex-boyfriend arrested and charged.

Supreme Court refuses to hear Roe v. wade

Other news sources have picked up the Reuters alert, although none mentioned how or who voted this time, except for the 3 who voted to overturn the ruling.

See statement by Operation Outcry

America, will you just stand by or will you intervene for Terri?

Most of you must have read the latest updates (while I was sleeping) on Terri's situation. Judge Greer has in fact granted a temporary stay until 5pm February 23. Here's a quick round-up from Blogs for Terri:

Video - Conversation with Terri

Pledge for Terri's ad here

Here's a press release from the foundation.

Action
You can still save Terri by signing the petition, calling Judge Greer (phone number 727-464-3933) to tell him to let Teri live (thanks, Ann Marie!), contributing to the ad, calling and emailing your newspapers, Governor Bush, and the Florida Legislature , and plead with them to save Terri and give her the opportunity to be evaluated and rehabilitated in the custody of her parents.

More at Blogs for Terri

It's now forty past four, late Tuesday afternoon (+8 GMT) where I am. But where Terri is, a new day has just begun. And Michael is going to start killing Terri unless somebody stops him. The clock is ticking.

How you can help:

Sign the petition to ask the President for help, here's another.

Write to Gov. Bush and the legislature, contacts here.

Continue to communicate the truth.

Help get the word, the truth out to the community. The team at Blogs for Terri is placing an advert and needs your support now. More information here

Pray. Keep praying for Terri and the Schindlers.


Hat tip: All who contribute to the above information

In defense of Terri:

If Shiavo is allowed to die, it will be our everlasting shame, writes michael Brown

but consider that the judge has never allowed certain key witnesses to testify in open court about Terri's awareness or even to bring Terri in so everyone can at least see her.

Instead, she is hidden in a tiny room, under her husband's thumb, with virtually no stimulation, no therapy, just about no visitors...

The Pope himself has said that a person in Terri's condition should be kept alive. So has an association of Catholic medical doctors. So does anyone with decency.

"Let us hope America stands up with the goodness it once had.

Terri can swallow; she has eaten Jello, according to another caretaker. She reacts in specific ways to specific people. Anderson's husband used to make her laugh. The presence of a priest causes her to focus intently. She is an aware, sentient human who must live and who must be given the type of therapy that one day might allow her to talk and perhaps recount just what has happened since and perhaps before February 25, 1990."

Sign the petition to ask President Bush for help NOW.


From St. Petersburg Times

"Gibbs said if Greer denies the request for an emergency stay he will seek one from the U.S. Supreme Court."

Laci Peterson's stepfather wants Oregon lawmakers to protect pregnant women from violence

Ron Grantski testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee and said in a press conference after the hearing, "When somebody takes that grandchild, son or daughter away from you, that's murder."

"You've gotta have justice for both, not just for one," Grantski said.

Infancide, forced abortion common practice is North Korean camps

"I heard the cries of both mother and child through the curtain (at a hospital). And through the partially open curtain, I witnessed the nurse covering the infant's face with a wet towel on a table, suffocating it... The baby stopped crying about ten minutes later"

A premature baby who was six weeks premature and weighing only 1.25 kg, was born in a Brussels hospital at 4am on Friday was left to die because the parents who had refused medical effots to keep him alive feared that the child would be handicapped.

Experts say the infant, who was breathing, could have survived with medical intervention.

It is believed the mother, who works with handicapped children, was particularly sensitive to the difficulties these children face.

A patron saint for single mothers

In 1728 when Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297) was canonized, she was held up as a model for penitent sinners. Today she is often invoked by mothers who, for whatever reason, are raising their children alone.


St. Margaret also teaches us that in most cases saints are not born, but made. And it was more difficult for some to become saintly than for others.

Margaret's biographers tell us that she was a beautiful, lively little girl who could be very sweet - as long as she got her way. And usually her parents indulged. All that ended when Margaret was seven and her mother died. Very soon thereafter Margaret's father remarried. We are told that Margaret and her stepmother disliked each other almost from the first moment they met.

The stepmother tried to control Margaret, so to escape, the child spent more and more time away from the house. As Margaret grew older, she became even more beautiful. The older boys in the village began to pay attention to her - and Margaret liked it. We don't know if Margaret had any sexual experiences with the village boys, what we do know is that when she was only 13 or 14 years old, Arsenio, the 16-year-old son of the local baron, saw Margaret and invited her to live with him as his mistress. Margaret accepted.

Margaret was thrilled with her new situation. Instead of the drudgery of peasant life, she had servants who did everything for her. Instead of a scolding stepmother, she had a lover who wanted to please her. True, Arsenio had told her candidly that he would never marry her, but Margaret felt confident that she could change his mind.

The young couple lived together for nine years. Margaret bore Arsenio a son, but still he would not marry her. Then one day Arsenio left home for several days to attend to business at one of his family's outlying estates. He never returned. Arsenio was murdered in the forest near his castle, and it was Margaret, led by Arsenio's dog, who discovered her lover's body lying in a shallow pit beneath a pile of dry brush and dead branches. That was the darkest moment of her life, and the moment of her conversion.

While they lived together neither Margaret nor Arsenio had given any thought to the state of their souls. Now Margaret wondered if Arsenio had had time to repent before he died. And she wondered if death came suddenly to her, would she have the sense to beg for God's forgiveness?

Determined to amend her life, and to raise her son properly, Margaret set out for Cortona where the Franciscan friars had a reputation for helping repentant sinners. The Franciscans exceeded their reputation. They found Margaret and her son a home with two pious, unmarried sisters. They assigned two priests to act as Margaret's spiritual directors. And when her son was old enough to go to school, the friars arranged for him to study at an academy in the nearby town of Arezzo.

Perhaps because she was never certain of the fate of Arsenio's soul, Margaret became devoted to the poor souls in purgatory. As she lay dying she had a vision of a vast crowd streaming out of heaven to meet her: they were the souls that she, a once-notorious sinner, had ransomed with her prayers.

Republican Representative Ann Rydalch wants the state to require doctors to show women pictures of a fetus before an abortion. Rydalch's bill also would force doctors to give women information about abortion alternatives, and tell them that abortion could increase the risk for breast cancer.

The right to choose adoption

"Thanks for having me." These words, spoken to Health Minister Tony Abbott by son Daniel O'Connor, who had just surfaced after being adopted 27 years ago, pinpoint the poignant heart of the abortion issue.

The "me" who was born and able to contact his parents contrasts with the "me" who was aborted and the many who now wish they could hear their child's voice. Every adoption is one less abortion statistic; a silent living rebuke to abortion; the one that got away.

O'Connor was born just before midnight on July 26, 1977. His mother, Kathy Donnelly, had five days with him - what she thought would be "my lifetime with my baby". But then, on Christmas Eve, her son made contact. She then telephoned the man who had been her boyfriend at university and was now the health minister, to let him know. Abbott - who had held his son only briefly in the hospital - phoned O'Connor.

Many adoption practices do, of course, deserve condemnation. Young women packed off in disgrace to places where their moral failure could be hidden, their babies whisked away from them. Today women are dispatched instead to an abortion clinic to have removed the outward manifestation of the shame of a pregnancy that was not perfectly planned and timed.

For some, their longings for that forever concealed baby will revive this week with the very public Abbott and son reunion.

We should work towards a world where mothers and children can be kept together and there's more support for those who want to rear their child but would do it tough. But women should not be denied the choice of adoption by those who think the only good choice is abortion. They should be given the opportunity to hear more than "voices of the wind" but the words of a real live child saying: "Thanks for having me."

Help Terri NOW

Today, the 2nd DCA denied the Schindlers' motion to withhold their mandate, which is expected to be issued tomorrow morning, Tuesday - February 22, 2005.

Upon learning of this, attorney George Felos contacted the Schindlers' attorney to inform him that he intended to instruct the staff at Hospice to remove Terri Schiavo's food and fluids at 1.00pm ET on Tuesday, February 22.

The Schindlers' attorney, David Gibbs, filed an emergency motion today for clarification and temporary stay, asking that the court direct no further action be taken until the rescheduled hearing on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 at 2.45pm ET. Mr. Gibbs also asked Mr. Felos if he and his client would refrain from instructing caregivers to remove food and fluids from Terri. Mr. Felos refused, stating that he was under instructions from his client.

Judge George Greer has declined to rule on the Schindlers' motion for clarification and stay until 1.00pm tomorrow, the same time Mr. Felos has declared Terri's tube will be removed. It is the opinion of the Schindlers and their attorneys that Mr. Schiavo has no authority to instruct such an action without a specific court order that mandates the date and time of such action. Mr. Felos does not agree.

Mr. Felos also wrote to the Judge Greer, claiming he no longer had jurisdiction and that his client will have Terri's tube removed.

There's a last minute petition to save Terri from death by starvation, click here for more information, to read and sign the petition

Terri needs YOU NOW!


(via Sunnye at GOP Insight)


Click here to contact Gov. Jeb Bush and the legislature.

Bob Schindler: There is NO stay

So today has been an emotional day indeed. Who'd have thought? Just when you think that the sea is calm, a sanctuary for those who has too much in their heads. Some days the waves are smaller and you could stand there, feel your feet tingle in the sand and watch the waves crashed against the rocks. Some days the waves are bigger you find yourself trying to catch your breath, drowning.

Richard at Blogs for Terri on Terri, Judge Greer and the PVS:

What Judge Greer doesn't want you to know

Interesting, isn't it? Read that and then read the one I posted earlier today.

Saving terri:

Go on, write to Gov. Bush, he could save Terri's life. Gov. Bush needs motivation and he needs it now:

Jeb Bush
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
850 / 488-4441
850 / 487-0801 (fax)
Executive Office of the Governor
400 S. Monroe Street
The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001

Jeb Bush mandated by statute to remove Judge Greer

"Clear and convincing" standard not met in Schiavo death verdict:

"I don't want anyone feeding that girl... the rule of law is that this girl must die"

And who's law is that?

The Schindlers say that their daughter is not PVS, a position supported by medical experts. See the videos of Terri at www.terrisfight.org .

However, the guardian must base such a life-ending decision on "clear and convincing" evidence of what the patient wanted. The Court specifically recognized that reliance on oral statements does not have the same presumption of clear and convincing evidence as written declarations. It stated that "the evidence of the patient's ora declarations [must be] reliable".

A review of the facts in the Schiavo case would seem to find Michael Schiavo's testimony to not only be unreliable but to be inadmissible self-serving testimony which would not suffice to meet the required "clear and convincing" evidentiary standard needed to cause his wife's death.

Democrats must start defending pregnant women and families rather than abortion, says Lynn Paltrow of National Advocates for Pregnant Women

"Howard Dean is not wrong to say that his party ought to make a home for prolife Democrats. People committed to a country that truly honors women, mothers, and families can and will disagree about abortion.

But Democrats must make clear that outlawing abortion and expanding fetal rights pose significant threats not just to women who want to end their pregnancies but also to pregnant women and expectant fathers who hope to become parents. Increasingly, pregnant women who have no intention of ending their pregnancies face arrest, forced surgery, and punitive child welfare interventions based on antiabortion claims of fetal rights."

Continue reading The abortion diversion

If the legal system kills Terri, then none of us is safe, warns Barbara Simpson.

In defense of Terri:

The Catholic Medical Association issues a press release...

The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare state that "hydration and nutrition are not morally obligatory either when they bring no comfort to a person who is imminently dying or when they cannot be assimilated by a person's body." (Part Five: Issues in Care for the Dying) However, Directive #58 states "there should be a presumption in favor of providing nutrition and hydration to all patients, including patients who require medically assisted nutrition and hydration, as long as this is of sufficient benefit to outweigh the burdens involved to the patient."

"In most cases there is not an excessive burden in the artificial administration of nutrition and hydration. The total care of the patient may be a burden, but it is the burden of this particular treatment that must be judged, not the burden of the person's life itself. We can never justify the withdrawal of sustenance on the basis of the quality of life of the patient."

The withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from Mrs. Terri Schiavo will result in her death. The tube feeding itself does not impose an excessive burden on the patient. Discontinuing nutrition and hydration in this circumstance violates in its intention the distinction between "causing death" and "allowing death."

Well, since you mentioned, this is the last plea for help I sent you back then that wasn't blogged:

Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 10:43:10 -0700 (PDT)

"I believe you received my text message approximately five days ago, re : my requesting your presence on that "field trip" to the hospital for my next appointment come wednesday.

Though I am not exactly anticipating any response from you (as expected- knowing you), I feel that you shd at
least have the courtesy to reply or call me back with your decision. I reckon that's the least you could do after what you have put me through.

What happened has happened, Jay. you can't change or turn away from the fact that you are the father of this child... I'm the one with the child. I'm the one who has to live each day with the discomfort, the cramping and contractions, the bleeding, the lethargy, the nausea, the sore breasts, the nightmares each night... not knowing what would happen the next day. I'm the one who has to face my parents' wrath. I'm the one in turmoil. I cried till my eyes hurt. But did you knw all that?... I'm not some tramp you meet at the bar and banged. I'm not even forcing you to do anything you don't want to, I just want you to be responsible, be there.

Do the right thing, Jay. If you still have a conscience. "


Jay, this is not about "you're bad" or "I'm good". Get that in your thick head. This is about taking responsibility for what you did. What you did - telling your mom and your friends - the whole TWISTED version of our conversation, that's not being honest. That's NOT cool, Jay. I am merely telling my story.

My darling Jay,

I am neither strong nor brave, I'm just a mother. And mothers protect, fight for the lives of their children. Because that's what MOTHERS DO.

This is not rocket science.

"Each time an abortion takes place, a nameless little baby dies a tragic and lonely death, a mother is never the same, and all the gifts that child might have brought to humanity are lost forever.

The basis for this appeal is that abortion - in fact - hurts women. That is, contrary to the rationale in Roe v. Wade and after more than 30 years of reflection and experience, abortion is not the "burden relieving" act in a woman's life that it was portrayed to be; it is not good and safe for women.

Nor can we forget the loss of over 40 million American lives since January 22, 1973. It is astonishing to think about its many implications. We would not be discussing a Social Security crisis or shortage in our military force numbers if Roe v. Wade had been decided differently. It is time for all of us to come together and care for mothers and their unborn children enough to find a better answer than abortion.

The women who have suffered from the tragic repercussions of abortion deserve to have this case overturned. Abortion does not serve to protect women; it deceives them in one of the most insidious ways possible. It says, "Choose me and you will have a much easier way ahead." When, in reality, the depths of despair have not yet been dreamed of until after a mother has walked down the desolate road of hiring another to take the life of her child."

Will Roe v. Wade ever be heard? I guess we will find out on Monday.

"WHERE IS AMERICA?"

"The honor of our women has become cheap... Where is America, where are those who say they care?"


Raped women in Darfur wrestles with fate of babies

When Hawa reported the rape of her and seven other women in Darfur by Arab militia, the police told her to forget it had happened.

"The police came at night and said; 'Do you want to make us like Iraq? Do you want to bring foreign troops here?"' she said in southern Darfur's Kalma camp, which is home to some of the two million people displaced by two years of violence in Darfur.

"The rapes never stop, sometimes there are more, sometimes less," she said, accusing militiamen known as Janjaweed of the crime. "Now the Janjaweed babies are being born and the girls are throwing them down latrines," she said.

"Better the babies are lost this way than we carry the burden," she said, falling silent as she stared into her coffee cup.

Doctors removed baby's second head. The 10-month-old baby girl suffered from one of the rarest birth defects.

Annie's got a good list of pregnancy resource centers here.

.. check out the left navigation for more!

Abortion: A law unto itself

John Paul II dealt with the tragedy of abortion his 1995 encyclical "Evangelium Vitae." "Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable," the Pope noted in No. 58. "The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an 'unspeakable crime.'"

The encyclical stated that the acceptance of abortion in today's culture, and in the law itself, reveals a crisis in morality, "which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake."

Saving Terri:

From the pages of Blogs for Terri:

"Although a hard legal battle is being waged, our job is to work on the political and public-opinion side of the equation which is extremely important, and is the only thing that can save Terri should the legal fight fail. Much of the problem is related to political issues in Pinellas County and at the State Capital. We are aware of what they are and are working to have the BlogsForTerri plan help to address them while the experts do what they do best. Now is not the time to further divide two opposing camps, we need both sides. That is what "BlogsForTerri" plans to do. We will take the high road and not get involved in vitriol. That doesn't mean though that we aren't going to attack, because we are - without quarter."

Rough outline of the "BlogsForTerri" attack plan:

Please, continue to pray for Terri. At the same time also, please click on the contacts lists (scroll down) and be a part of Terri's fight.

Saving Terri:

Paul at Info Theory has an idea that perhaps we could offer Michael Schiavo money to relinquish custody of Terri.. while Sunnye at GOP Insight has a different theory on this..

Gee.. is that really Rob Lowe?



.. in a painful opening duet of "Proud Mary" with a faux Snow White.

Saving Terri:

From the pages of Blogs for Terri: CWA: Let Terri live

If Sarah can, so can Terri

"Terri Schiavo deserves the same chance at life that Sarah Scantlin was given. Both cases have involved women who suffered debilitating injuries and continued to live in a disabled state.... Mental disabilities do not damage a person's worth - the preciousness of life is not defined by one's abilities. Those who suffer a disabling injury are entitled to the same right to life as we all are. Those seeking to take away Mrs. Schiavo's right to life should have second thoughts after hearing Sarah Scantlin's story."

Here's some quality blogging...

If you have been away from the Evil Board like, you're in for a real nice surprise..

April 26 is National Pro-life T-shirt Day

.. and thousands of young people across the US will don pro-life messages, "Abortion kills kids" t-shirts

"This is a day when the youth can speak out against the holocaust of abortion, which has taken the lives of one-third of their generation," said Erik Whittington, director of American Life League's youth outreach. "This event truly does save the lives of preborn children, and it also helps spare their mothers from the tragedy of abortion."

The Thomas More Law Center has offered its assistance in a number of these instances in which overzealous school administrators infringed upon students' free speech rights. "We want to assure all students participating in this year's T-shirt day that their rights will not be overlooked," said Whittington.

Doctors fix flaw in Jerrick De Leon's grape-size heart

At the time of his operation, on February 6, Jerrick weighed just over 1.5 pounds (700 grams), said his surgeon, Dr. V. Mohan Reddy. Reddy, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery and a professor at Stanford's medical school, specializes in performing surgery on extremely small infants.

Reddy said he knew he could repair the type of heart defect the baby had, but "the complicating fact was the baby was too small and very, very premature." Still, Reddy said he was "very confident I would be able to take care of this baby."

The pediatric surgeon who performed open-heart surgery on the one-week-old baby with a heart the size of a grape said Thursday it was "a wonderful feeling" to be able to save his life.

Ahh...

Susan asks THE question..

Here, hear, HEAR..

Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser who wrote this article, Don't apologize for abortion, had had two abortions and tells her 9-year-old son about it:

"She was 19 weeks pregnant with unclear but potentially terrible amniocentesis results. The doctors feared severe birth defects. Had the worst turned out to be true, she wanted to terminate her planned pregnancy. Time was ticking away; she wouldn't be able to obtain a legal abortion in our state after 21 weeks.

My 9-year-old son overheard my friend telling me about her situation, and he was worried on her behalf. Days later, when I reported my friend's good news - everything looks healthy - to my son, he replied, "Good, then she doesn't have to have an abortion. I mean, if she'd had to have one, that would have been fine, but it's not a good thing."

In a previous conversation about our friend, my son had reasoned that "between one and four months, it's not a baby." But now he was saying he saw abortion as bad. I asked why he thought abortion might be a bad choice.

"Why would you say no to having a baby?" he countered.

I took one moment to consider whether I was going to get into this with him. I took one deep breath. Then, I told him that I have had two abortions. Of course, he wanted to know all about what happened.

As I started to describe my senior year of high school dilemma (baby or college?), he leapt in: "College."

I told him about being 20 and having had a birth control failure. I told him I wasn't at all sad about those choices because I had the family I wanted all along: a loving papa with three wonderful kids, something that would not have been possible had I become a mother before I was ready."

Well, the boy thinks that abortion is a bad thing, obviously she told him about her own because she wanted him to, as Emily notes. embrace abortion as a good choice and a good thing.


Hat tip: Naaman

Tonight I watch the lights go out in your house
Wondering how I could get so deep
And you could still get to sleep
In vain I blame my trembling on the cold air
And I can't hide that I relied on you
Like yellow does on blue

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly

Coming to grips with abortion's new vocab..

"If common ground means acknowledging the full moral dimensions of abortion, great. If it means working to diminish unwanted pregnancies, great. If it means teaching boys and girls, men and women, to be more sexually respectful and careful, let's all hold hands.

But two dangers lie in the new vocabulary. One is that abortion opponents, who are not clamoring for common ground, turn it to their advantage. The other is that Democratic leaders, in their quest for votes, go from changing words to changing laws. They're already wooing anti-abortion politicians into the family.

For a lot of us, there's a permanent border at the edge of common ground, the border where the law begins."

Ray Charles ordered to pay child support..

Trust me, being dead is no excuse...

In defense of Terri Schiavo:

Tim at Pro Life Blogs and Richard at Hyscience has started a new blog for Terri:

Blogs for Terri

The blog brings the latest news articles and updates on Terri's case, plus the contact list (that list from Susan which I posted earlier contain the email addresses members of the Florida Senate and legislators) complete with email addresses of the people involve in and people who could help in Terri's fight. So click and join the blogburst.

Terri Schiavo is NOT brain dead and she needs your help NOW.

(Kudos to Tim and Richard for the great work!)

A little dirt on Judge Greer, no?

Hmm... fascinating.


Hat tip: John at the Ravings of John C. A. Bambenek

Planned Parenthood's "marketing strategy"?

Can't resist this one -- Dustin Hawkins looks at the 5-step plan...

Step one: Know whom your marketing to. Under her wise leadership, the proponents of life began marketing to... kids! Indeed, a website called TeenWire is there to answer every twelve year olds questions on how to "do it right" and to help with all the many ways in which to "do it." The site, which uses the color scheme of the kids network Nickelodeon, is marketing sex more impressively than Super Bowl ads market beer. My personal favorite section: "The Condom Talk."

Step two: Offer "protection." Nothing says abstinence like: "Hey don't forget your free Honeydew scented condom!" To be sure, the Squadron of Death offers a free assortment of pretty colored condoms. The only problem, according to a February 2005 Consumer Reports study, is that these condoms rank dead last in a strength-rating test. (New slogan: Free Condoms... See You in 6-8 Weeks).

Step three: Oppose sonograms. After the powder blue freebie breaks, make sure that the opposition is not allowed to speak with the pregnant woman/girl. In this case, the opposition may be clinics that offer free sonograms. Apparently, when a woman sees her living child inside of her, she is less likely to decide to detach its brains from its skull. This is, of course, evil. After all, these centers let you know there are alternatives, like adoption. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood - it's almost as amusing a name as: People for the American Way - said this about the "fanatical anti-abortion crowd": "From the time they walk in to these centers, they are inundated with information that is propaganda and that has one goal in mind. And that is to have women continue with their pregnancies." No, say it isn't so!

Step four: Perform abortion. After giving out handy advice, condoms that break, and silencing the opposition (although not like in the "pre-human" phase as they are accustomed to), it is now time for them to do what they do best: Abort! In this, the organization is at its best. Under the leadership of Feldt, Planned It's-Not-A-Baby-Hood grew out of the financial hole it was in and began ruining lives in historic proportions.

Step five: Sell t-shirt. Now that the moneymaker has nabbed its client and killed her "cluster of cells," it's time to tack on that last buck or two. Hey, sell an "I Had an Abortion" t-shirt! In as much as they claim abortions are only "necessary" because of incest and rape (apparently, more than a million instances a year!), it may be a little harsh. If that's the case, just buy the teen-friendly "Kiss Me: I'm Pro-Choice" t-shirt. (New Slogan: Coming to a High School Near You.)

Saving Terri:

Terri's supporters to picket Michael Schiavo's home

And here's an exclusive interview with Terri's brother, Bobby Schindler.

Hat tip: Hyscience

Saving Terri:

Here, Susan has a list of who you can contact to help save Terri.

Hurry, time is running out!

Legislation that states a human fetus can survive outside the womb after 20 weeks of gestation has cleared an Indiana House committee.

The Public Policy and Veterans Affairs Committee sent the bill to the full House on Wednesday. The measure also would mandate annual inspections for abortion clinics. Doctors have construed the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as establishing the viability of a fetus at no earlier than the 24th week after conception.

Another botched abortion from Tiller's late-term abortion mill, possibly dead

A woman was taken from a Kansas abortion facility to a local hospital Thursday after an apparent botched abortion. The incident comes just weeks after another woman apparently died after another botched abortion at the same abortion business.

An ambulance carried the unidentified woman on Thursday from Women's Health Care Services, the abortion business owned by late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, to the Wesley Medical Center Emergency Room. Operation Rescue staffers took pictures of the scene and saw the woman being unloaded from the ambulance. They described her as not moving and there were no IV bags or other medical supplies which would normally indicate a patient was being cared for on the way to the hospital. In addition, the woman was covered with a blanket and her body was strapped in three places to the gurney.

This is it. In the next couple of hours, members of the U.S. Supreme Court will hold a private discussion on whether to take the case of Norma McCorvey, the former Roe of Roe v. Wade, who wants the nation's top court to overturn the decision that legalized abortion. The Justice Foundation indicated that the members of the court will discuss hearing the case on Friday and will release their decision on Monday.

Pray, people.

You know what? Tyler has too many toys and we are running out of storage space, thanks to the santas. You guys seriously need to stop buying toys for the boy and start giving us money instead. Hmm.

The insidious censorship of pro-life women

"Those who call themselves pro-choice should be true to their name. Make it realistic for every woman to choose to give birth if she so desires. Improve support for pregnant women and new mothers. Don't assume that an unintended pregnancy is the end of the world. Don't be satisfied with a community that is so often hostile to women with children. Don't let women have abortions they don't want."

Saving Terri:



Sign a petition to impeach Schiavo case judge here

Constitutional showdown looming in Florida

Disability advocates come to Terri's defense, oppose starvation

Hyscience has pictures from the press event at Woodside Death Camp here

For a long time she was actively opposed by a woman she thought she could trust. Katherine was only 21 when she got pregnant and her boyfriend was 22. In the beginning everything was good. Everyone in the family - including the grand parents-to-be - was looking forward to the baby. But the boyfriend couldn't cope with the idea being a father. He tried to persuade Katherine into an abortion. She refused and he left her. Then her mother-in-law took over. She did everything to push Katherine into an abortion.

I thought I should share this, something I nipped from Annie. First the abortion/breast cancer thingy.. and then now we find out that ACS gives out 10% discount coupons for Planned Parenthood when they sell daffodils every spring as a fund-raiser. *gasps*

.. apart from the fact that Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider, PP also does these four things for children (among many others):

1. runs an annual conference for children as young as nine, coaching them on how to have sex and giving them nine reasons to have abortions.
2. has a website for kids called www.teenwire.com which links to a company selling sex toys (much more detail on this and worse found here),
3. and which offers a section called "All About the Anus" in which they tell kids that they can "preserve the woman's virginity" by having anal intercourse (any age kid can read the entire website) .
4. sells a ruler for kids with the question, "Does Size Matter?"

More in Annie's post.

Abortion as a form of self abuse? Julie examines the links between self injury and abortion here.

Saving Terri:

Nurses assert that Terri, set to have feeding stopped, has spoken words such as 'Hi', 'Momma' and 'Help Me'

Toddler found dead, abandoned in Houston apartment ..

"The baby was laying next to the bed wrapped up carefully, fully clothed and the apartment was locked. She's believed to have been there for two or three days," Houston Police Department Sgt. Robert Torres said.

Detectives said there were signs of trauma on the toddler's body.

"There were a few signs of bruising on her stomach and legs and face but some of those could be just normal child's play bruises," Torres said.

Torres said the body was believed to have been there two to three days.

Judge OKs taking infant life off life support

An infant with an often-lethal skeletal disorder can be removed from life support against his mother's wishes, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Wanda Hudson's 4-month-old son, Sun, has been on a ventilator since birth. Texas Children's Hospital officials have said no treatment can save him and wanted to remove him from life support. Hudson believes her son will recover and had fought to keep him on the ventilator. The judge gave the hospital authority to remove the child from life support because a legal standard over hospital care cannot be met.

Under Texas law, a hospital must continue care if there is a reasonable probability that another hospital will admit the patient.

You'll never guess what I just did...

Human tissue found in sewage spill near abortion clinic..

Witnesses said pieces of human tissue were among the waste and were convinced it came from the known abortion clinic. Maribeth Smith is an employee of the car dealership next door. She is convinced she saw human body parts mixed in with the sewage Tuesday.

"Whether it's legal or not, it's not right," Smith said. "This whole area is nothing but raw sewage and bloody pieces. There were little legs coming out from one side."

Saving Terri:

Terri's supporters take to the streets

Standing outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo lives, family and supporters of the severely brain-damaged woman on Wednesday kicked off a campaign of lobbying and protests hoping to block her husband from removing the feeding tube keeping her alive.


Hat tip: Tim at Pro Life Blogs

Meanwhile, in their search for middle ground on the subject of abortion, Democrats are encountering a mixture of resistance and retreat from abortion rights advocates in their own party.

Since its defeats in the November elections, nothing has put the fractured soul of the Democratic Party on display more vividly than abortion. Party leaders, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and the new chairman, Howard Dean, have repeatedly signaled an effort to recalibrate the party's thinking about new restrictions on abortion.

Democrats wrestles with choice and choices..

Abortion rights advocates are fuming over reports that some key Democrats are backing antiabortion candidates in at least two Senate races, a sign that the emotional issue continues to vex the party after the 2004 election losses.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has signaled its preference -- sometimes subtly, sometimes not -- for Pennsylvania Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr. in next year's bid to oust Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), and for Rep. James R. Langevin (D-R.I.) in the race against Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee (R-R.I.). Casey and Langevin describe themselves as pro-life. Abortion rights groups are miffed at the DSCC for appearing to back the two men long before the 2006 primaries, which will include prominent Democrats who favor abortion rights.

Michelle Malkin blasts sanctimonious wolves in do-gooders' clothing for molesting children:

"Kofi Annan must have the world's thickest set of industrial-quality earplugs.

How else can he block out the cries of Congolese girls raped by United Nations "peacekeepers" sent to protect the innocents from harm?

Fifty U.N. peacekeepers and U.N. civilian officers face an estimated 150 allegations of sexual exploitation and rape in the Congo alone. Last Friday, ABC's "20/20" program aired a devastating expose by investigative reporter Brian Ross highlighting some of the worst alleged crimes."

According to a poll by AC Nielsen published in The Age, 56% of respondents in Australia believe the current abortion laws are right. In Australia, state laws regulate pregnancy termination. Surgical abortions in the early stages of pregnancy are usually accessible, and the procedure can be partially reimbursed under the government-funded health care plan. The RU486 drug used to induce abortions is banned in the country.

Australians who want changes to current regulations are almost evenly split. 17% of respondents believe abortion should be less accessible than it is now, while 16% believe it should be more accessible.

Say goodnight
Don't be afraid
Calling me calling me as you fade to black

By acknowledging painful emotional truths about abortion, pro-choice activists have reenergized their movement. But is all the talk about fetuses overshadowing women's rights?

"After years of intermittent jostling from the inside, a December essay by Catholics for a Free Choice president Frances Kissling on the value of the fetus seems to have cracked the hard ideological shell of the pro-choice community, exposing its messy theological, moral and emotional innards. The resulting scramble may not be the end of a movement, but rather a chance at rebirth before what could be the fight of its life."

"Guilty? Yes. No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; but oh, thrice guilty is he who... drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime!"

- Susan B. Anthony

HEADS-UP: Supreme Court to consider petition to reverse Roe v. Wade on Feb 18

Pray, people.

More at Operation Outcry

Saving Terri:

A new message from Terri's father

"Contrary to anything you may have heard, Terri is NOT brain dead; Terri is NOT in a coma; she is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state;" nor is she on ANY life-support system.

Terri laughs, Terri cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and me. Sometimes she will say "Mom" or "Dad" or "yeah" when we ask her a question. When I kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at me and "puckers up" her lips.

This may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to Terri's mother and me. It tells us she is still here, she still knows us, and with therapy and time she can have some level of recovery.

I know that there are some hard hearted people who believe that due to my daughters condition, she is better off dead. Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause us. This is our daughter, our little girl, and even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family."


Terri's parents launch public campaign to save their daughter

A Christian witness at abortion clinics

"Some within the pro-life movement are condoning violence. They work up the emotions to take vengeance into their own hands. They encourage one another to let loose with more hurt and maiming.

Of course, they conclude that this is right, since killing is going on in the abortion clinics. Yet two wrongs do not make a right. Jesus never confronted violence with more violence. He confronted violence--even His own death on the Cross-with truth in love.

Other pro-lifers conclude that truth in love is not combative enough, strong enough, forceful enough. In so thinking, they are playing the part of God.

Let God be God! Let Him bring the condemnation. Let Him see through his eternal vengeance. His way is far superior to any human, carnal battling. All that Christians are called to do is love our enemies, do good to those who would malign us, and pray for those who despitefully use us (see Matthew 5:44)."

Saving Terri:

Time is running out. If you'd like to make your voice heard, Susan at Res Publica has the contacts here.

Doctor arrested over illegal abortions

Police in Bali have arrested a doctor accused of carrying out an estimated 4000 illegal abortions in the past four years, a report said Tuesday.

I Ketut Srik Wiantara, 34, and two assistant nurses, were arrested at his practice in Denpasar, the main city in Bali, the Sinar Harapan evening newspaper quoted chief detective Suharya as saying.

"From our preliminary interrogation, we have obtained the information that the suspect has already conducted more than 4000 abortions," Chf Det Suharya said.

The doctor had told police he had been conducting abortions for the past four years, with an average of three patients every day, he said.

Abortion is illegal in Indonesia unless the pregnancy endangers the mother's life.

Saving Terri:

Will you be Terri's voice? asks Janette at Common Sense Runs Wild

"I believe that our society can only be as strong as the support given to its weakest member. I believe the weak and vulnerable are worthy of a level of care that would speak to the dignity of the human experience. I believe that the care we extend to others would be the care we would hope for ourselves. The weak, are best accompanied by the strong. It is time for the strong to support the family of Terri Schiavo in the quest to keep her from a court-mandated death. It is time for the strong to provide a vocal and public bulwark of defense against the death culture that undergirds and finances Mr. Schiavo in his quest to kill his wife.

We would do well to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Kings have long arms, but misfortune longer; Let none think of themselves out of her reach". Misfortune may come looking for you some day. Who will be your voice?" Tammy Swofford asked.


Hat tip: Janette at Common Sense Runs Wild

I don't know if you guys caught it, but there's a really bizarre article in Shit! Times today about another child homicide. Infant won't stop crying, so mom's lover poured medicated oil into her mouth to stop the 7-month-old from crying. The child later died of salicylic acid poisoning. And here's the best part-- the bastard only got four years! Damnation.

Yes mom, if I were a judge, I'll sweep the streets off these assholes.

Capital murder charges filed in baby's death

A 22 year old Universal City resident was charged with capital murder today in connection with the second murder of an infant in Bexar County this year.

Police Sergeant Bill Gabbard told 1200 WOAI news that Jose Romero beat his 19 year old girlfriend's 21 month old baby boy to death because the boy wouldn't stop crying.

"He stated to use that the baby was crying and kept crying," Gabbard said. "He paddled him, as if that was going to make him stop. He put him on the couch and he kept crying, and that's when he states he struck him on the back of the head."

Little Zachary Guerrero was pronounced dead at Northeast Baptist Hospital. Gabbard says Romero spent his time between the incident and the time he took the toddler to the hospital not trying to save the baby, but trying to save himself.

Got this in the mail earlier:

Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) (H.R. 748)

You can do your part and urge your representative to cosponsor the bill by following the link.

South Dakota lawmakers vote down a bill to ban all abortions in the state saying that it wouldn't yet succeed at the Supreme Court. Instead, lawmakers favor a slew of other bills that will limit abortions until Roe v. Wade is overturned. The committee approved SB193, a measure to tighten parental notification requirements.

Chris Rock: Abortion is a beautiful thing

"Abortion, it's beautiful, it's beautiful abortion is legal. I love going to an abortion rally to pick up women, cause you know they are f------"

Dorinda Bordlee, an attorney with Americans United for Life, has seen the comedy routine and says it is meant as a parody.

"Rock's routine is actually a parody which uses humor to make the point of how legalized abortion facilitates the sexual exploitatation of women," Bordlee told LifeNews.com.

"Chris Rock uses the effective tool of satire to show that abortion on demand has made women more into sex objects than we've ever been in the history of the world," Bordlee explains.

"It costs $5,000 to deliver a baby. It costs $1,500 to have an abortion. Face it: It's either Jimmy or cable."