Roundup: Anti-Choice Bill Launched in Colorado

Jul 3, 2009, 10:25am

Amy Dempsey

Anti-Choice Bill Launched in Colorado; Catholic Leaders Against Funding for Abortion and Gay Marriage; Disparity in Vietnam's Gender Ratio.

Anti-Choice Bill Launched in Colorado
At the Colorado Capitol building Thursday, anti-abortion advocates
announced the launch of their new campaign, which would change the
definition of "person" in the constitution to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being," according to statebillnews.com. Two years ago, a similar initiative was rejected by 73 percent of voters.

The article said that main spokesman for the campaign, Gualberto Garcia Jones of
Personhood Colorado, held his 10-day-old son, Leonardo, as he announced the initiative.

"Two weeks ago, my son had less rights than a dog or a cat," he said.
During
the rally, abortion rights advocates distributed pro-choice literature
to the small crowd of people that gathered at the Capitol Thursday.

Catholic Leaders Against Funding for Abortion and Gay Marriage
In Washington DC, Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of
Philadelphia and chair of the
Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops reacted to the Obama administration’s proposal to use taxpayer
money to fund abortions in DC and denial of a same sex marriage
referendum, according to catholicnewsagency.com. Rigali said that no one can support abortion funding and say they also support reducing abortions.

In a letter, he wrote, "The evidence is overwhelming, and universally recognized by groups on
all sides of the abortion issue, that the availability of public funds
for abortion greatly increases abortions."

The article said:

The budget alterations proposed by the Obama administration and passed
by a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee permit "local"
but not "federal" tax dollars to be used in the District of Columbia.
It will also expand exemption from cases of rape or endangerment of the
mother’s life to any cases in which a woman suffers from "a physical
disorder, physical injury or physical illness."

Disparity in Vietnam’s Gender Ratio
In Vietnam, for every 100 girls born, 112 boys are born, a ratio that has increased in recent years, according to seattlepi.com.
The deputy director general of the General Office for Population and
Family Planning, Duong Quoc Trong, said the rising imbalance is due to
a cultural preference for boys who can "continue the
bloodline." He also said that many believe boys can better care for the
parents as they age, and because of this, many Vietnamese people are
using abortion for sex selection, according the article.

It also said that in 2003, the Vietnamese government prohibited doctors
from telling parents-to-be the sex of their baby, but many doctors
still do it.

"If we don’t have intervention measures, we will repeat the same situation as in China," Trong said.

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:

July 2: Catholic News Service:Obama: Impasse on abortion legality inevitable, but reduction possible

July 2: NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia:Anti-Choice Candidate Spotlight: Barbara Comstock (R-34)

July 2: State Bill Colorado: New Personhood Ballot Drive Launched

July 2: Catholic News Agency: Catholic leaders protest D.C. funding for abortions, same-sex ‘marriage’ decision

July 2: Radio Kenai: Initiative Would Require Parental Consent for Teenage Abortion

July 2: Feministing: Google AdWords Policy Disallows Ads for Abortion Services in Over a Dozen Countries

July 2: AFP: Music star Cheb Mami on trial in forced abortion case

July 1: CBS Montana: Pro-life rally in Helena

July 2: The Frisky: Drug Addicted Women Paid $300 To Go On Birth Control

July 2: Business Week:Schools Should Give Kids Free Contraceptives

July 2: Colorado News 9: Advocates want abortion question back on ballot