LifeSiteNews.com Latest Headlines

Candle-light procession, adoration mark Vatican’s celebration of Pope JPII’s pro-life encyclical

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:46 GMT

by Steve Jalsevac ROME, June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In addition to the outdoor Mass celebrated this past Sunday in St. Peter’s Square by Pope Francis and attended by over 200,000, the Vatican also had a full day of events on Saturday to celebrate the 1995 pro-life encyclical of Pope John Paul II, the ‘Gospel…

New Zealand abortions decline for the 5th consecutive year

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:47 GMT

by Michelle Kaufman, New Zealand Correspondent AUCKLAND, 19 June, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The downward trend for induced abortions in New Zealand has continued for the 5th consecutive year and numbers have now have dropped to their lowest since 1995. Figures released today reveal that there were 14,745 induced abortions in the year ended…

UPDATE: Gov. Cuomo resurrects radical abortion-expanding proposal as stand-alone bill

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:21 GMT

by Kirsten Andersen ALBANY, June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews) – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo appears determined to expand abortion in the Empire State, making a last-ditch move this week to resurrect what appeared to be a defunct abortion proposal by separating his “Women’s Equality Act” into 10 separate…

Planned Parenthood on raped and pregnant 13-year-old: ‘Comprehensive sex ed can make a difference’

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:34 GMT

by Rebecca Frazer June 19, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - In September of 2012, a thirteen-year-old girl from Elwood, Indiana was overpowered and raped by her seventeen-year-old neighbor and became pregnant as a result. Her abuser was found guilty of molesting her and two other child victims and faces sentencing…

Time to talk: the government, the pill, and our daughters

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:06 GMT

by John Stonestreet June 19, 2013 (Breakpoint.org) - I hope you read Eric Metaxas' article yesterday. I’ve come to know Eric quite well, and I could feel his anguish over the administration’s ridiculous decision not to fight a judge’s ruling to allow girls of any age to get the morning-after pill over…

When does life begin…for living babies?

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:12 GMT

by Murray Vasser June 19, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - Words are powerful. They can be used to illuminate, and they can be used to conceal. Consider this excerpt from MSNBC’s Meet the Press: Pastor Rick Warren clearly asked, “At what point does a baby get human rights?” but…

The View cast agree with Bill Maher that Trig Palin is ‘retarded’

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:26 GMT

by Lauren Enriquez June 19, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - This week, anti-life members of The View cast demonstrated their bias once again in a discussion about the proper nomenclature that should be applied to individuals with mental and chromosomal abnormalities. Had the target been anyone other than the vehemently-hated…

Children need our marriage tradition

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:49 GMT

by John M. Smoot June 19, 2013 (thePublicDiscourse) - In the United States, we were fortunate to inherit a marriage tradition of monogamy with a strong stigma against divorce. Did it work for everyone? No. Did it work for our society as a whole? Yes. Was it beneficial for most children? Yes. Then the sexual revolution…

Maternal mortality rate in ‘abortion-averse’ Ireland half that of Britain: study

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:42 GMT

by Hilary White DUBLIN, June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Researchers at West Virginia University-Charleston and the University of North Carolina have found that “abortion-averse” Ireland has a better record on maternal health than near neighbor Britain, which has de facto abortion on demand. Since…

‘Life is not a disposable thing’: addiction recovery meets pro-life principles

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:06 GMT

by Christine Dhanagom June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - It’s a substance addiction recovery program like no other: cutting edge neurocognitive and neurochemical therapy, behavior modification therapy geared towards permanent recovery, and life skills training with an emphasis on virtue formation. But what really…

‘War against women?’: In GOP abortion debate, women lead the way

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:08 GMT

by Ben Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C., June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When it came to fighting late-term abortion, House Republicans fought a war with women. Without the enthusiastic support of GOP congresswomen, it would have been impossible for the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (H.R.…

Pope Francis takes teen with Down syndrome for a spin on the Popemobile

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:28 GMT

by John Jalsevac June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – During his usual drive around St. Peter’s Square following his Wednesday general audience today, Pope Francis stopped to embrace a teen with Down syndrome. But when the teen then pointed up to the Popemobile, Pope Francis invited him to join him on the famous…

Democrat goes off on late-term abortion ban: ‘This bill is an abomination!’ (Video)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:25 GMT

by Ben Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C., June 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Although religious rhetoric is usually associated with the pro-life movement, one Democrat sounded like a hellfire and brimstone preacher while defending late-term abortion on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. “This…

Video: Congresswoman chokes back tears during emotional debate on 20-wk abortion ban

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:01 GMT

by Ben Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C., June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The topic of abortion can elicit strong emotions. For one Congresswoman, thinking about the tragedy of a million abortions a year nearly made her break out into tears on the House floor. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, made many impassioned…

New Komen for the Cure CEO headed group behind HHS birth control mandate

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:09 GMT

by Kirsten Andersen DALLAS, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews) – Embattled breast cancer awareness group Komen for the Cure has announced the selection of a new CEO, Judith A. Salerno. Salerno currently serves as executive director and chief operating officer of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a chief adviser to the Obama…

Church of England: sexual orientation of episcopal nominees is ‘irrelevant’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:33 GMT

by Hilary White LONDON, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At the same time as it faces legislation that some say will likely force them to participate in gay “marriage,” the Church of England issued a legal document last week illustrating the fine lines that must be walked by those responsible for…

House passes nationwide 20-week ban on abortion

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:30 GMT

by Ben Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C., June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would restrict all abortions nationwide to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (H.R. 1797), introduced by Arizona Republica Trent Franks,…

China ratchets up One-Child Policy, ignores calls from population experts

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:30 GMT

by Anne Morse - Population Research Institute June 18, 2013 (Pop) - Recent reports from the Guangdong province show coercion in China’s infamous one-child policy is once again on the rise. Women in the southern city of Huizhou, which has a population of 4 million, are being targeted for sterilization. Those who have one child are being forced…

Faith and Freedom Coalition to GOP: Don’t betray us on abortion, social issues

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:48 GMT

by Kirsten Andersen WASHINGTON, D.C., June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews) – In the wake of a 100-page report by the Republican National Committee and another document from the College Republicans claiming the path to Republican victory in 2014 is to focus on the economy and avoid social issues like abortion and homosexual…

Harry Reid focuses on the important things…like genderless bathrooms

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:01 GMT

by Tony Perkins June 18, 2013 (FRC) - In the midst of so many crises, it's comforting to know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is focused on what matters: genderless bathrooms. Unfortunately, that's just one effect of a sweeping proposal that could destroy personal freedom in the American workplace.…

Archdiocese of Vancouver celebrates Pro-life Sunday on Father’s Day

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:56 GMT

by Thaddeus Baklinski VANCOUVER, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Archbishop of Vancouver has once again held the archdiocese's Pro-life Sunday on Father's Day, recognizing the "wonderful gift of fatherhood" and connecting it to the importance of celebrating and protecting life. This year Archbishop J. Michael…

Indian woman has surprise baby at 60

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:23 GMT

by Johanna Dasteel INDORE, Madhya, Pradesh, India, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A 60-year-old Indian woman shocked doctors, and herself, when she unexpectedly gave birth to a healthy 3.5 kg (7 lb 11 oz) baby girl last Thursday. Only identified as Lilabai, the mother of (now) four children presented…

Chinese city forces all women of child-bearing age to be fitted with IUDs or sterilized

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:59 GMT

by The Editors HUIZHOU, Guangdong China, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Chinese government has given notice to citizens of the city Huizhou that all women of childbearing age must be fitted with Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) or be permanently sterilized via tubal ligations. Women who are currently…

Sex ed in New Zealand ‘seriously flawed,’ dangerous: report

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:38 GMT

by Michelle Kaufman, New Zealand Correspondent AUCKLAND, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - “We must provide students with an ideal to strive for, one that offers them the healthiest option physically and emotionally. The healthiest ideal is to postpone sexual activity until adulthood, and ideally, until marriage.” This is the recommendation…

‘Mom, Dad, I’m pro-life’: the day I came out to my liberal parents

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:20 GMT

by Sierra Champion June 18, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - Mom, Dad, I’m pro-life. The day I “outed” myself to my ultra-liberal family, I was terrified. These are the people who basically tried to bully me into aborting my son (aka, their grandson) back in 2011. Lord knows I love them, but I was seriously…

Toronto District School Board opens its first co-ed washroom

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:12 GMT

by Patrick B. Craine TORONTO, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An “alternative” school dedicated to “equity” issues has opened the Toronto District School Board’s first co-ed washroom. Intended primarily for students identifying as “transgender,” the washroom was set up after…

Bitter irony: children once again to be euthanized in Belgium/Netherlands 70 years after Nazis

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:23 GMT

by Peter Saunders June 18, 2013 (PJSaunders) - In this last week both Belgium and the Netherlands have taken major steps towards euthanasia for children. A consensus among members of the Belgian Federal Parliament has reportedly formed in support of legislation to allow children to choose to undergo euthanasia…

Ottawa Catholic school board amends partnership policy but critics fear scandals will continue

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:04 GMT

by Peter Baklinski OTTAWA, Ontario, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) amended its “Partnership, Sponsorship, and Donations” policy last week after repeatedly facing parental backlash over choices of school trips, events, and speakers that parents say were hostile…

The Morning-after Pill: coming to a vending machine near you?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:03 GMT

by Eric Metaxas June 18, 2013 (Breakpoint.org) - Last week, the President threw America's parents and their daughters under a bus. And I'm hopping mad about it—and not just because I have a young daughter of my own. First, a little history: In 2011, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius…

Rush Limbaugh: abortion is ‘at the root’ of American society’s ills

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:34 GMT

by Calvin Freiburger June 18, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - On his radio show Friday, Rush Limbaugh delivered a powerful monologue (transcript, video) asserting that in addition to its innate monstrousness, abortion is “at the root of our cultural decay” as a nation, its impact stretching from respect for…

What really happens to women who have abortions?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:56 GMT

by Priscilla K. Coleman June 18, 2013 (Mercatornet.com) - On June 12 the New York Times published an article by graduate student Joshua Lang, “What Happens to Women Who Are Denied Abortions?” Mr Lang is currently enrolled in UC Berkley’s Joint Medical Program, a five-year Master of Science/Medical…

Rapper Kanye West praises abortion on CD likening himself to Jesus

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:27 GMT

by Ben Johnson LOS ANGELES, June 17, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Rapper Kanye West's new single, which glorifies aborting the babies men conceive with their mistresses, leaked out to the public just as Kim Kardashian was about to give birth to his baby girl. The song, “Blood on the Leaves,” appears…

We have a BIG problem!

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:47 GMT

by Steve Jalsevac Dear readers, Today we launch our very important summer campaign with a BIG problem. But fortunately, we also have a fabulous potential solution! This amazing animation video created for us by Mirandum Pictures tells the story of our current situation far better than any words…

Obama: Banning late-term abortion shows ‘contempt’ for ‘the Constitution,’ assaults women’s rights

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:28 GMT

by Ben Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Barack Obama has announced that, if Trent Franks' bill to restrict late-term abortion nationwide passes, he will veto it. In a Statement of Administration Policy, the president called the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection…

Cuomo’s radical late-term abortion expansion act dies in NY State Senate

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:09 GMT

by Ben Johnson ALBANY, NY, June 17, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A controversial provision that would have struck down late-term abortion restrictions in New York state has died in the state senate. The measure, which would have radically expanded abortion-on-demand for reasons of “health,” among other…

Oldest Duggar child to head Family Research Council’s legislative arm

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:00 GMT

by Ben Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Josh Duggar has starred on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting for 11 years, but soon he'll have a new role: at the helm of a pro-life, pro-family legislative action group in the nation's capital. Josh Duggar, the oldest son of Jim Bob and…

New scientific evidence supports personhood rights

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:32 GMT

by Brendan O'Morchoe A new article by Gonzalo Herranz, "The Timing of Monozygotic Twinning: A Criticism of the Common Model," appears to deflate one of the most common science-based challenges to pro-life personhood philosophy. According to the theory that has been accepted for more than half a century, early human embryos…

Ontario’s Premier, Kathleen Wynne, appears to be considering Quebec’s euthanasia proposal

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:04 GMT

by Alex Schadenberg Kathleen Wynne, the Liberal premier of Ontario, appears to be considering similar proposals as Quebec did last week when it introduced Bill 52, to legalize euthanasia in Quebec. Last week, CBC News reported Wynne making overtures of support to Bill 52, to legalize euthanasia in Quebec, and now the Toronto…

My letter to the General Medical Council over its guidance to doctors on conscientious objection

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:41 GMT

by Peter Saunders When two Glasgow midwives won the right to opt out of supervising abortions last April I suggested that the General Medical Council (GMC) needed to revise its professional guidance on the matter which now seemed to be at odds with the law. At the time Niall Dickson (pictured), the GMC's…

Bringing love to empty eyes and scarred arms: how to win hearts to the pro-life cause

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:28 GMT

by Jonathon van Maren Nothing quite gives a pro-life activist the opportunity to find out where our culture is at and how wounded it is as being out on the streets, discussing abortion with our generational counterparts. The first thing that always strikes me is how much hurt and how much pain is out there, and how badly…

Are babies conceived in rape somehow incapable of feeling pain?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:44 GMT

by Rebecca Kiessling H.R. 1797 -- The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act pending in Congress -- as amended on June 14, 2013, now has a rape and incest exception -- as if children conceived in rape are such mutants that we are incapable of feeling pain. Well, I'm feeling the pain right now -- especially when…

Dutch MDs: OK to put sick baby out of PARENT’S misery

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:28 GMT

by Wesley J. Smith Despite infanticide still being murder under (the rarely enforced) Netherlander criminal code, the Dutch Medical Association (KNMG) has issued an ethics opinion holding that doctors may euthanize dying babies to end the parents’ suffering. From the story (Google translation):…

The New York Times flunks Public Health 101

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:02 GMT

by Michael New The New York Times Magazine has published a fawning article about an ongoing research project, sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco, about women who sought abortions but were unable to obtain them because of the gestational age of the unborn child. The…

Emergency Contraception: The abortion reducer that isn’t

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:40 GMT

by John Jansen To the surprise of exactly no one, Planned Parenthod President Cecile Richards is thrilled that so-called emergency contraception (hereafter:EC) is now available over-the-counter with no age restrictions. This means that 16 year old girls (and boys) can now get the morning-after pill…

Forced fatherhood: NYT piece laments men being forced to support kids they ‘accidentally’ conceived

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:17 GMT

by Jonathon van Maren Earlier this week, I was asked on a radio program what I as a pro-life activist had to say about Father’s Day. My answer was simple: Where are all the fathers? In today’s hookup culture, the dynamics of so-called “choice” (and, for that matter, so-called “family”)…

The media get it wrong on Quebec euthanasia proposal ... again

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:05 GMT

by Wesley J. Smith As I reported here previously, Quebec will be debating the legalization of euthanasia–not assisted suicide–a bill that does not limit medicalized killing to dying patients. But don’t tell that to so-called journalists, who are busily about the task of badly misstating what the…

Killing is not healthcare: why Quebec’s euthanasia bill MUST be defeated

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:37 GMT

by Alex Schadenberg The Quebec government has introduced a bill, to legalize euthanasia through the back-door. After two government reports and input from its citizens, Quebec is considering the legalization of euthanasia (not assisted suicide) as a form of medical treatment by establishing prosecution guidelines stating…

Journalist/TV personality in open letter to mom: ‘I’m sorry I didn’t kill you’

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:28 GMT

by John Jalsevac An Australian journalist and TV personality who is campaigning for legal euthanasia has penned an emotional open letter to her deceased mother in which she describes how close she came to killing her by smothering her with a pillow, and apologizes for not carrying through with the homicide. The…

Would giving royal assent to the gay marriage bill place the queen in breach of her coronation oath?

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:47 GMT

by Peter Saunders At her coronation in 1953 Queen Elizabeth II was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury: ‘Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion…

Mother, caregiver stab autistic son to death to ‘put him out of his misery’

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:19 GMT

by Wesley J. Smith An autistic teenager was murdered by his mother to “end his suffering. From the CBS Chicago story: Cook County prosecutors said a west suburban woman and family caregiver planned for at least a week to kill the mother’s 14-year-old son, because they believed he wasn’t…

Health board again tries to force midwives to supervise abortions

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:14 GMT

by Peter Saunders Two Glasgow midwives, who won a landmark legal battle to avoid taking any part in abortion procedures, may now have to return to court. Last April appeal judges ruled that the right of Mary Doogan and Concepta Wood (pictured) to conscientious objection meant they could refuse to delegate, supervise…