Operation Rescue/Albuquerque, New Mexico/Cheryl Sullenger --

A shocking number of medical emergencies at two Albuquerque abortion clinics over the past few months have raised questions about clinic safety and who is responsible for oversight. After months of investigation, pro-life groups have determined that abortion clinics often operate in regulatory gaps and actively seek to "fly under the radar," as one regulator put it. This has created a public safety crisis in New Mexico.

A total of 14 calls for emergency medical assistance were placed to 911 dispatchers by Southwestern Women's Options (SWO) and the University of New Mexico Center for Reproductive Health (UNMCRH) over a 35-month time frame between November, 2008, and September, 2011. Three were placed from the UNMCRH while, alarmingly, eleven of the calls for help originated from SWO.

Complaints were filed with the New Mexico Medical Board (NMMB) against the known abortionists who work at those clinics by representatives of Project Defending Life and Operation Rescue. However, the NMMB is only responsible for oversight of licensed physicians and is not responsible for oversight of the abortion clinic itself.

"That means trash could be piled to the ceiling inside those clinics, and the NMMB would not have the authority to do anything about it," said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation. "The clinics themselves are never inspected or held to any standard. That creates the potential for a Gosnell-like 'house of horrors' to operate directly under the nose of regulators."

Conversations with Department of Health regulators confirmed Newman's concerns.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

Launching on January 19, 2012, AbortionWiki.org will serve as a comprehensive and impartial resource of all information relevant to beginning and end of life issues such as abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research.

"Sir Francis Bacon said it best when he wrote, 'Knowledge is power,'" says AbortionWiki Director, Andy Moore. "AbortionWiki makes use of this power by documenting the U.S. and international abortion industry and lobby on one wiki-based website."

AbortionWiki seeks to expose the abortion industry on an international scale. It will achieve this by making use of the powerful yet simple wiki software - the same software which powers Wikipedia.org. By connecting the dots between the various facets of the abortion industry and lobby, a clearer picture will be made visible.

AbortionWiki's newly-formed advisory board consists of an all-star cast of pro-life leaders:

• Bryan Kemper of Stand True Christ Centered Pro-Life


• Dr. Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life


• Dr. Eoghan De Faoite of Ireland's Youth Defence


• Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League


• Jill Stanek of JillStanek.com


• Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America


• Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com


• Troy Newman of Operation Rescue

"AbortionWiki will be powerful because it is people-powered. Thousands of people around the world will have the opportunity to log in and contribute their local and specialized knowledge," says Mr. Moore. "What has the abortion industry got to hide? If there is nothing wrong with abortion, why is this industry so shrouded in secrecy? Why are the blinds down at every Planned Parenthood clinic you drive past?"

"In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes, 'Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.' That's exactly our goal in launching this website," Mr. Moore continues.

AbortionWiki will become a comprehensive and reliable turn-to reference point for all matters relating to abortion and other life issues. This will be achieved through stringent referencing and quality control, and by a network of moderators ensuring that only factual information is provided on the website.

Subjects covered will include abortionists, clinic workers, abortion methods, pro-choice groups, activists, the history of abortion, voting records of politicians, statistics and much more.

"Our research has shown that wiki-based websites are extremely search-engine friendly," Mr. Moore says. "If you are involved in the abortion industry, you can look forward to your very own article on AbortionWiki, there for your children and grandchildren to see in years to come."

Contact:

Andy Moore, Director
andy@abortionwiki.org
phone: 815-277-6244

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Attorneys with Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project and two other pro-life legal defense organizations announced this morning that they have delivered a letter to the City of Austin's legal counsel urging the City at its next meeting tomorrow to repeal Austin City Code Chapter 10-9 and withdraw proposed Chapter 10-10 because both abridge Austin Life Care's constitutional rights to freedom of speech, association and religious free exercise under both state and federal law. The letter concludes: "We look forward to hearing from your office regarding this matter on or before January 26, 2012. We are hopeful that you will concur with us that Chapter 10-9 ought to be repealed and proposed Chapter 10-10 withdrawn as unconstitutional and, therefore, unenforceable against any covered entity located in Austin, including our client. Should your client not do so we will assume, until advised otherwise, that your client simply wishes to resume the pending litigation and risk the substantial 'further litigation costs' such an unfortunate and unconstitutional decision necessarily entails."

Austin LifeCare's Executive Director, Pam Cobern, said: "Austin LifeCare has been serving women in Central Texas with excellence and without charge for more than 27 years. Our communications are clear, honest and appropriate. We provide all clients with full disclosure of the types of 'life-affirming' services we provide starting with the 'about us' and 'services' tabs on our web site. Every person who mentions abortion while calling Austin LifeCare for an appointment is told we neither perform nor refer for abortion. Before she can meet with a counselor or nurse, the woman signs a statement that states 'the Center does not perform or refer for abortions.' In addition, there are framed 'Commitment of Care' statements reiterating this fact displayed prominently in the waiting area. Our clients receive medically accurate and unbiased information, including limited ultrasound services under direct physician supervision, to help them make their own decision, not one imposed by someone else's agenda. Austin LifeCare trusts women, tells them the truth, and treats them with dignity and respect while respecting their right to choose in the most fully informed fashion they request."

General Counsel of the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project, Samuel Casey, said: "Having hand-delivered two demand letters to the City on April 22 and September 16 asking it to stand down from enforcing its unconstitutional ordinance and being completely stone-walled, in the face of our multiple requests for some reply, we had no choice now but to file our Verified Complaint seeking judicial relief, including a preliminary injunction. When we did so, the City's lawyers agreed not to enforce the unconstitutional ordinance to give the City time to repeal it. We are glad that the City's Legal Department has now advised the City to do so to 'avoid further litigation expense.' We are encouraging the City to do just that and not to make matters worse by simply adopting an even more unconstitutional ordinance in its place as Council Spelman and Martinez are proposing."

On April 8, 2010, after no more than a 30 minute hearing wherein its rules were waived and discussion was limited by the presiding officer to "15 minutes per side," and no evidence of any unlawfully deceptive or misleading conduct by LifeCare was presented, Austin City Council passed Chapter 10-9 to restrict the operations of what it calls "Limited Service Pregnancy Centers," facilities that help pregnant women carry their babies to term without offering abortions, referrals to abortionists, or so-called "comprehensive birth control services." Under the ordinance, centers such as Austin LifeCare are required to "prominently display, at the entrance of the center, two black and white signs, one in English and one in Spanish, that state as follows: 'This center does not provide abortions or refer to abortion providers. This center does not provide or refer to providers of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved birth control drugs and medical devices.'" The first offense is punishable by a minimum $250 fine; a minimum fine of $350 is issued for the second offense and a minimum $450 fine for the third. The fines only apply to individuals or organizations that primarily provide counseling information about pregnancy services or options. The ordinance does not require centers performing or referring for abortions to post any kind of signs about services that they do not offer....

Read entire press release here.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Jan. 24, 2012/Christian Newswire -- It is not insignificant that a question about the state sanctioned, court ordered death of Terri Schiavo by dehydration made it into the top tier questions at the Republican debate last night.

Although Terri Schiavo's death occurred in 2005, what happened to her takes place every single day in health care facilities across our nation. Indeed, the courts and pro-euthanasia movement exploited her situation to introduce our country to "Obamacare." Every candidate missed the opportunity to make this connection last night.

We are grateful and recognize the two candidates who attempted to defend Terri's right to life, although clarification of her condition is warranted as this debate continues.

Terri Schiavo was not dying, not in a coma, and not brain dead. Terri was not on a respirator, and she was not in vegetative state. Terri was a woman with a brain injury and simply needed to be fed through a feeding tube.

The elderly, persons with cognitive disabilities, and the medically vulnerable are having their medical rights denied every day and dying at the hands of hospital 'death panels' that are making decisions to withhold their food and water.

"These lives need to be defended and protected, and we applaud former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for recognizing the obvious by saying last night, 'We offer federal safeguards for condemned murderers - why not a helpless woman whose parents just want to care for her for the rest of her life?'" said Bobby Schindler, Co-Executive Director of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and Terri's brother.

"We also applaud Senator Rick Santorum for standing by Terri and our family in 2005, calling for a judicial review and stating during last night's debate he 'would do it again,'" added Schindler.

According to the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, 20 million Americans - seven percent of the U.S. population - are affected by some type of brain injury.

Among them are hundreds of thousands of people with conditions similar to Terri's, including members of our military returning home from battle.

Now more than ever this country needs a president who respects life at every stage and is willing to protect the weakest among us.

by Tony Perkins

Thanks to President Obama, the tens and thousands of pro-lifers who streamed into D.C. for today's March have another cause to fight: the future of religious liberty. Late Friday, the Obama administration marked the anniversary of Roe v. Wade by cementing one of the biggest attacks on conscience rights the country has ever seen. Starting next year, any organization that offers health insurance to employees will be forced to cover birth control, sterilizations, and abortifacients--no matter what their objections.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius finalized the rule after her agency fielded more than 200,000 public comments--many objecting to the administration's policies that flow from an anti-child ideology. FRC has been fighting alongside dozens of evangelical and Catholic groups, who see this decision for what it is: naked aggression against America 's most fundamental freedom. "Never," said Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, "has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience." Sebelius is waving off the controversy by pointing to the mandate's "religious exemption," which is nothing but a narrow protection for churches. Other religiously affiliated groups like faith-based schools, hospitals, and charities are ordered to comply.

The decision was such a slap in the face of the First Amendment that even newspapers like the Washington Post shook their heads. "Requiring a religiously affiliated employer to spend its own money in a way that violates its religious principles," the Post editorial board wrote, "does not make an adequate accommodation for those deeply held views." Others, like the New York Daily News, were not so reserved. "Wrong, wrong, high-handedly, obtusely wrong."

The U.S. Supreme Court just finished rebuking the President for meddling in church business, and now his agencies are using policies as a weapon to blunt the church's community involvement. As the White House well knows, most of these charities would rather close their doors than meet these requirements. That would suit this administration just fine, since it wants to eliminate the government's competition for services and drive the church out of the public square. "What war and disease could not do to the congregation," wrote one church, "the government of the United States will. It will shut them down."

To help organizations "transition," Sebelius is waiting until August 2013 to implement the mandate. "In effect, the President is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences," Dolan fumed. The Left can also avoid the political pain of staking out such an unpopular position before Election Day. Despite the outrage, the delay should signal just how politically potent the life issue can be. The President recognizes it. Obviously, Secretary Sebelius recognizes it. The only ones who seem to be slow in understanding are those Republicans who say the issue is not important and should not be allowed to define the Party. It's time for the Establishment to see what the Left already does: pro-lifers are not a liability; we're an asset. And, as today's March proved, a growing one....

Read entire article here.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, will march with the women and men of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign for the 2012 March for Life today. Father Pavone will be available to provide commentary on the March, as well as discuss the state of the pro-life movement 39 years after Roe vs. Wade and the prospects for ending abortion.

Marching with him will be many members of the Priests for Life Pastoral Team. To arrange an interview with Father Pavone or any of the Priests for Life and Silent No More team, please call Leslie Palma at 347-286-7277 or 732-757-9087.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Catholic Advocate President Matt Smith issued the following statement today in response to the Department of Health and Human Services' decision to force religious organizations to provide contraceptive coverage even though it conflicts with their principles:

This is a fig leaf to faith-based organizations.

Make no mistake - today's decision by the Obama administration is just a stay of execution. People of faith must unite against this administration's constant assault on our religious liberties.

For President Obama to say at Notre Dame he wanted to find 'Common Ground' with people of faith and then allow this decision to move forward, should send a strong signal to people of faith that the 'Closed' sign is on the door.

The pro-abortion lobby is raising a toast today knowing their president came through for them again.

People of faith should contact Congress immediately and ask them to move on the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act authored by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R, NE-01). We must send a message to those in our nation's Capitol who want to remove the core from one of our founding principles found in the First Amendment of our Constitution.

It's 2012. She's been in business since 1991. And she still can't get it right.

Candace Dye, owner and administrator of A Woman's World Medical Center - the Treasure Coast's only operating abortion clinic, was recently visited by an inspector from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration. The visit marked the fourth year in a row that deficiencies were noted in the clinic's operation, and yet, the clinic remains in business.

Although some of the deficiencies noted appear insignificant (ie; not posting a current license in a conspicuous place where it can be viewed by patients), each one represents a failure of the administrator to follow the basic requirements of licensure procedures in Florida. And the failure to follow the procedures established by the State should result in a significant and appropriate consequence. Isn't that what civilized society demands from its laws? Apparently, not when it comes to abortion. Give a pass to the sacred cow. Again.

Now, a license posted in the wrong place may not raise the hairs on the back of your neck, but how about resuscitation bags that have not been checked since 2009? An oxygen tank that posted a sticker noting it had last been checked in 2010? Oh I know, abortion is safe, they probably never need those things anyway. Right.

When given the opportunity to point towards the preventative maintenance programs that were developed and maintained at the clinic (and perhaps hidden away in the policy and procedures manual) the long-time administrator of this clinic again faltered. She acknowledged to the inspector that indeed, there were "no policies" for the maintenance of "patient monitoring equipment, anesthesia, surgical equipment, and all surgical instruments." Apparently, the policy and procedures manual is pretty thin. Aside from missing the section on equipment maintenance, it lacks a section on the requirement to ensure that employees receive proper training and are capable of providing appropriate service and supervision to patients. The LPN on staff was working with a license that the State of Florida had designated as "under emergency suspension" and "not approved to engage in nursing practice." Additionally, said employee was restricted (again, by the State of Florida) from access to narcotics which at this abortion clinic, are stored under lock and key in a "tackle box on a cart in the procedure room". Darn all these rules, rules, rules! If you don't like them, just ignore them....

Read entire article here.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2012/Christian Newswire --

The women of Operation Outcry will hold a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 20, 2012, to discuss this issue. All of the women of Operation Outcry are women who have been hurt by abortion.

Myra Myers, a member of the Operation Outcry National Advisory Committee states, "Roe v. Wade was the worst thing that ever happened in my life. I had my abortion shortly after Roe v. Wade. Before Roe, I was pregnant out of wedlock and never considered abortion. My husband and I got married and had four more children. Only after Roe v. Wade was legalized, did we consider abortion. It adversely impacted me physically and emotionally. Abortion should never have been legalized. If we had seen a sonogram, we would not have done it."

Danelle Hallenbeck of Operation Outcry in North Carolina said, "I am absolutely not better off under Roe and Doe. I lost a child and recently a grandchild. It caused physical problems and immense grief and sadness."

"Many women have experienced mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual trauma as a result of the effects of legalized abortion due to Roe v. Wade or Doe v. Bolton, can anyone say that's OK? It is not OK for any woman to experience these negative effects.... Now add to this, the men and families whose lives have been severely traumatized as a result of abortion!" stated Karen Holdren, a member of the Operation Outcry National Advisory Committee.

Karen Bodle, also a member of the Operation Outcry National Advisory Committee said, "We are not better off under abortion. It devastated me. We are calling for millions of women to join their voices with us."

The women of Operation Outcry have collected over 5,000 legally admissible testimonies from women who have had abortions. They have presented these testimonies to courts and legislatures considering the effect of abortion on women and men.

Their own devastating stories of physical and psychological trauma also are supported by scientific research including the most recent study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry by Professor Priscilla Coleman. This meta-analysis recently reviewed 22 major studies and found that women who had an abortion had an 81% increased likelihood of adverse mental health consequences, and that ten percent of female mental health problems studied were attributable to abortion.

Testimonies of Operation Outcry women hurt by legal abortion have influenced three major courts in America, including the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the partial birth abortion ban in the Gonzales v. Carhart case, and most recently when the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Texas Sonogram law, on January 10, 2012, in Texas Medical Providers, et al v. David Lakey, et al. The third major court influenced by their testimony was the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals which upheld the South Dakota statute requiring abortionists to tell a woman in writing that abortion "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being." What the testimonies of the women have demonstrated repeatedly to the courts of the United States is "some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained... Severe depression and loss of esteem can follow."

It is the beginning of the 40th year of Roe and Doe and the end of both cases as controlling precedent.

For anyone who is suffering from abortion, please call the National Helpline for Abortion Recovery 1-866-482-5433(LIFE).

WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 17, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Operation Rescue has launched a major new initiative called Pro-Life Nation, whose purpose is to implement a comprehensive, unified, and goal-oriented strategy to end abortion in the United States. The plan involves informing and activating the pro-life grassroots while exposing the dirty truth about America's abortion cartel and demanding enforcement of abortion laws.

A new booklet laying out the Pro-Life Nation strategy is available online at ProlifeNation.org.

Pro-life Nation's first project is the launching of a groundbreaking web site AbortionDocs.org. This site is a searchable database that endeavors to list every surgical abortion clinic, every "abortion pill-only" clinic, and every abortionist in the United States. The website boasts that it contains the largest collection of documents ever compiled on the abortion cartel-and is growing daily.

Documents include photos, medical license applications, malpractice suits, disciplinary records, news articles, videos, criminal histories, and more.

"We believe that with the current climate in America, abortion could be eliminated every soon, if a goal-oriented strategy is employed that includes cooperation among various pro-life organizations and individuals," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who will also serve as president of Pro-Life Nation.

"We are excited to take the next step into expanding new, effective tactics that Operation Rescue has pioneered. While we will maintain Operation Rescue as our activist arm, most of our investigations will be conducted under the new Pro-Life Nation banner. Through Pro-life Nation, we will enlist pro-life supporters across the nation to work together in new ways to expose and report abortion misdeeds, hold officials accountable for enforcing our laws, and build a society that is truly a Pro-Life Nation."

Operation Rescue's Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger also serves in the same capacity for Pro-life Nation.

Pro-Life Nation is looking to partner with key pro-life leaders to contribute to the Abortiondocs.org database so that the true scope of abortion abuses that occur daily in this country can be documented and exposed to the American people.

"Pro-life Nation and its inaugural project, AbortionDocs.org, are new works in progress, and include plans to expand the Pro-Life Nation website very soon. We encourage everyone to visit the web sites, sign up for updates, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and contribute information about your local abortion clinic to the AbortionDocs.org data base," said Newman.

"We face this next chapter with great anticipation and energy, and look forward to working with more wonderful pro-life people than ever to see America move closer to the day when abortion is abolished once and for all."

By Jenn Giroux

In the 1970s, the world was shocked by Dr. and Mrs. Jack Willke's Handbook on Abortion, which first exposed the public to the gruesome reality of abortion. In the 1980s and '90s, Joe Scheidler's Pro-Life Action League ushered in pro-life street activism nationwide through its public displays of graphic abortion images, prayer vigils, demonstrations, and sidewalk counseling at abortion mills. And modern American pro-life activism was taken to a whole new level shortly after an intrepid attorney general was elected in 2002. His story is still unfolding.

After earning a law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1987, Phillip D. "Phill" Kline worked as an attorney in private practice until his election to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1992, where he served until 2000. There he helped write and pass Kansas Statute 65-6703, enacted in 1998.

This law prohibits the abortion of viable preborn babies after 22 weeks unless two physicians not legally or financially affiliated with each other determine that "[t]he abortion is necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman" or "a continuation of the pregnancy will cause a substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman." Part of the law's intent was to hold the Kansas abortion industry accountable for its diagnoses and abortion reporting, with oversight provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

As attorney general of Kansas, Kline's visionary leadership resulted in numerous achievements and hundreds of criminal investigations. But the "mainstream" media has focused on just one investigation: the criminal case against late-term abortionist George Tiller (who was slain in 2009) and Planned Parenthood.

Under Kansas law, abortion facilities must report the pregnancy of any girl age 15 and under to the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). Abortion facilities must additionally report statistical information on each abortion to the KDHE. Kline discovered that, from 2002 to 2003, 166 reported abortions had been committed on children 14 years old and younger, but in the same time period, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (in Johnson County, Kansas) and Tiller's abortion mill (in Wichita) had each reported only one instance of child rape to the SRS.

In September 2004, after reviewing Kline's evidence, District Judge Richard Anderson subpoenaed medical records from both facilities. They resisted, and the case went all the way to the Kansas Supreme Court, which ruled in February 2006 that Kline was entitled to the records. However, despite the fact that this was a criminal investigation, the court allowed PP and Tiller to redact their own records. The removal of information that would identify adult patients was ordered, but the attorney general's office needed the names of patients 15 and under in order to investigate child sexual abuse and protect the victims.

If it were proven that PP wasn't reporting child rape, federal law required PP to forfeit all of its federal funding. (Currently, PP nationwide receives over $363 million in annual taxpayer funding.) The abortion industry quickly recognized the threat to its income and public image. So, the clarion call went out among its ranks nationwide, and the brutal attack on Kline's reputation began. "The assault was unbelievable and unrelenting for the next several years," he told World magazine (May 21, 2011). Meanwhile, PP and Tiller enjoyed the full allegiance and protection of Governor Kathleen Sebelius1 and the Kansas Supreme Court.2

The assault reached fever pitch as Kline prepared to file criminal charges and campaign for re-election in 2006....

Read entire article here.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Today, on behalf of the adult stem researchers it represents, the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project and their co-counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, filed their opening Appellants' Brief asking the United States Court of Appeals to "reverse the district court's judgment in favor of Defendants, reverse the grant of Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment and the denial of [Appellants'] Motion for Summary Judgment, and remand with directions to enter summary judgment for [Appellants]."

Appellants argue that The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines for funding human embryonic stem-cell research "are invalid because they violate [the federal law known as] the Dickey-Wicker Amendment" and because they were promulgated in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. Accordingly, Appellants argue that they -- "not Defendants -- are entitled to summary judgment."

Appellants are appealing the United States District Court for the District of Columbia's July 27, 2011, decision dismissing their challenge to the Obama administration's unprecedented and unlawful federal funding of destructive human embryo research. Appellants argue that the district court erroneously interpreted and applied the Court of Appeal's April 29, 2011, ruling vacating the district court's August 23, 2010, preliminary injunction of the NIH Guidelines that the Obama Administration promulgated to permit the federal funding of "research in which" human embryos are "knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death."

While again affirming the standing of adult stem-cell researchers to challenge these regulations, the federal district court dismissed the case saying that it had no choice under the "mandate rule" but to follow the Court of Appeal's April 29 ruling that Congress' ban on human embryonic research was written in a sufficiently "ambiguous" fashion to ban the use of federal funds that risked the "injury or death" of human embryos, but not the use of federal funds to do research on the embryonic stem cells that were derived from such injury or destruction.

In the words of U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth explaining his July 27 decision: "While it may be true that by following the Court of Appeals' conclusion as to the ambiguity of 'research,' the Court has become a grudging partner in a bout of 'linguistic jujitsu,' Sherley, 2011 WL 1599685, at 22 (Henderson, J. dissenting), such is life for an antepenultimate court." ...

Read entire press release here.

NASHVILLE /Jan. 12, 2012/Religion Press Release Services --

From award-winning directors Jon and Andrew Erwin comes October Baby, a groundbreaking, life-affirming movie premiering in theaters nationwide March 23, 2012. Provident Films -- known for its association with such hit faith movies as Courageous and Fireproof -- and Samuel Goldwyn Films (distributor of such hit faith films as Fireproof, Amazing Grace and Facing the Giants, among others) have signed on to market and distribute.

A production of the Erwin Brothers and American Family Studios, October Baby weaves a dramatic, romantic, humorous story of one young woman's search for the truth after a life-changing discovery rocks her world.

"October Baby is the story of 19-year-old Hannah, who finds out she is adopted and is the survivor of an attempted abortion," said co-director and co-writer Jon Erwin. "So, she goes on a road trip to find answers, locate her birth mother and, ultimately, discover how powerful forgiveness can be."

[The film] offers viewers an enjoyable, entertaining, intensely human film about friends hitting the road together and finding more than they bargained for: adventure, romance, truth ... and the power to forgive. But, the film is more than that -- it tells the story of one young woman's journey based on hundreds of stories of abortion survivors. [It] honestly and evenhandedly invites audiences to explore their own views of life's value and the importance of their choices.

"Like all good films, October Baby entertains, encourages and challenges audiences," said Provident Films Senior Vice President Ben Howard. "Long after leaving the theater, viewers will continue conversations that [it] ignites."

[The film] marks the feature film debut of the Erwin Brothers, multiple Dove Award winners for music videos featuring hit contemporary Christian artists such as Casting Crowns, Michael W. Smith and Francesca Battistelli. Jon Erwin and Theresa Preston co-wrote the film.

"We're thrilled to introduce these exciting, young filmmakers to audiences nationwide," said Meyer Gottlieb, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films. "October Baby is one more example of Samuel Goldwyn Films' commitment to releasing films with a dedicated audience. That, coupled with getting to collaborate with Provident once again, made this a homerun for us."

Starring newcomer Rachel Hendrix as Hannah, October Baby features John Schneider (Smallville, The Dukes of Hazzard) and Jasmine Guy (A Different World), along with Jason Burkey and American Idol finalist Chris Sligh in his feature film debut.

In support of the film's life-affirming theme, the producers of [the film] have assigned 10 percent of the profits of the film to the Every Life is Beautiful Fund. The money will be distributed to frontline organizations helping women face crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies and those caring for orphans.

"We feel like it's very important to use [the film] as an opportunity to serve, give back and save lives," Jon Erwin said. "That's what we want the Every Life Is Beautiful Fund to be about."

[The film] has already drawn wide praise from advance screenings

Mark Hall of Casting Crowns
"I am now an October Baby activist. This is something I have to be a part of."

Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor, national speaker
"I laughed so hard, cried so hard, and healed. Thank you!"

The Dove Foundation
"We urge you to see this movie. It might just change your life."

One mother's story shared on Facebook
"My 14-year-old daughter watched the movie with me ... at the end, my daughter said, 'Mom, October Baby is my favorite movie ever.' [The film] gave me an opportunity to discuss many issues with her -- forgiveness, healing, abortion and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you again!"

To learn more, visit: OctoberBabyMovie.net

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Today the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project, along with two other public interest legal organizations, the Justice Foundation and the United States Justice Foundation, who jointly represent 317 Texas Women Harmed by Abortion due to a lack of informed consent before their abortions, applauded the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal's 26-page Opinion and Order that vacated a lower court's preliminary injunction obtained last August by Texas' abortion industry. The now vacated injunction (pending trial) had blocked on "vagueness" and unconstitutional "compelled speech" grounds the Texas law's requirement that an abortion provider perform and display a sonogram of the fetus, make audible the heart auscultation of the fetus for the woman to hear, and explain to her the results of each procedure and to wait 24 hours, in most cases, between these disclosures and performing the abortion. The Appeals Court, primarily relying upon the Supreme Court's Casey and Gonzales opinions, as well as the Eighth Circuit's Planned Parenthood v. Rounds decisions, concluded that the challenged provisions of the law were not vague and that the "provisions...requiring [these] disclosures and written consent are sustainable" under applicable Supreme Court precedents, "are within the State's power to regulate the practice of medicine, and therefore do not violate the First Amendment."

As "friends of the court," the 317 Texas Woman Harmed By Abortion, along with a number of other "friends of the court," filed amicus briefs providing the Appeals Court with the legal, humanitarian and common sense reasons the Court would be correct in reversing the court below and upholding the Texas law requiring every woman be given the opportunity to have all the information she needs, including a viewing and medical description of the real-time ultrasound images of her unborn child, before giving her truly voluntary and informed consent to abortion.

As Mayela Banks, one of the 317 Texas Women Hurt By Abortion, stated, "A picture is worth a thousand words, and the abortionists wanted to silence the voice of my baby."

"Now the woman can hear the sounds of her own baby's heartbeat and see the picture of her own child, not a picture from a textbook or something else. This decision will result in a reduction in the number of abortions in Texas. The reason for this is that women will actually see what is in their womb at the time when most abortions occur - a child with arms, feet, and legs which must be described to the woman and a beating heart which she must be allowed to hear," says Allan Parker, President of The Justice Foundation. "This scientific evidence will refute the lies of abortionists which they have told to thousands of Texas women over the years that the contents of the uterus are 'just a mass of tissue, just a blob, or not yet a baby.'" ...

Read full press release here.

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 9, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Abortionist Nicola Irene Riley made a brief appearance in court this morning in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she waived an extradition hearing, clearing the way for her to be transported to Maryland to face murder charges.

Riley was indicted last month by a Maryland grand jury on one count of First-Degree Murder, one count of Second-Degree Murder, and one Count of Conspiracy to commit Murder for her participation in an illegal bi-state late-term abortion scheme with the notorious New Jersey abortionist Steven Chase Brigham. She continues to be held without bail.

Brigham was charged and has already been arraigned on five counts each of First and Second-Degree Murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. He was released on January 6, from the Cecil County Detention Facility after posting a $500,000 bail with a combination of personal assets and the use of a bail bondsman.

Riley and Brigham were caught when Riley perforated the uterus and bowel of a late-term abortion patient at a secret late-term abortion mill in Elkton, Maryland. Their suspicious behavior at the hospital emergency room, where they had transported the bleeding patient in a rental car, raised red flags with ER workers who reported them to the police. Their clinic was later raided by police, who discovered the bodies of 35 aborted babies in a freezer. The babies were as old as 36 weeks gestation, according to documents seized during the raid.

In September, 2010, Operation Rescue filed a complaint with the State Attorney in Elkton, Maryland, asking for criminal charges against Brigham, and launched grassroots efforts to bring him to justice.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10, 2012/Christian Newswire --

It goes without saying that "politics happen" -- but they should not happen on the taxpayer dime on lampposts along Market Street in San Francisco. The Life Legal Defense Foundation has challenged the City of San Francisco with a blatant violation of its own city code. This month, inflammatory political statements promoting a Ms. Magazine-initiated pro-abortion campaign now waft over foot and auto traffic, as this municipal local marketing tool is abused, allowing feminist rhetoric to take the place intended for promotion of farmers' markets and neighborhood festivals.

The city regularly authorizes the display of banners to promote "city-sponsored," "city-funded," or "city-wide" events or "series of related events of interest to a significant portion of the residents of San Francisco and/or tourists." San Francisco does allow some non-event banners to be posted on city-owned utility poles, but they are restricted to "city convention facility banners" and "city neighborhood banners." A typical non-event banner would be the non-controversial San Francisco State University banners urging San Franciscans to "Support Public Higher Education: The Future Depends On It."

The offending banners, issued by the Trust Women Silver Ribbon Campaign, bear blatantly political statements, including "U.S. Out of My Uterus," "Reproductive Rights are Human Rights," and "San Francisco is Pro-Choice," slogans which are clearly designed to provoke the ire of those who do not share the printed sentiments. The authors of the Silver Ribbon Month website reference a 2011 pro-abortion Ms. Magazine blog as the impetus behind the project, which is actually an event only in the virtual sense.

"The city minions who 'approved' these illegal banners might have thought that the public would ignore the challenge, but they are in error," said Dana Cody, Executive Director, Life Legal Defense Foundation. "We also believe this puts a stick in the eye of pro-life advocates who will be marching down Market Street on January 21 for the annual March for Life."

A copy of the letter from the Life Legal Defense Foundation attorneys to San Francisco officials is available here.

See photos of the banners here.

ELKTON, MD, Jan. 6, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Operation Rescue has learned that abortionist Steven Chase Brigham, who is accused of ten counts of murder related to illegal late-term abortions on viable babies, was moved yesterday from the Camden County Jail in Camden, New Jersey. He is now in custody at the Cecil County Detention Center in Elkton, Maryland, where he once operated a secret late-term abortion mill.

Brigham waived extradition on January 4, clearing the way for him to be transported to Maryland where he faces five counts of first degree murder, five counts of second degree murder, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, Utah, abortionist Nicola Riley, who was charged along with Brigham for murdering viable babies in Elkton, has filed papers asking that the prosecutors and sheriff in Elkton be held in contempt of court for releasing information about her charges. She is also asking that the court documents be unsealed.

"Everyone accused of a crime would like to see their prosecutors held in contempt, but most people are rational enough to know that is unrealistic," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "This is a sign of utter desperation on her part."

In a related case, Operation Rescue has obtained recently released documents that show that one of Brigham's former employees, abortionist Mehrdad Aalai, had his license temporarily suspended over a horrifically botched late-term abortion that nearly killed a patient. The abortion took place at a Brigham-run American Women's Services abortion clinic in College Park, Maryland. Brigham has never been licensed in Maryland but continues to operate at least three other clinics in that state.

Aalai began an abortion on a 29-year old woman who was 21½ weeks pregnant. He had problems removing the placenta and "other products of conception." He informed the patient that she should see another doctor to have the placenta removed, then released her. On the way back to her home in Virginia, she stopped at a rest stop because she was bleeding heavily. Her mother discovered her slumped over the toilet with massive amounts of blood everywhere. Paramedics responding to the mother's 911 call for help rushed her to the hospital where she had emergency surgery and a blood transfusion that saved her ebbing life. Full details of this horrific incident can be read beginning on page 12 of Aalai's suspension order.

Aalai's medical license was suspended for 6 months with three months stayed. He was placed on probation for two years. This sentence is offensively inadequate, considering that Aalai has previously had his medical license revoked after a criminal conviction for Medicaid fraud. His license was later restored.

"Back alley abortionists treated women better than Aalai treated this patient. The Maryland Board of Physicians are supposed to protect the public from quacks like Aalai. This is a slap on the wrist and when other women are injured or die at his hands, the MDBP will have to bear some responsibility for it," said Newman. "Given the documented history of egregious violations, we call on the MDBP to shut down Brigham's dangerous abortion mills immediately."

Read OR's investigative report on Aalai and other Brigham abortionists.

January 4, 2012 /Salt Lake City, UT/Operation Rescue --

Accused murderer Nicola Riley made a brief court appearance in Salt Lake City, Utah, yesterday, her first one since being arrested on a fugitive warrant issued by Maryland authorities after a grand jury issued murder indictments for her and her associate Steven Chase Brigham.

Riley's hearing was continued until January 9 when her attorney is expected to ask for bail and extradition back to Maryland to face charges will be considered. She is currently being held without bail. Her attorneys have stated that they want her released on bail so she can self-surrender to authorities in Maryland.

"Based on her history of dishonesty and criminal conduct, it would be unwise to trust Riley to turn herself in," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "She is being charged with murder, not jaywalking. Release on bail is inappropriate."

Riley served three years in a Federal Military Prison at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas after being convicted of felonies related to credit card and identity theft. She lied about her charges and incarceration to medical board authorities in three states in order to gain licensure. Operation Rescue discovered the untruths and reported her to the authorities. Her licenses have since been surrendered or restricted.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Sun has reported that Brigham, who is being held on $3 million bail in the Camden County Jail in New Jersey, is not expected to fight extradition. His hearing is scheduled for January 5.

Brigham was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of second-degree murder. Riley was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. The charges are the result of a Grand Jury investigation. Additionally, Brigham and Riley were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder. A grand jury investigated the case for 16 months before issuing the indictments.

Additional details of the case are expected to be released at the time Brigham and Riley are arraigned and the court records unsealed.

Operation Rescue obtained public documents that paint a picture of a gruesome late-term operation that operated dangerously outside the law. Brigham is accused of illegally initiating late-term abortions between 24 and 36 weeks gestation at his Voorhees, New Jersey abortion clinic, which can only legally do abortions up to 14 weeks. He would then assemble the women in the throes of labor and have them drive in a caravan to the secret abortion clinic in Elkton, Maryland, where the abortions would be completed by either himself of Riley. Brigham has never been licensed in Maryland.

A botched abortion in Elkton, followed by suspicious behavior by Brigham and Riley caught the attention of emergency room physicians, who reported them to the authorities. Union Hospital examined and evaluated injured patient D.B. and determined that the injuries she suffered were so severe that the decision was made to transport her via helicopter to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore where she was rushed into surgery immediately upon her arrival. There, doctors removed the remains of her partially aborted baby from her abdominal cavity, removed and repaired part of her small intestine, and repaired a tear at the back of her uterus. (See Johns Hopkins Records)

When police raided the Elkton abortion mill, they discovered the remains of 35 aborted babied stored in a freezer. Operation Rescue obtained documents seized from the clinic, including a log that indicates the size of the babies aborted at the Elkton clinic, which workers referred to as the "Grace" clinic.

"This log paints a gruesome picture of the carnage that took place at that illegal abortion clinic. These were viable babies, many of them healthy and near-term. These are abortions that are opposed by 80% of the American people. It represents a tragic and unnecessary loss of life," said Newman.

Brigham has argued in briefs before the New Jersey Board of Physicians that since he worked under the auspices of a licensed physician in Elkton, he did nothing illegal. However, the physician he referred to was 88-year old George Shepard, Jr., whose disabled arm makes it impossible to do abortions.

"Shepard was used as a pawn in this scheme in order to give the appearance of legality," said Newman. "In reading through his interview with the Maryland authorities, we got the strong impression that his mental capacities were beginning to fail. He was a patsy for Brigham, nothing more."

Shepard's medical licenses in Maryland and his home state of Delaware have since been revoked. Shepard was not charged with any crime.

This case will test the strength of Maryland's fetal homicide law, which allows murder charges to be filed if a viable baby is killed in the commission of a crime. It is the first time it has been applied to the deaths of pre-born babies during criminal abortions.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan. 2, 2012/Christian Newswire --

Texas women hurt by abortion will be gathering in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility, on January 3, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. at 104 Babcock, San Antonio, Texas, to protest the abortionists' failure to show women their sonograms before obtaining their supposedly "informed consent" to abortion. How can you be fully informed when your doctor won't tell you the truth or show you a sonogram?

The women who will be standing outside the abortion facility are women who were not told the true nature of abortion by their abortionists and who were deeply harmed by their abortionists' failure to disclose the true nature of abortion. They were not shown the sonograms, thus did not give fully informed consent, and thus were hurt by abortion.

"I wish I would have had the opportunity to see an ultrasound, or information about fetal development, before my abortion at age 16. There are no words to describe the amount of pain, guilt, and trauma I experienced when I saw pictures of fetal development two years later. I was horrified that the "products of conception" and "tissue" I had "removed from my uterus" had had precious little hands and feet, and a beating heart. I felt like a monster. And I felt betrayed by the medical professionals I had trusted."

Myra Myers says:

Am I really better off today - for having been uninformed, about the life that was in my womb? Ignorance did not make me innocent of the death of my child. Ignorance does not give us a choice. Only the truth does. It is a given that patients are to be fully informed - not denied their patient rights. In the case of abortion, there are two patients: a woman and a child. The woman has the right to know - she has become a mother. After the abortion, I was still a mother - only now I was the mother of a dead child! Ignorance did not make me innocent but an accomplice in the murder of my child. Without being informed, I made the tragic poor-choice that resulted in the grief of losing my child and his descendants. Without being informed, I experienced the guilt of being responsible for the losses. Without being informed, I did not have the truth - that could have made me innocent!

"I had an abortion in Houston. I was not informed by the doctor that I was pregnant with a baby. I was told I just had a blob of tissue by Planned Parenthood after they did my pregnancy test and then referred me to a nearby abortion clinic. I was not given the option of hearing my baby's heartbeat. Had I been given the opportunity of seeing my baby and hearing the heartbeat, I can assure you that I would not have chosen abortion... How can anyone believe that abortion should be legal after seeing a baby living in the womb of its mother on a sonogram and hearing the heartbeat of that baby?"

"Medical professionals may want to prevent a woman from seeing an ultrasound before her abortion, but they can't prevent her from seeing one in the future. Many post-abortive women have described the guilt and devastation they felt years after their abortions, when they saw, during an ultrasound, the beating heart of a child the same gestational age as the one they had aborted. How many women in unplanned pregnancies would feel guilty seeing an ultrasound before abortion and how many would simply have a change of heart? What a tragedy if we don't allow them the freedom and opportunity to find out."

A recent meta-analysis in the British Journal of Psychiatry recently reviewed 22 major studies and found that women who had an abortion had an 81% increased likelihood of adverse mental health consequences, and that ten percent of female mental health problems studied were attributable to abortion.

December 28, 2011/Albuquerque, NM --

Project Defending Life has confirmed that abortionist Bruce Ferguson is retiring on December 30th, 2011, and will no longer be performing abortions. His Albuquerque abortion clinic will also close. According to his website, he has been performing abortions for 30 years.

In a phone call, Ferguson told an undercover investigator that he was retiring due to his health, the health of his family, and his own his "sanity." He stated, "Someone else needs to carry the burden now." Ferguson also mentioned as a reason for his retirement a steady decline in abortion patients each year, which is a trend that is being seen nationally.

Watch a video featuring a recording of these statements.

Project Defending Life and Operation Rescue have been keeping the public informed about the dangerous conditions at two other Albuquerque abortion clinics. It appears that after receiving this life-saving information women are not flooding Bruce Ferguson's office, but are opting out of abortion altogether.

"Abortion is not good for anyone, not for babies, not for women, and according to Bruce Ferguson, someone who would know, abortion is not good for the doctors performing them," stated Bud Shaver, spokesperson for Project Defending Life. "We are happy to learn that our efforts to inform women of the dangers of abortion are having an impact and that fewer women are aborting their babies."

Operation Rescue learned earlier this year that Ferguson had been seeking out-of-state employment as a part-time abortionist.

"As abortionists like Ferguson quit, retire, or are stripped of their licenses, they are not being replaced," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "It sounds like Ferguson has called it quits, but we need to remain vigilant because, with the shortage of abortionists, Ferguson could turn up somewhere else. Given his apparent emotional state, that would be dangerous for women."

Project Defending Life is committed to serving the pregnant women of New Mexico and is continuing their effort to expose how abortion destroys all the lives involved in this horrific procedure.

"In 2011 our prayers and efforts to end abortion in New Mexico are becoming a reality. This is great news for the women and pre-born children of New Mexico. Abortion bears many consequences and one less 'doctor' to provide them is a benefit to all women," stated Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, Director of Project Defending Life. "In fact, this is the second abortionist this month to retire and close down in the state of New Mexico."

Earlier this month, Santa Fe abortionist Lucia Cies retired. The closure of her abortion clinic made Santa Fe an abortion-free community.