Roundup: April Fools? Could Be.

Apr 1, 2010, 9:43am

Robin Marty

It's April Fool's day, but these people aren't joking when it comes to pushing anti-choice ideals.

It may be April Fool’s day, but sadly I think the people in these articles are not joking…

Some conservative Christian authors are attacking Susan B. Anthony list, a national anti-choice fundraising group for supporting Susan Lowden, a candidate for Nevada senate who isn’t “anti-choice enough.”

Gregg Jackson, blogger and author of “Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies”, and David Jeffers, blogger and author of “Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland”, are not surprised that the SBA List is once again backing a faux conservative and misleading its members.

Jackson and Jeffers are amazed that the SBA List would consider Lowden as pro-life just because “she championed a parental notification bill through committee to the floor of the Nevada State Senate.” What SBA List fails to consider is that the law does not stop the murder of unborn babies, at least not if parents give their consent. Jeffers asks, “Is that really pro-life?”

Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski of Illinois is being praised by anti-choice advocates for breaking from the Stupak block and voting against healthcare reform. His justification? That Obama’s executive order is going to be overturned by the courts.

“It was rather lonely, yes,” Lipinski told the Chicago Tribune this weekend about voting against the pro-abortion health care bill after other pro-life Democrats compromised. “But I could not vote for a bill that would change the status quo on funding for abortion.”

Lipinski also indicated he thinks the executive order Obama signed will eventually be overturned in court and that it won’t truly ban abortion funding.

“People have asked me, ‘If it was good enough for Stupak, why wasn’t it good enough for you?'” Lipinski said. “The executive order most likely will be overturned by the federal courts. The order does not trump the law.”

Of course, that’s exactly what the anti-choice folks are claiming, too. Including a batch from Michigan, Rep. Stupak’s home state.

The lawsuit alleges that the pro-lifers are being forced to contribute to the funding of abortion, which, according to their deeply held religious beliefs and convictions, “is a grave moral disorder since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being,” the complaint reads.

Robert Muise, senior trial counsel for the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based legal group, said the Health Care Reform Act violates the fundamental rights of conscience and free exercise of religion of pro-lifers — rights protected by the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment, which bars Congress from creating any law “prohibiting the free exercise” of a particular religion.

One thing they don’t seem to be complaining about is the $250 million in abstinence only education being created by the healthcare bill, despite the fact that it’s unproven in curbing sexual activity in youth.

The health care reform legislation that President Obama signed recently isn’t only about insurance coverage — there’s also a renewal of $50 million per year for five years for abstinence-focused education.

Programs that receive this funding must “teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services. To qualify, they must also teach that sex before marriage is “likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects.” These are part of the “A-H definition,” requirements for programs to receive abstinence funding under Title V of the Social Security Act.

“Title V is trying to make sure that kids are being given a message that saving sex and childbearing for marriage is the safest, healthiest, best choice,” said Scott Phelps, executive director of Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership. Public schools hire educators from this organization to teach abstinence, and may use Title V funding for it, he said.

In Phelps’ experience — he started his abstinence education work in Chicago, Illinois, 10 years ago — the abstinence message is embraced by kids, even some who have already become sexually active. “They didn’t realize they could stop,” he said.

Organizations promoting evidence-based sex education say it’s troubling that this $250 million will go to state programs that have not been shown to work.

“Just the fact that we continue to pour money into programs that have no evidence of effectiveness at all just doesn’t seem to us to be good evidence-based health policy,” said Heather Boonstra, senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit reproductive and sexual health research firm.

Finally, is this a joke? New birth control for men!

March 31, 2010

Restraining Order Stamped on Abortion-notification Law – WJBD Online

Obama signs order affirming ban on federal funds for abortions – Los Angeles Times

Neb. lawmakers to debate abortion restrictions – NTV

Kan. lawmakers to consider abortion law rewrite – CNBC

Baltimore Archdiocese Sues City over New Law Targeting Pregnancy Centers – LifeNews.com

Obama Signing Reconciliation Health Care Bill With No Fixes for Abortion Funding – LifeNews.com

Illinois judge upholds abortion parental notification law – JURIST

Health Care Reform: Women blogging against it – Examiner.com

Personhood measure makes ballot – Colorado Springs Independent

Senate tightens rules on late-term abortion – Kansas.com