Chicago-Area Hospital's Family Planning Care Moved Off-Site After
Merger With Catholic Health System

(Kaisernetwork) West Suburban Hospital Medical Center in Oak Park,
Ill., will no longer offer family planning services, including the
provision of emergency contraception to rape survivors, after merging
with Resurrection Health Care, a Catholic health system, the Chicago
Tribune reports. The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board on
Wednesday approved the merger after Resurrection agreed to spin-off
three community-based clinics that will continue to provide family
planning services, including EC provision. Under the merger agreement,
Resurrection will transfer control of three community-based clinics
that will provide family planning services mainly to Medicaid
beneficiaries and uninsured patients to a new not-for-profit
organization, according to the Tribune. The not-for-profit group will
receive about $4 million in cash and real estate in the transfer. West
Suburban Hospital will be governed by Catholic health care directives,
which prohibit services including the provision of contraception,
tubal ligation and EC, according to the Tribune (McNeil, Chicago
Tribune, 3/11).

Reaction

A community coalition called West Suburban MergerWatch is working with
the national MergerWatch Project, the National Women's Law Center and
the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois to assure that the
community clinics are spun-off and that family planning services are
accessible following the merger, according to a MergerWatch release.
MergerWatch said it is "pleased" that the community clinics will
remain open but is "dismayed" that West Suburban Hospital now will
have to follow Catholic health system guidelines. The group said that
the merger will result in "nothing more than substandard medical care
for rape victims and should not have been accepted by the state of
Illinois or the board of directors of West Suburban Hospital"
(MergerWatch release, 3/11).

Officials from Resurrection did not reply to requests for comment on
Wednesday, the Tribune reports (Chicago Tribune, 3/11).

Source: Kaisernetwork
Publish Date: March 12, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040312/4

Missouri House Subcommittee Restores Funding for 'Alternatives to
Abortion' Program

(Kaisernetwork) A Missouri House appropriations subcommittee on
Tuesday voted to resume funding for the state's "Alternatives to
Abortion" program, which provides antiabortion counseling to women
with unplanned pregnancies, the Associated Press reports. The program,
which provided housing and utilities subsidies, adoption assistance
and parenting skills education, ended in May 2003 when its funding was
depleted (Associated Press, 3/10).

Although the state Legislature in a June 2003 special session restored
about $570,000 in funding for the program, Gov. Bob Holden (D) in July
2003 removed the funding for the program as part of a $250 million
reduction he ordered to balance the budget (Kaiser Daily Reproductive
Health Report, 9/22/03).

However, the subcommittee voted to include $570,000 for the program in
the health department budget for the fiscal year that begins in July.
Tricia Schlechte, deputy director for health and public health in the
Department of Health and Senior Services, said that the program would
not be difficult to restart even though it has been "dormant" for
almost a year, according to the Associated Press (Associated Press,
3/10).

Source: Kaisernetwork
Publish Date: March 12, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040312/3

Girl Scouts-Planned Parenthood link probed

Group to identify each council that partners with abortion provider

(WorldNetDaily.com) A pro-life organization announced yesterday it
will compile a "definitive list" of Girl Scout councils nationwide
that shows whether or not each group is partnering with abortion
provider Planned Parenthood.

As WorldNetDaily reported, a link between a local council and Planned
Parenthood gained national attention when a Waco, Texas, pro-life
group staged a boycott of Girl Scout cookies because the council was
cosponsoring two sex-education programs with the abortion provider.

The Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts made the decision to pull out of
the events after the youth group began receiving complaints from
around the nation.

STOPP International's project to document each council's positions on
Planned Parenthood was sparked after hearing Kathy Cloninger, CEO for
Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., tell NBC News: "We have relationships ...
with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring
information-based sex education programs to girls."

Jim Sedlak, executive director of STOPP International, says parents
should clearly know where their local councils stand in relation to
Planned Parenthood.

"Historically, parents have viewed the Girl Scouts as a safe,
wholesome educational organization for their daughters to join,"
Sedlak said in a statement. "In light of Cloninger's recent comments,
STOPP International is creating a tool by which parents can determine
if their local Girl Scouts still deserve that trust."

Sedlak doubted the Girl Scouts' contention that all programs "are
age-appropriate" and that scouting will "help girls develop meaningful
values and ethics."

"Planned Parenthood's programs expose young girls to pornographic
images and sexually explicit information that leads them down the road
to the contraceptive and abortion mentality," Sedlak said. "This
information does not help develop meaningful values, but instead it is
often damaging to women. The Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. needs to cut
all ties with this pro-death organization."

STOPP International says the information about each council will be
released publicly during the week of April 5.

Source: WorldNetDaily.com
Publish Date: March 12, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040312/2

Planned Parenthood Invades Youth Groups

(CNSNews.com) What has happened to the organizations for young people
that were supposed to reflect -- even advocate -- our Judeo-Christian
ideals?

Take, for instance, the Girl Scout Promise. It states, "On my honor, I
will try: To serve God and my country, to help people at all times,
and to live by the Girl Scout Law."

Then there is the statement for the Young Men's Christian Association
that asserts the organization's mission is: "To put Christian
principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit,
mind, and body for all."

Recently there were two instances that demonstrated the loss of true
faith that pervades many of the people who run these organizations.
Replacing that faith is a hollowed out belief in secularism,
equivalent to the Easter egg that has a chocolate coating on the
outside but no filling.

Many people will think it hard-hearted to call for a boycott of Girl
Scout cookies. The fact is that the local Girl Scout organization had
recognized a Planned Parenthood executive by presenting her a "woman
of distinction award."

Worse, the local Girl Scout organization had endorsed a Planned
Parenthood sex education program which admittedly claimed not to
officially mention abortion but provided material on masturbation,
homosexuality, and illustrations of couples having sex. A half-day
conference called "Nobody's Fool" was held in Waco each July attended
by 400 to 700 girls ranging in age from 10-14 years old.

Brownie leader Donna Coody disbanded her troop, explaining why in an
Associated Press article: "You're telling these girls to raise their
fingers up to honor God and country, and yet you're handing out
material saying homosexuality is OK."

Another mother, Lisa Aguilar, a self-described non-activist, just a
concerned mom, removed her daughter from a local Girl Scout troop.
"For us, it's the morality. Where is Girl Scouts going?"

Pro-Life Waco decided enough was enough. Because a local pro-life
activist, Dr. John Pisciotta, an economics professor, spoke up through
an e-mail and then a sixty second spot on a local Christian radio
station, interest and controversy was generated throughout West Texas,
giving rise to the boycott and troop withdrawals as well as coverage
by local and national newspapers, which only furthered awareness of
what was going on and creating added controversy. He also says an
instruction book was provided to girls in grades 7 to 9 that did
contain a chapter that listed nine 'good reasons' why women have
abortions.

The local Girl Scout Council abandoned its tie to Planned Parenthood.
Local mothers have now decided to form their own organization for
girls based on a Christian curriculum.

When Dr. Pisciotta appeared on the Today show last week he noted that
an abstinence program, McLennan County Collaborative Abstinence
Project (McCAP), is available. Rather than associating themselves with
this program, the local Girl Scouts chose the objectionable Planned
Parenthood program.

This is a great example of concerned local activists taking the
initiative to challenge a popular organization that has lost sight of
the principles upon which it was founded. The Girls Scouts was
designed to help young girls grow to be women of character and faith
and patriotism, not underage Playboy bunnies.

But this is not the last that will be heard of the issue. Dr.
Pisciotta plans to "rev it up" and he sparred with Kathy Cloninger,
the national head of the Girl Scouts on the Today show. Officially,
the national Girl Scouts organization has no affiliation with Planned
Parenthood, but Kathy Cloninger made clear that if it's okay with
local organizations to have alliances with a sex education and
abortion advocacy organization, then it's okay with her.

She said local Girl Scout councils "tackle the issues of human
sexuality" and that local councils have "relationships" with Planned
Parenthood chapters and will continue to do so. She emphasized that
Girl Scouts partner with like-minded organizations such as Planned
Parenthood to provide "information-based sex education programs" which
means programs devoid of any Christian values.

Then there is the battle with the YMCA of Greater St. Paul regarding
the decision to rent a camping facility to Planned Parenthood to
conduct mother-daughter, father-son sex education workshops that sound
similar to those that have been staged in West Texas.

Darla Meyers, a "Catholic-Christian pro-life advocate," was appalled
to discover what was going on and is leading a campaign to try to
return the local YMCA to its moral bearings. That will be very tough
because the local YMCA appears resolute in its decision to rent to the
local chapter of the nation's largest provider of abortions. The local
YMCA evidently places profit above values. However, the Urban League
decided to cancel a father-son retreat to be held at the camp in
conjunction with Planned Parenthood.

Darla and her husband, Michael, have a good line that puts everything
in the proper perspective: "Don't Let Planned Parenthood Take the 'C'
Out of the YMCA."

By: Paul M. Weyrich
Source: CNSNews.com
Publish Date: March 11, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040311/6

Pro-Life Group Disappointed With NAACP's Stand on Abortion

(CNSNews.com) A pro-life group is expressing its disappointment with
the NAACP for the civil rights group's stand on abortion.

On Feb. 24, the NAACP announced that its board voted to take a
pro-abortion stand on the abortion issue.

"Sadly, many African-American women have believed the lies of
pro-abortion groups and have aborted their children," said Day
Gardner, director of Black Americans for Life, in a statement.

"After all that we, as Black Americans, have endured and achieved, to
have the NAACP support abortion-on-demand, which has destroyed over
400,000 Black babies this year alone, is incomprehensible," Gardner added.

Black Americans for Life is an outreach of the National Right to Life
Committee, the nation's largest pro-life group.

According to the group, African-American women make up only 13.7
percent of the nation's population of women of child-bearing age, yet
the abortion rate among black women is three times higher than that of
white women.

This is no accident, the group said. Over 70 percent of all abortion
providers are in minority communities, and 94 percent of abortion
providers are in metropolitan areas, compared with only two percent of
pregnancy resource centers.

"We have the highest abortion rate in the country. Black women should
not be silent when it comes to this abomination," said Gardner. "We
must break the cycle."

Planned Parenthood, she noted, is America's leading abortion promoter
and provider and identifies its "core clients" as "young women,
low-income women, and women of color."

By: Melanie Hunter
Source: CNSNews.com
Publish Date: March 11, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040311/5

Partial-birth Abortion Records to Remain Secret, for Now

(LifeSiteNews.com) The truth of the Planned Parenthood claim that
partial birth abortion is medically necessary to protect the health of
the mother rests with the actual medical facts surrounding the grisly
procedure in individual cases. Now that claim has, at least
temporarily, fulfilled its own prophecy with the announcement by the
U.S. Department of Justice to abandon its effort to obtain client
records from abortionists in the San Francisco trial to defend the
partial-birth abortion ban. DOJ lawyers were obliged to withdraw their
subpoenas after U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled Tuesday
that the records could not be introduced as evidence.

Planned Parenthood abortionists filed suit to challenge the
constitutionality of the partial-birth abortion ban. The issue of what
is or is not medically necessary is precisely what the Department is
trying to verify and is now unable to do since knowledge of the health
or circumstances surrounding each instance remains legally protected.

The six Planned Parenthood sites protected by Judge Hamilton's
decision include abortuaries in western Pennsylvania, San Diego, Los
Angeles, New York City, parts of Kansas and Missouri, and the
Washington, D.C., metro area, locations chosen because abortionists
involved in the suit are employed there or were identified as places
carrying out the procedure by Planned Parenthood in court documents.
Planned Parenthood has 43 other centres throughout the U.S.

In a criticism of the Department of Justice bid to acquire the
records, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. told The Associated Press that
"These subpoenas were just the latest example of this administration's
willingness to go to any length to restrict a woman's right to choose."

The Department is still seeking medical records for women who procured
the abortions in the Lincoln, Nebraska and New York defence. (T-- what
does the word defence mean here , and is it spelled with a C or S?
Check.) Six hospitals in the New York case have resisted attempts by
the DOJ to procure the files despite a warning by the U.S. District
Judge Richard Casey that he will uphold the ban unless the medical
charts are forthcoming.

Read the Associated Press coverage at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=542&u=/ap/20040310/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/\
abortion_records_1&printer=1


See the original LifeSiteNews.com coverage "ACLU/Doctors Challenge
Partial Birth Abortion Ban" at:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/feb/04021207.html

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: March 10, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040311/3

Abortion Rights Group Anticipates Big Battle to Come

(CNSNews.com) If Chief Justice William Rehnquist does retire soon, as
he hinted he might, "you can rest assured that George Bush will not
have a free pass to replace him with another anti-choice judicial
activist," an abortion rights group said Wednesday.

NARAL Pro-Choice America, which describes itself as the nation's
leading advocate of personal privacy and a woman's right to choose,
has pledged an aggressive campaign to block any "out-of-the-mainstream
nominee."

"Any new Supreme Court justice will have a profound impact on the
future of privacy rights and reproductive freedom in this country,"
said NARAL Pro-Choice America President Kate Michelman in a press release.

She said the idea that President Bush might try to elevate Justice
Anthony Scalia or Justice Clarence Thomas to the chief justice job
would be "especially troubling."

"Pro-choice Americans will fight with every tool at our disposal and
every ounce of energy we possess to protect Roe vs. Wade for future
generations," Michelman said.

She said a retirement this year would be particularly critical, since
several direct challenges to Roe v. Wade may reach the Supreme Court
in the near future.

One of those challenges may come from South Dakota, where a bill
declaring that life begins at conception will be signed by the state's
governor -- if the state legislature agrees to make some minor,
technical changes, the governor said Tuesday.

NARAL Pro-Choice America said legislatures in five states are
considering measures that would "effectively outlaw abortion
outright." The press release also detailed other challenges that may
galvanize pro-choice Americans.

According to Michelman, news of a potential Supreme Court retirement
may increase participation in the "March for Women's Lives" in
Washington, D.C., on April 25. "At times like this, it is more
important than ever that the pro-choice majority stand up and make our
voices heard," she said.

"We must make sure that the President, and every U.S. Senator,
understands how passionate Americans are about keeping a pro-choice
majority on the Supreme Court."

While abortion advocacy groups are passionate about keeping a
pro-choice majority on the courts, a number of recent polls indicate
that a growing number of Americans identify themselves as pro-life.

A December 2003 Zogby International poll said the public -- by a 53-36
percent margin - supports the statement, "Abortion destroys a human
life and is manslaughter."

A June 2003 Gallup poll found that a majority (53 percent) of
Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong, while only 37
percent find it morally acceptable.

President Bush is a strong pro-life advocate, and groups such as NARAL
and Planned Parenthood have worked hard, along with Senate Democrats,
to block most of his federal judicial appointments.

The bitter battles over Bush's judicial nominees are widely viewed as
dress rehearsals for the biggest fight of all -- the one that will
ensure when and if President Bush must nominate a Supreme Court Justice.

By: Susan Jones
Source: CNSNews.com
Publish Date: March 10, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040311/2

Federal Judge May Free U-M's Abortion Records (Detroit News)

A federal judge will hold a hearing Friday to decide if the University
of Michigan Health System must give patients' abortion records to the
U.S. government. The government has sought [anonymous] medical records
from at least five U.S. hospitals. The government wants the records in
its defense of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. "The
attorney general's subpoena should be quashed," said U-M's legal
brief. U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn will hear U-M's request Friday.

http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0403/10/b01-87475.htm

U.S. drops bid for some abortion files

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is dropping its effort to subpoena
abortion records from six Planned Parenthood affiliates as part of the
government's defense of a new law barring certain late-term abortions,
officials said yesterday.

Government lawyers said they were forced to withdraw the subpoenas
because of U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton's ruling Friday in San
Francisco that the records could not be introduced in a trial of a
challenge to the law brought by Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The Justice Department is still pursuing abortion records - with names
and other personal information edited out - to defend against similar
lawsuits brought by abortion providers in New York and Lincoln, Neb.

The lawsuits seek to invalidate the ban President Bush signed last
year on a late-term procedure that opponents call "partial-birth"
abortion. Justice spokeswoman Monica Goodling said the records were
considered central to assertions by the law's challengers that the
procedure was medically necessary.

Many abortion-rights and privacy groups have criticized the Justice
Department for its subpoenas of the records.

The six affected Planned Parenthood affiliates are in Pittsburgh,
Washington, New York City, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Kansas City, Mo.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/8146582.htm

Fading Fear Factor

By Tim Graham
National Review

Today is the annual National Day of Appreciation for Abortion
Providers, founded in honor of abortionist David Gunn, who was shot
and killed in Pensacola in 1993. But since the shooting of Buffalo
abortion doctor Barnett Slepian in 1998, the specter of anti-abortion
violence has faded dramatically.

At its apex, the national media devoted hundreds of stories a year to
harassment and violence surrounding abortion clinics - and, naturally,
almost nothing on the routine violence happening inside. Violence
committed against abortionists or clinic personnel inspired more than
500 network television stories from January 1992 to mid-1995.

http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.asp?
ref=/comment/graham200403100905.asp

Governor prepared to sign 'Roe' challenge

South Dakota legislature has passed ban on nearly all abortions

(WorldNetDaily) South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds said he is nearly ready
to sign a bill designed to challenge the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme
Court decision that struck down state abortion laws.

As WorldNetDaily reported, South Dakota's legislation would outlaw
nearly all abortions in the state.

Rounds said yesterday his "style-and- form veto" requests only
technical changes to the bill for the purpose of ensuring current
state laws restricting abortion would not be jeopardized if the new
legislation is challenged in court.

Because of the changes, however, the state House and Senate could
reject the bill. They will be asked to concur by a majority vote
Monday before the governor signs it into law.

Notably, two pro-life groups, South Dakota Right to Life and National
Right to Life, oppose the bill, insisting it is not the right time to
attempt a ban on abortions.

A public interest law firm that aided in the bill's drafting
dismissed that notion.

"When is it the wrong time to do what is right?" asked Richard
Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law Center. "After 31 years
and 40 million murdered babies under Roe v. Wade, it is essential
that we continue to confront the court with their immoral and lawless
decision that has no basis in the Constitution, history or traditions
of our nation."

Thompson said the bill represents a "truly groundbreaking effort" he
hopes other states would follow.

The bill's main sponsor, state Rep. Matt McCaulley, said he was
pleased with the governor's actions.

"South Dakota is doing the right thing," he said, "fulfilling its
duty to protect all human life."

In January, McCaulley said the decision whether to allow abortion
should be made by the people in each of the states through their
elected representatives, not by nine un-elected judges in a courtroom
1,500 miles from the capitol of South Dakota."

"This bill puts South Dakota in the forefront of the nation and says
we will lead the fight to protect unborn children," he said.

"Medical and scientific discoveries over the last 30 years have
confirmed that life begins at conception, a question the Roe Court
said they could not answer," he argued.

Thompson has acknowledged a court battle likely would ensue if the
legislation is passed.

"Roe v. Wade was an exercise of raw judicial power not based on any
reasonable interpretation of the constitutional text," said
Thompson. "The Roe decision carries the same moral implications as
the Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery by regarding a segment of
our population as non-persons. The court was wrong then, and the
court is wrong now. We have a moral responsibility to confront this
lawless decision whenever the opportunity presents itself."

The bill provides for exceptions to protect the life of the mother if
birth or continued pregnancy constitutes a clear and immediate threat
of death to the mother or serious risk of the substantial and
irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. T

The law would make the crime of abortion punishable by up to five
years in state prison and a $5,000 fine.

Source: WorldNetDaily.com
Publish Date: March 10, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040311/1

Justice Dept. Drops Abortion Record Hunt (Associated Press)

The Justice Department is dropping its effort to subpoena abortion
records from six Planned Parenthood affiliates as part of the
government's defense of a new law barring certain late-term
abortions, officials said Tuesday.

For the full story, go to:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040310/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/abortion_records_1

Chief Justice Rehnquist Hints at Retirement:
NARAL Pro-Choice America Pledges Aggressive Battle to Block Anti-
Choice Replacement (U.S. Newswire)

  With Chief Justice William Rehnquist hinting in a television
interview that he may soon be ready to retire his seat on the
nation's highest court, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the nation's
leading advocate of personal privacy and a woman's right to choose,
pledged an aggressive campaign to block any anti-choice nominee to
replace him.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20040310/pl_usnw/chief_justice_rehnquist_hints_at_r
etirement__naral_pro_choice_america_pledges_aggressive_battle_to_block
_anti_choice_replacemen

Volume: 040310
Date: March 10th, 2004

NEW!!!

The IFRL is now also on Yahoo!  Visit the IFRL Yahoo Group at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IFRL/

Sign up for the newsletter and receive the news when the news happens
(or optional digest form).  We will also be posting more articles
that normally may not "fit" in the IFRL Daily News.

We have available, chats, links, database, polls and calendar of
events.

Plus you can participate and share your thoughts and ideas with the
group as well as announce and organize events, etc.

Just visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IFRL/

===========================================
THIS ISSUE
===========================================

News (see below for full articles):

Pro-Life Demonstration To Bring Truth about Abortion to Chicago
Campuses
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/1

South Dakota Governor Asks Legislature To Make Style Changes Before
Abortion Ban Challenging Roe v. Wade Becomes Law
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/2

ACLJ Asks Fla. Court Again to Permit Parents of Terri Schindler
Schiavo to Intervene in Case to Defend "Terri's Law"
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/3

Activist Judge Bars US Justice Department Access to Medical Files
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/4

Swedish Woman Dies of Abortion Drug RU-486
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/5

Bioethics Panel Takes Heat
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/6

News Links:

South Dakota Governor Vetoes Abortion Ban (Reuters)
South Dakota Gov. Michael Rounds vetoed legislation on Tuesday that
would have all but banned abortion in the state and challenged the
1973 U.S.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040309/ts_nm/politics_abortion_dc_1

S.D. Seeks Corrections to Abortion Bill (Associated Press)
Gov. Mike Rounds announced Tuesday that he supports a bill that would
ban most abortions in South Dakota — a measure that could lead to a
Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade — but wants some technical
corrections in it first.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040309/ap_on_re_us/sd_abortion_1

Trucks Sport Large Pictures Of Aborted Fetuses (NBC)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Abortion opponents are driving 12 trucks around
Tallahassee emblazoned with large pictures of a 10-week old aborted
fetus alongside the word "choice." The effort is coordinated by the
California-based Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. The group's Mark
Harrington said the goal is to redefine "choice" -- "not as some
abstract constitutional concept, but as what it is." Harrington said
abortion is a choice for "murder."
http://www.nbc4.com/news/2907445/detail.html

Senators Introduce Bill That Would Allow Federal Funding for
Abortions for Military Sexual Assault Survivors (Kaisernetwork)
Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) on Monday
introduced a bill (S 2166) that would allow the Department of Defense
to pay for abortions for sexual assault survivors serving in the
military, the New York Times reports. Under current law, survivors of
rape and incest who are serving in the military have access to
abortions at military hospitals but they must pay for the procedure
themselves. According to a recent five-month review by the Air Force,
there were 92 accusations of rape involving Air Force personnel
serving in the Pacific from 2001 to 2003. Although some of the
accusations were made by civilians, most of the accusations were made
by servicewomen, according to the Times
http://cme.kff.org/Key=2190.m4.D.D.DZ9w2D

DOJ Withdraws Request for Abortion Records From Planned Parenthood
Affiliates for Defense of 'Partial-Birth' Abortion Ban (Kaisernetwork)
The Justice Department on Tuesday announced that it is withdrawing
its request for the medical records of women who have undergone
abortions at clinics associated with six Planned Parenthood
affiliates for use in DOJ's defense of the federal ban on so-
called "partial-birth" abortion,
http://cme.kff.org/Key=2190.m4.C.D.DRDw42

Events:

One-Day Conference - The Bioethics Revolution - March 13 in Chicago
Third Annual IFRL Student Legislative Day - April 21 in Springfield
The 2004 IFRL Legislative Reception - April 21 in Springfield

===========================================
IFRL DAILY NEWS
===========================================

Pro-Life Demonstration To Bring Truth about Abortion to Chicago
Campuses

(PLAL) The Pro-Life Action League and volunteers from throughout
Chicagoland will hold large graphic abortion signs along the streets
running through Chicago area college campuses this spring, starting
with visits to Northwestern and Loyola Universities this Wednesday,
March 10. The campus visits are part of a pro-life public education
campaign called "Face the Truth" with dates running through the year.

"After more than thirty years of legal abortion, many people remain
ignorant about what abortion really is," explained Pro-Life Action
League Communications Director Eric Scheidler. "They've heard
about 'blobs of tissue' and 'potential life,' but they've never
really faced the truth that abortion kills unborn babies. That's
what 'Face the Truth' is all about."

With polls showing that young people are more pro-life than their
parents, Scheidler is looking forward to the campus "Face the Truth"
campaign. "College students have a natural desire in the truth," said
Scheidler. "We'll be on campus to show the truth about abortion and
invite students to join us standing up for the humanity of unborn
children."

The full itinerary for the March 10 "Face the Truth on Campus" day is
as follows:

9:00-10:30 a.m. Northwestern University, starting at Foster St. and
Sheridan Rd.
12:00-1:30 p.m. Loyola University, starting at Kenmore Ave. and
Sheridan Rd.

More information about Face the Truth and the Pro-Life Action League
is available at the PLAL website, prolifeaction.org.

Source: Pro-Life Action League
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/1
__________________________________

South Dakota Governor Asks Legislature To Make Style Changes Before
Abortion Ban Challenging Roe v. Wade Becomes Law

(Thomas More) ANN ARBOR, MI - In a press conference today, South
Dakota Governor Mike Rounds expressed his support for House Bill 1191
that would ban almost all abortions in the state, but asked the
legislature to make minor technical changes to the Bill before it
becomes law. The Governor made clear that the changes he is
requesting are only for the purpose of insuring that South Dakota's
existing laws restricting abortion are not put in jeopardy if the
current legislation is successfully challenged in court.

Governor Round's decision to ask for the style changes leaves open
the possibility that the House or Senate could choose not to endorse
the law. The two legislative bodies will be asked to concur by
majority vote on the style changes before he signs the bill into law.

From the beginning, officials with South Dakota Right to Life and
National Right to Life have voiced opposition to the Bill stating
this was not the right time to attempt a ban on abortions.

Richard Thompson, President of the Thomas More Law Center, that aided
in the drafting and legal strategy of the legislation responded to
their opposition saying, \"When is it the wrong time to do what is
right? After 31 years and 40 million murdered babies under Roe v.
Wade, it is essential that we continue to confront the Court with
their immoral and lawless decision that has no basis in the
Constitution, history or traditions of our nation.\"

"I applaud the South Dakota legislature. House Bill 1191 was designed
to challenge Roe v. Wade, protect women, and save unborn children in
South Dakota. This bill if signed represents a truly groundbreaking
effort to end abortion on the part of the state of South Dakota, and
I hope other states will follow,\" said Thompson.

South Dakota State Representative Matt McCaulley, the main sponsor of
the bill, viewed the Governor\'s decision positively. \"Governor
Rounds today agreed with a bi-partisan super-majority of the South
Dakota Legislature and moved forward landmark legislation that will
protect unborn human life in South Dakota. I am pleased that the
Governor has agreed to urge Legislators to support his recommendation
that HB1191 become law with the changes he has proposed. South Dakota
is doing the right thing - fulfilling its duty to protect all human
life.\"

The bill as drafted can be found at:
http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2004/bills/HB1191S.pdf

Source: Thomas More Law Center
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/2
__________________________________

ACLJ Asks Fla. Court Again to Permit Parents of Terri Schindler
Schiavo to Intervene in Case to Defend "Terri's Law"

(ACLJ) The American Center for Law and Justice, an international
public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law, today
filed a renewed motion in Florida state court urging the court to
abide by the findings of a Florida appeals court and permit Robert
and Mary Schindler – the parents of Terri Schindler Schiavo – to
intervene in a lawsuit to defend "Terri's Law" – legislation that
cleared the way for Florida Governor Jeb Bush to restore life-saving
measures to Terri Schindler Schiavo.

"The fact is that legally the parents of Terri Schindler Schiavo are
interested parties whose viewpoint must be heard in this litigation,"
said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, which represents the
Schindlers in the state case. "The Florida appeals court set forth
the proper legal standard for intervention in this case and without
question Robert and Mary Schindler meet those standards. Florida case
law unambiguously supports granting intervention to the parents of an
incapacitated patient in a proceeding determining the continuation or
termination of the life of the patient who is their daughter. The
parents must be permitted to take a direct and active role in
defending a law that is at the center of keeping their daughter
alive. We are hopeful the court will permit the parents to intervene
directly in this case."

On February 13th, Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that
Pinellas Circuit Court Judge W. Douglas Baird did not follow judicial
rules when he denied an ACLJ motion in November 2003 on behalf of the
Schindlers to intervene in the case. The appeals court ruled that
Judge Baird's order be reversed and sent the case back to him "for
further proceedings."

In a renewed motion to intervene filed today in the Circuit Court for
Pinellas County in Clearwater (posted at www.aclj.org), the ACLJ
concludes that "allowing the Schindlers to intervene in the current
case will bring no prejudice to either party; not permitting them to
intervene will, at a minimum, deprive the Schindlers of their input
regarding issues affecting the life of their child, and, at a
maximum, may violate their constitutional rights to be heard. Terri's
parents have a strong interest in the outcome of this case, as the
life of their child may be dependent upon the constitutionality of
the challenged statute."

Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, wants Terri's feeding and hydration
tubes removed. He filed suit challenging the constitutionality
of "Terri's Law" and has the support of the ACLU.

The ACLJ is representing the Schindlers in Schiavo v. Bush – the
legal challenge to the constitutionality of the actions of the
Governor and state legislature.

Patricia Fields Anderson, an attorney in St. Petersburg, serves as
ACLJ local counsel in Schiavo v. Bush and represents Terri's parents
in all other aspects of the Schiavo case.

The American Center for Law and Justice is an international public
interest law firm specializing in constitutional law and the
protection of human life. The ACLJ is based in Washington, D.C. and
its website address is www.aclj.org.

Source: American Center for Law and Justice
Publish Date: March 4, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/3
__________________________________

Activist Judge Bars US Justice Department Access to Medical Files

Judge says files necessary for partial-birth abortion ban "burdensome
to produce"

(LifeSiteNews.com) In its continuing battle to defend the Partial
Birth Abortion Ban, the Justice Department has again been obstructed
by an activist judge. US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled to
deny the Bush administration access to redacted (names removed)
medical files of clients who had partial-birth abortions from
abortionists at San Francisco General hospital and the San Francisco
Planned Parenthood site. The decision is being called a "victory" by
the pro-abortion group.

Hamilton was one of three activist judges who issued bans on the
enforcement of the partial-birth abortion legislation last November
after it was signed into law by President Bush.

Planned Parenthood abortionists, and in this case, the city of San
Francisco, have filed suit against the Justice Department to
challenge the constitutionality of the ban.

Abortionists argue that the procedure is "medically necessary",
however no evidence of such necessity has ever been surrendered to
the Justice Department lawyers -- thereby crippling any ability they
would have in ascertaining the necessity.

Judge Hamilton cited as reasons for the denial that she was
protecting "the most intimate aspects of women's lives" and that case
files would reveal nothing as far as the constitutionality of the law
is concerned. She also said that, according to a San Francisco
Chronicle report, the files would be "burdensome to produce."

Judge Hamilton also claimed that the legitimacy of the law will be
determined by the "testimony of experts" as opposed to whether "one
abortion or another fits the definition."

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage "Federal Judges Block
Implementation of Partial Birth Abortion Ban against Most
Abortionists" at:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/nov/03110702.html

Read local coverage at:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
f=/c/a/2004/03/06/BAGR45FQS21.DTL

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/4
__________________________________

Swedish Woman Dies of Abortion Drug RU-486

(LifeSiteNews.com) A young woman has died recently from an RU 486
abortion in the Swedish west coast city of Uddevalla. The Swedish pro-
life group JA till Livet has informed LifeSiteNews.com that the
country's National Board of Health and Welfare has issued a report
concluding that the death of the unnamed young woman was a result of
the chemically induced abortion.

The woman, over seven weeks pregnant, reportedly chose to have an RU
486 abortion. One week after meeting with the gynecologist, she
returned to the hospital to take three 200 mg Mifegyne pills. Two
days later she returned and received two 0,2 mg pills of Cytotec
(Misoprostol).

The government report indicates she was administered the drugs at
8:25 am. She was reported to have been very tired, felt sick and
slept most of the time. Bleeding started in the afternoon at 3 pm and
the patient received pain medication. At 4:30 pm the patient was able
to return home after a "big blob" had "come out". A follow-up visit
for one month later was scheduled as she left the hospital.

Two days later a nurse tried to contact the woman by phone, but
failed. Six days later, the woman was found dead in her home. The
country coroner's report concluded that she had died as a result of
blood loss following a chemically induced abortion. The government
report said, "A young woman bled to death as a direct consequence of
the treatment."

The abortion pill has been the cause of numerous deaths around the
world. Legalized in the United States in September 2000 the pill has
been responsible for the deaths of at least four women in North
America, most recently 18-year-old Holly Patterson. In 5-8 percent of
cases, RU-486 causes severe complications. Danco, the drug's
manufacturer, has reported at least 400 adverse events since RU-486
was approved in the U.S.

See related LifeSite coverage:
Hospital Failed to Cite Holly Patterson's Death from RU-486 as Unusual
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/feb/04022606.html

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/5
__________________________________

Bioethics Panel Takes Heat

(FNIF) Some members of President Bush's advisory team allege
conservative bias, but analysts suggest the council is actually
balanced for the first time.

Two scientists from the President's Council on Bioethics have accused
fellow panel members of distorting science and perpetuating myths,
arguing that the council's reports skew toward the conservative and
fail to reflect advances in areas such as human embryonic stem-cell
research.

But conservative analysts say the complaints actually reflect that
the team President Bush has assembled is the first bioethics advisory
group to represent true ideological and scientific balance.

"In the past, and I've testified to several of them, you had token
support for any pro-life position," said Richard Doerflinger, an
associate director with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "And
sometimes, (there have been) absolutely unanimous opinions in favor
of destructive human embryo research and abortion."

Besides, he added, the scientific community seems to support the
council's findings.

"What I'm reading (in scientific journals)," he said, "is that the
arguments against any clinical use, any treatment use of embryonic
stem cells keeps mounting."

John Kilner, president of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity,
praised the chairman of the council, Leon Kass, for the fairness he
has exhibited in addressing the many controversial issues that come
before the panel.

"Leon Kass is a man of great integrity who has bent over backwards,"
Kilner said. "He really stands out in the political process as . . .
incorporating all views and opinions into a rigorous bioethical
debate that fairly considers everything that's at stake."

By: Stuart Shepard
Source: Family News in Focus
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/6

===========================================
EVENTS
===========================================

Generations for Life Conference - March 13 in Chicago

The Generations for Life Spring Conference will bring together pro-
life teens from Chicago and the surrounding area for a day of prayer,
learning and inspiration. The focus of the day will be how to
establish a vibrant school or church pro-life club.

       WHEN: Sat. Mar. 13, 2004, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
       WHERE: St. Mary of the Angels, 1850 N. Hermitage, Chicago
       COST: $10 per person, incl. lunch and materials

For more information on the GFL Spring Conference, including online
registration or a printable mail-in registration form see:
http://prolifeaction.org/generations/conference04.htm
__________________________________

One-Day Conference - The Bioethics Revolution - March 13 in Chicago

On March 13, the Center is hosting a one-day introductory bioethics
conference designed to be a first step in acquiring the resources for
responding to bioethical issues, especially those related to
pregnancy and reproductive technology.

The conference will feature talks, case studies, and small group
discussions to help people gain a biblical framework for viewing
bioethical issues.

Graduate credit for students and Continuing Medical Education (CME)
credit for physicians is available.

For more information or to register, visit:
http://www.cbhd.org/conferences/regionals/chicago.htm
__________________________________

Third Annual IFRL Student Legislative Day - April 21 in Springfield

Howlett Building (Auditorium) - South of State Capitol Building,
Springfield

The Student Legislative Day is an opportunity for junior high and
high school students to learn first-hand about the legislative
process in the Illinois legislature.

Students who participate in this event will:
· Learn how to talk to their legislators to express their points of
view;
· Hear comments from current legislators and have an opportunity to
meet with their individual legislators; and
· Learn about current pro-life legislation at the state and federal
levels;

Tentative Program

  9:30 a.m.   Registration/ Juice and Donuts - Hall of Flags
10:00 a.m.   Welcome/ Overview of Day - Auditorium
10:15 a.m.   Update on Current Legislation by Federal & State
Lobbyists - Auditorium
11:00 a.m.   Comments for State Legislators   Auditorium
11:45 a.m.   Break for Lunch and Student Meetings with Legislators -
State Capitol
  1:30 p.m.   Student Reports on Legislative Contacts - Auditorium
  2:00 p.m.   Evaluation and Conclusion - Auditorium

Follow this link for more information or to register:
http://www.ifrl.org/sld
__________________________________

The 2004 IFRL Legislative Reception - April 21 in Springfield

The Legislative Reception will be held at the Springfield Hilton
Hotel from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, April 21st in the Prairie Room. The
address of the Hilton is 700 E. Adams Street, Springfield.

Why is a Legislative Reception important?
What benefit would my group gain from attending?
Why is politics important?
Why should anyone attend?

Politicians are people! They need to meet committed pro-life people
from all parts of the state BUT ESPECIALLY from their own district.
They need education, support, and encouragement to continue to do the
right thing and vote the right way. If we're not there to show our
support, their pro-abortion constituents will have the upper hand.

They need to know YOU as a person they can call on for educational
materials and information and to know that you will be there for
them. Politicians look at numbers. Will you be counted?

The IFRL is YOU! You are the IFRL!

Please bring as many friends as you can to our Legislative Reception
on April 21st.

Please call 618-465-7655 to register or for more information or to
register online visit:
http://www.ifrl.org/lr
__________________________________

NOTE: Some ISPs now use e-mail filtering software that allows you to
add e-mail addresses to your 'buddy', 'safe', or 'approved' list.
Please add us to yours. Thanks!

A SPECIAL NOTE TO AOL USERS: Please add mail@... to your 'buddy'
list. This will ensure that you continue to receive our news
unhindered, and it should activate our story links in the message.

The IFRL Daily News is © 2004 by IFRL Inc. Reproduction of
information on this newsletter is allowed with recognition of source.
__________________________________

Sen. Kennedy Asks 11th Circuit Court To Determine Constitutionality
of Pryor Recess Appointment

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in a letter to the 11th U.S. Circuit
Court colleagues of Judge William Pryor, which was made public on
Monday, questioned the constitutionality of President Bush's recess
appointment of Pryor to the Atlanta court, the Boston Globe reports
(Denniston, Boston Globe, 3/9). Bush on Feb. 20 used his recess-
appointment powers to seat Pryor, whose nomination Senate Democrats
had been filibustering, saying that he has an "extreme" record that
is "dominated" by his personal views on issues such as abortion,
individual rights, capital punishment and environmental regulation.
Pryor, who previously served as the attorney general of Alabama, has
stated that the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision is "the worst
abomination of the history of constitutional law" and has called the
day the Supreme Court handed down the Roe decision "the day seven
members of our high court ripped the Constitution and ripped out the
life of millions of unborn children." However, Pryor has said that he
would "vigorously follow" Roe v. Wade despite his opposition (Kaiser
Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/23).

Letter Details
Kennedy in the March 5 letter said that a "serious question exists as
to whether Judge Pryor's recess appointment is constitutional"
(Dlouhy, CQ Today, 3/8). Under the Constitution, the president is
allowed to use recess appointments to fill judicial vacancies when
the Senate is not in session (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health
Report, 2/23). However, Kennedy said that the language in the
Constitution describing the recess appointment power suggests that it
should be used only "at the end of a Congress or the recess between
the annual sessions of Congress." Pryor was appointed during the week-
long Presidents Day break (Holland, AP/Contra Costa Times, 3/9).
Kennedy urged the 11th Circuit Court judges to determine whether
Pryor's appointment is valid, adding that if the appointment is
invalid, "any case in which he participates may be constitutionally
tainted" (Earle, The Hill, 3/9). However, Kennedy does not plan to
file a formal lawsuit to challenge Pryor's nomination, according to
Kennedy's office (Boston Globe, 3/9).

Reaction
Kennedy said that a president never before has appointed a judge
during a brief congressional recess, according to USA Today (USA
Today, 3/9). However the office of Sen. John Cornyn (R-
Texas) "unearthed" a 1993 legal opinion issued by former Attorney
General Janet Reno, who served during the Clinton administration,
which said that a recess appointment is justified for any break in
excess of three days, according to the Washington Times (Hurt,
Washington Times, 3/10). White House spokesperson Erin Healy said
that Bush "properly exercised the power granted to him by the U.S.
Constitution." Norman Zoller, chief staff officer of the 11th Circuit
Court, would not comment on the letter, saying only that the court
had received it. Pryor's appointment is valid through the end of the
next congressional session in January 2006. Although the Senate can
extend the appointment by formally approving Pryor, that
outcome "appears unlikely," according to the Globe (Boston Globe,
3/9).

Pickering
According to CQ Today, Kennedy has not challenged the recess
appointment of Judge Charles Pickering (CQ Today, 3/8). Bush on Jan.
16 during the recess between the first and second sessions of the
108th Congress appointed Pickering to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in New Orleans after Senate Republicans failed to gain the 60
votes necessary to end a Democratic filibuster and force an up-or-
down vote on Pickering. Many abortion-rights organizations and civil
rights groups opposed Pickering's nomination because of his record on
civil and reproductive rights (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health
Report, 2/23). Because Bush made the appointment before the current
session of the 108th Congress had started, Pickering may serve on the
court only until the end of the session (CQ Today, 3/8).

Democratic Next Steps?
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said that with a one-week
recess approaching on March 15, Democrats are considering several
options, including stalling action on all non-controversial judicial
nominees, to prevent another recess appointment. "It may be that we
will not allow at least for the foreseeable future any additional
circuit court nominees to be considered without some commitment on
the part of the administration that recess appointments will no
longer be a practice that they employ," Daschle said. Republican
senators said Bush would not agree to such demands, according to CQ
Today (Dlouhy, CQ Today, 3/9).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=22601

Tennessee Senate Removes Exceptions From Proposed Abortion-Related
Constitutional Amendment, Delays Final Vote

       The Tennessee Senate on Monday voted 17-15 to remove
protections for abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save the
life of a pregnant woman from a proposed constitutional amendment
(SJR 127) that would specify that the state constitution does not
protect a woman's right to an abortion and would allow the
Legislature to impose abortion restrictions, the Memphis Commercial
Appeal reports (Locker, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 3/9). If the
measure is approved, it would allow the state to ban abortion if the
1973 Roe v. Wade decision is ever overturned (Kaiser Daily
Reproductive Health Report, 2/26). State Sen. Roy Herron (D) had
proposed changing the amendment to add constitutional protections for
abortion in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of a pregnant
woman, according to the Tennessean. However, Republicans successfully
led an effort to alter the amendment's language to say that the
Legislature could make exceptions for rape, incest or save the life
of a pregnant woman but that the exceptions would not be
constitutionally protected, according to the Tennessean. The proposed
constitutional amendment now reads, "Nothing in this constitution
secures or protects a right to abortion or the funding thereof;
except the legislature shall have the authority to make such
exceptions as the legislature deems necessary, including the
authority to make exceptions in the case of rape or incest or to save
the life of the mother."

Next Steps
The state Senate tentatively approved 20-12 the amendment's new
language, but the final floor vote on the amendment was delayed until
Thursday, according to the Tennessean (de la Cruz, Tennessean, 3/9).
The final vote was delayed over concerns about the wording of the
amendment, according to the Commercial Appeal (Memphis Commercial
Appeal, 3/9). State Sen. Mark Norris (R) said that the new language
is a "compromise," adding that it will ensure that the constitutional
amendment will not be "open to too many interpretations by liberal
judges," according to the Tennessean. State Sen. Jo Ann Graves (D)
said that she believes the amendment will pass "in some form or
fashion," but she supports including the exceptions, according to the
Tennessean. "People don't understand when you talk about rape, how
horrible it is for a woman," Graves said, adding, "It's important
that we have protections" (Tennessean, 3/9). State Sen. Doug Jackson
(D) said that the amendment's new language is "nonsensical." "For
goodness sake let's not put something in the constitution that's
embarrassing," Jackson said, adding, "I don't want to read tomorrow
we can't even arrange a paragraph correctly" (Sharp, Associated
Press, 3/8). State Sen. David Fowler (R), who sponsored the proposed
constitutional amendment, said that he expects the resolution to
pass, according to the Tennessean (Tennessean, 3/9). However, even if
the state Senate passes the resolution, the proposed constitutional
amendment faces "bigger hurdles," the Commercial Appeal reports. The
state House also must pass the resolution before it can be included
on a statewide constitutional referendum in 2006 (Memphis Commercial
Appeal, 3/9).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=22602

Senators Introduce Bill That Would Allow Federal Funding for
Abortions for Military Sexual Assault Survivors

       Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) on
Monday introduced a bill (S 2166) that would allow the Department of
Defense to pay for abortions for sexual assault survivors serving in
the military, the New York Times reports. Under current law,
survivors of rape and incest who are serving in the military have
access to abortions at military hospitals but they must pay for the
procedure themselves. According to a recent five-month review by the
Air Force, there were 92 accusations of rape involving Air Force
personnel serving in the Pacific from 2001 to 2003. Although some of
the accusations were made by civilians, most of the accusations were
made by servicewomen, according to the Times (New York Times, 3/9).
In addition, a study conducted by the Iowa City Veterans Affairs
Medical Center showed that 30% of female military veterans report
having been sexually assaulted during their service, according to the
Bangor Daily News. "Any victim facing the horror of rape or sexual
assault needs every option and support made available to them," Snowe
said, adding, "This bill (would remove) a barrier under current law
that prohibits the Department of Defense from providing access to
critical reproductive health services for our troops" (Bangor Daily
News, 3/8). The bill would allow DOD funds to be used in cases of
rape or incest for women in the military and spouses and dependents
of military personnel (Snowe release, 3/4).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=22600

DOJ Withdraws Request for Abortion Records From Planned Parenthood
Affiliates for Defense of 'Partial-Birth' Abortion Ban

       The Justice Department on Tuesday announced that it is
withdrawing its request for the medical records of women who have
undergone abortions at clinics associated with six Planned Parenthood
affiliates for use in DOJ's defense of the federal ban on so-
called "partial-birth" abortion, the AP/Boston Globe reports
(Anderson, AP/Boston Globe, 3/10). DOJ had subpoenaed medical records
from Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood
Los Angeles, Planned Parenthood of New York City, Planned Parenthood
of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, Planned Parenthood of San Diego and
Riverside Counties and Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington,
in addition to records from six hospitals. Attorney General John
Ashcroft and DOJ lawyers have said that the records are necessary to
determine the validity of doctors' claims that partial-birth abortion
is sometimes medically necessary. President Bush in November 2003
signed the federal partial-birth abortion ban (S 3), and immediately
afterward, federal judges in San Francisco, New York City and
Nebraska issued temporary restraining orders preventing DOJ from
enforcing the ban. The restraining orders were issued in response to
lawsuits filed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the
American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the National Abortion
Federation and the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of four
abortion providers. Each of the lawsuits alleges that the law is
unconstitutional because it does not include a health exception.
Instead of a health exception, the bill includes a long "findings"
section that documents medical evidence presented during
congressional hearings that bill supporters say indicates partial-
birth abortion is never medically necessary. Three judges each have
scheduled trials for March 29 to determine if the law is
constitutional (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/8).

Details
DOJ attorneys said that they were forced to withdraw their request
for records from the Planned Parenthood affiliates after U.S.
District Judge Phyllis Hamilton on Friday said that she would not
allow the records to be introduced as evidence in PPFA's challenge to
the law, according to the AP/Globe (AP/Boston Globe, 3/10). PPFA last
month agreed to give DOJ edited copies of records from 17 second-
trimester abortions that involved complications that were performed
in 2002 at Planned Parenthood clinics, according to the New York
Times. However, PPFA said that other records subpoenaed by DOJ
are "more extensive" and "irrelevant" to the lawsuit challenging the
partial-birth abortion ban, according to the Times. In addition,
Hamilton said that she "strongly encouraged" DOJ to withdraw the
subpoenas it had issued to the Planned Parenthood affiliates.

Next Steps
Although DOJ in its letter to the affiliates said it would not "move
at this time" to seek to compel the affiliate to produce the records
or seek testimony in a deposition about information in the records,
DOJ said that it might "renew our requests if necessary" (Lichtblau,
New York Times, 3/10). In response to the letter, PPKM on Monday
filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Wyandotte County, Kan.,
seeking a protective order against future DOJ subpoenas or
depositions relating to the medical records of patients. "They've
left the door open," attorney Douglas Ghertner, who is representing
PPKM, said, adding, "We want to end this now" (Bavley, Kansas City
Star, 3/9). Abortion-rights supporters called DOJ's decision not to
seek the records "bittersweet," according to the Times. Eve Gartner,
senior staff lawyer for PPFA, said, "These affiliates remain on
notice that at any moment they could get a letter from the Justice
Department demanding these records," adding, "It's not a good feeling
to have this cloud hanging over them."

Other Subpoenas
DOJ is still requesting records from at least six hospitals in New
York, Philadelphia and elsewhere, according to the Times (New York
Times, 3/10). DOJ spokesperson Monica Goodling said that withdrawing
the subpoenas for records from the Planned Parenthood clinics would
not affect the government's position in the New York lawsuit, the
Washington Post reports (Washington Post, 3/10). The subpoenas are
for records from the University of Michigan Health System,
Northwestern University's McGaw Medical Center in Chicago, St. Luke's-
Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York, New York-Presbyterian and
Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. The University of
Michigan Health System last month filed a motion to block the DOJ
subpoena of medical records of patients who underwent partial-birth
abortions performed by Dr. Timothy Johnson at the University of
Michigan Hospital. Johnson, who is chair of the university's OB/GYN
department, is one of the seven plaintiffs challenging the partial-
birth abortion ban. Last month, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled
that DOJ may subpoena hospital records there. However, that ruling
contradicted the order of a Chicago judge who blocked the DOJ
subpoena of medical records at Northwestern Medical Center in
Chicago, saying that releasing the records would violate the federal
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and
Illinois' medical privacy law. In addition, some hospitals have
refused to release the requested medical records to DOJ because of
privacy concerns or because they do not believe they have records
covered by the subpoenas (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report,
3/8).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=22599

S.D. Seeks Corrections to Abortion Bill (Associated Press)

Gov. Mike Rounds announced Tuesday that he supports a bill that would
ban most abortions in South Dakota — a measure that could lead to a
Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade — but wants some technical
corrections in it first.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040309/ap_on_re_us/sd_abortion_1

Trucks Sport Large Pictures Of Aborted Fetuses (NBC)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Abortion opponents are driving 12 trucks around
Tallahassee emblazoned with large pictures of a 10-week old aborted
fetus alongside the word "choice." The effort is coordinated by the
California-based Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. The group's Mark
Harrington said the goal is to redefine "choice" -- "not as some
abstract constitutional concept, but as what it is." Harrington said
abortion is a choice for "murder."

http://www.nbc4.com/news/2907445/detail.html

South Dakota Governor Vetoes Abortion Ban (Reuters)

South Dakota Gov. Michael Rounds vetoed legislation on Tuesday that
would have all but banned abortion in the state and challenged the
1973 U.S.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040309/ts_nm/politics_abortion_dc_1

Swedish Woman Dies of Abortion Drug RU-486

(LifeSiteNews.com) A young woman has died recently from an RU 486
abortion in the Swedish west coast city of Uddevalla. The Swedish pro-
life group JA till Livet has informed LifeSiteNews.com that the
country's National Board of Health and Welfare has issued a report
concluding that the death of the unnamed young woman was a result of
the chemically induced abortion.

The woman, over seven weeks pregnant, reportedly chose to have an RU
486 abortion. One week after meeting with the gynecologist, she
returned to the hospital to take three 200 mg Mifegyne pills. Two
days later she returned and received two 0,2 mg pills of Cytotec
(Misoprostol).

The government report indicates she was administered the drugs at
8:25 am. She was reported to have been very tired, felt sick and
slept most of the time. Bleeding started in the afternoon at 3 pm and
the patient received pain medication. At 4:30 pm the patient was able
to return home after a "big blob" had "come out". A follow-up visit
for one month later was scheduled as she left the hospital.

Two days later a nurse tried to contact the woman by phone, but
failed. Six days later, the woman was found dead in her home. The
country coroner's report concluded that she had died as a result of
blood loss following a chemically induced abortion. The government
report said, "A young woman bled to death as a direct consequence of
the treatment."

The abortion pill has been the cause of numerous deaths around the
world. Legalized in the United States in September 2000 the pill has
been responsible for the deaths of at least four women in North
America, most recently 18-year-old Holly Patterson. In 5-8 percent of
cases, RU-486 causes severe complications. Danco, the drug's
manufacturer, has reported at least 400 adverse events since RU-486
was approved in the U.S.

See related LifeSite coverage:
Hospital Failed to Cite Holly Patterson's Death from RU-486 as Unusual
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/feb/04022606.html

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/5

Activist Judge Bars US Justice Department Access to Medical Files

Judge says files necessary for partial-birth abortion ban "burdensome
to produce"

(LifeSiteNews.com) In its continuing battle to defend the Partial
Birth Abortion Ban, the Justice Department has again been obstructed
by an activist judge. US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled to
deny the Bush administration access to redacted (names removed)
medical files of clients who had partial-birth abortions from
abortionists at San Francisco General hospital and the San Francisco
Planned Parenthood site. The decision is being called a "victory" by
the pro-abortion group.

Hamilton was one of three activist judges who issued bans on the
enforcement of the partial-birth abortion legislation last November
after it was signed into law by President Bush.

Planned Parenthood abortionists, and in this case, the city of San
Francisco, have filed suit against the Justice Department to
challenge the constitutionality of the ban.

Abortionists argue that the procedure is "medically necessary",
however no evidence of such necessity has ever been surrendered to
the Justice Department lawyers -- thereby crippling any ability they
would have in ascertaining the necessity.

Judge Hamilton cited as reasons for the denial that she was
protecting "the most intimate aspects of women's lives" and that case
files would reveal nothing as far as the constitutionality of the law
is concerned. She also said that, according to a San Francisco
Chronicle report, the files would be "burdensome to produce."

Judge Hamilton also claimed that the legitimacy of the law will be
determined by the "testimony of experts" as opposed to whether "one
abortion or another fits the definition."

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage "Federal Judges Block
Implementation of Partial Birth Abortion Ban against Most
Abortionists" at:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/nov/03110702.html

Read local coverage at:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
f=/c/a/2004/03/06/BAGR45FQS21.DTL

Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/4

Pro-Life Demonstration To Bring Truth about Abortion to Chicago
Campuses

(PLAL) The Pro-Life Action League and volunteers from throughout
Chicagoland will hold large graphic abortion signs along the streets
running through Chicago area college campuses this spring, starting
with visits to Northwestern and Loyola Universities this Wednesday,
March 10. The campus visits are part of a pro-life public education
campaign called "Face the Truth" with dates running through the year.

"After more than thirty years of legal abortion, many people remain
ignorant about what abortion really is," explained Pro-Life Action
League Communications Director Eric Scheidler. "They've heard
about 'blobs of tissue' and 'potential life,' but they've never
really faced the truth that abortion kills unborn babies. That's
what 'Face the Truth' is all about."

With polls showing that young people are more pro-life than their
parents, Scheidler is looking forward to the campus "Face the Truth"
campaign. "College students have a natural desire in the truth," said
Scheidler. "We'll be on campus to show the truth about abortion and
invite students to join us standing up for the humanity of unborn
children."

The full itinerary for the March 10 "Face the Truth on Campus" day is
as follows:

9:00-10:30 a.m. Northwestern University, starting at Foster St. and
Sheridan Rd.
12:00-1:30 p.m. Loyola University, starting at Kenmore Ave. and
Sheridan Rd.

More information about Face the Truth and the Pro-Life Action League
is available at the PLAL website, prolifeaction.org.

Source: Pro-Life Action League
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/1

ACLJ Asks Fla. Court Again to Permit Parents of Terri Schindler
Schiavo to Intervene in Case to Defend "Terri's Law"

(ACLJ) The American Center for Law and Justice, an international
public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law, today
filed a renewed motion in Florida state court urging the court to
abide by the findings of a Florida appeals court and permit Robert
and Mary Schindler – the parents of Terri Schindler Schiavo – to
intervene in a lawsuit to defend "Terri's Law" – legislation that
cleared the way for Florida Governor Jeb Bush to restore life-saving
measures to Terri Schindler Schiavo.

"The fact is that legally the parents of Terri Schindler Schiavo are
interested parties whose viewpoint must be heard in this litigation,"
said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, which represents the
Schindlers in the state case. "The Florida appeals court set forth
the proper legal standard for intervention in this case and without
question Robert and Mary Schindler meet those standards. Florida case
law unambiguously supports granting intervention to the parents of an
incapacitated patient in a proceeding determining the continuation or
termination of the life of the patient who is their daughter. The
parents must be permitted to take a direct and active role in
defending a law that is at the center of keeping their daughter
alive. We are hopeful the court will permit the parents to intervene
directly in this case."

On February 13th, Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that
Pinellas Circuit Court Judge W. Douglas Baird did not follow judicial
rules when he denied an ACLJ motion in November 2003 on behalf of the
Schindlers to intervene in the case. The appeals court ruled that
Judge Baird's order be reversed and sent the case back to him "for
further proceedings."

In a renewed motion to intervene filed today in the Circuit Court for
Pinellas County in Clearwater (posted at www.aclj.org), the ACLJ
concludes that "allowing the Schindlers to intervene in the current
case will bring no prejudice to either party; not permitting them to
intervene will, at a minimum, deprive the Schindlers of their input
regarding issues affecting the life of their child, and, at a
maximum, may violate their constitutional rights to be heard. Terri's
parents have a strong interest in the outcome of this case, as the
life of their child may be dependent upon the constitutionality of
the challenged statute."

Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, wants Terri's feeding and hydration
tubes removed. He filed suit challenging the constitutionality
of "Terri's Law" and has the support of the ACLU.

The ACLJ is representing the Schindlers in Schiavo v. Bush – the
legal challenge to the constitutionality of the actions of the
Governor and state legislature.

Patricia Fields Anderson, an attorney in St. Petersburg, serves as
ACLJ local counsel in Schiavo v. Bush and represents Terri's parents
in all other aspects of the Schiavo case.

The American Center for Law and Justice is an international public
interest law firm specializing in constitutional law and the
protection of human life. The ACLJ is based in Washington, D.C. and
its website address is www.aclj.org.

Source: American Center for Law and Justice
Publish Date: March 4, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040310/3

Trucks Sport Large Pictures Of Aborted Fetuses

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Abortion opponents are driving 12 trucks around
Tallahassee emblazoned with large pictures of a 10-week old aborted
fetus alongside the word "choice." The effort is coordinated by the
California-based Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. The group's Mark
Harrington said the goal is to redefine "choice" -- "not as some
abstract constitutional concept, but as what it is." Harrington said
abortion is a choice for "murder."

(See truck pictures in Photos)

http://www.nbc4.com/news/2907445/detail.html

S.D. Seeks Corrections to Abortion Bill (Associated Press)

Gov. Mike Rounds announced Tuesday that he supports a bill that would
ban most abortions in South Dakota — a measure that could lead to a
Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade — but wants some technical
corrections in it first.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040309/ap_on_re_us/sd_abortion_1

South Dakota Governor Vetoes Abortion Ban (Reuters)

South Dakota Gov. Michael Rounds vetoed legislation on Tuesday that
would have all but banned abortion in the state and challenged the
1973 U.S.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040309/ts_nm/politics_abortion_dc_1

Volume: 040309
Date: March 9th, 2004

Just in...

RU-486 claims another life.

A young woman has died recently from an RU 486 abortion in the
Swedish west coast city of Uddevalla.

She was seven weeks and two days pregnant and is reported to have
chosen to have a RU 486 abortion. One week after the meeting with the
gynecologist, she returned to the hospital to take three 200 mg
Mifegyne pills. Two days later she returned and received two 0,2 mg
pills of Cytotec (Misoprostol)

She took the medicine at 8.25 am.  She was reported to have been very
tired, felt sick and slept most of the time. Bleeding started in the
afternoon at 3 pm and the patient received pain medication. At 4.30
pm the patient was able to return home after a "big blob" had "come
out".  A follow-up visit one month later was scheduled as she left
the hospital.

Two days later a nurse tried to contact the woman by phone, but
failed. Six days later, the woman was found dead in her home. The
country coroner's report concluded that she had died as a result of
blood loss following a chemically induced abortion.

We will keep you informed as more details become available.

===========================================
THIS ISSUE
===========================================

News (see below for full articles):

Women forced to have abortions?
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/1

Girl Scouts' Alliance with Planned Parenthood Enrages Parents
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/2

Sunday's Comin'
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/3

40m bachelors and no women ... the birth of a new problem for China
http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/4

News Links:

Nurse Gets 15 Years for Killing Patient (St. Louis Today)
Larry Schreiber told a judge Friday he believes his mother would have
lived to be 100 had a licensed practical nurse not suffocated her at
a nursing home. His testimony came at the sentencing hearing in St.
Louis County Circuit Court for Donna Hohl, 53, of St. Louis, who got
15 years in prison for second-degree murder. Hohl pleaded guilty Jan.
21 before Judge Philip J. Sweeney. She admitted suffocating Helen
Schreiber at Bethesda Southgate Nursing Home, 5943 Telegraph Road in
south St. Louis County.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+
%2F+County/B72C585ED1D485A186256E4F001AF575?
OpenDocument&Headline=Nurse+gets+15+years+for+killing+patient

Two Abortion Bills Wait for Further Approval (News Net)
Two abortion bills passed the Utah Senate and House of
Representatives and wait on Gov. Walker's desk after the close of the
2004 legislative session. Bill sponsor Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo,
said Walker has three options for the bills. She can sign them into
law, allow them to pass into law by default without a signature or
veto them. Senate Bill 68 would prohibit the use of government
funding for abortion clinics or practitioners, while SB69 would
prohibit partial-birth abortions and punish doctors who perform them.
http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/48912

Program Helps Men Affected By Abortion (Shreveport Times)
He doesn't know what it's like to be pregnant, but Adrian Coludrovich
has experienced abortion. About 25 years ago, it seemed like the
right choice for him and his girlfriend. He was in the middle of a
divorce and she already had two children. "We thought we could fix
it, because the law said we could do that," he said. "It felt like
our only option." But after years of drugs, drinking and failed
relationships, Coludrovich realized an abortion was at the root of
many of his problems. Now he gives testimonies about his experience
on behalf of Crisis Pregnancy Center. Center Director Mollie Branch
said she didn't even think about abortion as a men's issue until
recently.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/html/357E75DD-2ABA-43A3-8F0D-
4B99197399A4.shtml

Agency shifts on abortion records (Kansas City Star)
The Justice Department notified the Kansas City affiliate of Planned
Parenthood on Monday that it
was withdrawing, for now, its request for the medical records of
women who received abortions.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/kr/20040309/lo_krkansascity/agencyshiftsonabortionrecord
s

Justice Death (Spectator)
Upholding abortion in the Casey decision, Anthony Kennedy permitted
himself one of the most ludicrous lines in Supreme Court history. "At
the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of
existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human
life," he wrote. Harry Blackmun's just released papers explain
Kennedy's babblings: he was an eager-to-please pupil of
Blackmun's. "Dear Harry," Kennedy wrote to him. "I need to see you as
soon as you have a few free moments. I want to tell you about some
developments in Planned Parenthood v. Casey and at least part of what
I say should come as welcome news." After Kennedy hurried to Blackmun
with his "welcome news," Blackmun scrawled on a memo pad: "Roe sound."
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=6260

Justice Dept. backs off request for Planned Parenthood records
(Kansas City Star)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Justice Department has withdrawn a request for
[anonymous] medical records of women who received abortions through
the Kansas City affiliate of Planned Parenthood. The notification
came Monday after Planned Parenthood filed a motion in U.S. District
Court in Kansas City, Kan., for a protective order against any
subpoenas or depositions relating to the records. Justice Department
lawyers have said they needed the [anonymous] medical records to test
Planned Parenthood's claim that the abortion procedure was medically
necessary and to assess its safety. Affiliates in western
Pennsylvania, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the
Washington area were also subpoenaed.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/8139982.htm

Signatures Will End Injustice: Right to Life of Michigan Announces
Cut Off Date of April 5 for the People's Override (U.S. Newswire)
Just two months after launching The People's Override, a petition
drive to outlaw partial birth abortion, Right to Life of Michigan
announced more than 325,000 signatures have been collected, the
minimum goal established for the campaign. But this is not the end of
the drive; Right to Life of Michigan is seeking more signatures to
send a strong statement to Governor Jennifer Granholm.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20040309/pl_usnw/signatures_will_end_injustice__rig
ht_to_life_of_michigan_announces_cut_off_date_of_april_5_for_the_peopl
e_s_override113_xml



Events:

One-Day Conference - The Bioethics Revolution - March 13 in Chicago
Third Annual IFRL Student Legislative Day - April 21 in Springfield
The 2004 IFRL Legislative Reception - April 21 in Springfield

===========================================
IFRL DAILY NEWS
===========================================

Women forced to have abortions?

Expectant mother who screamed 'stop' will petition Supreme Court

(WorldNetDaily) Responding to a recent ruling allowing forced
abortions, a former judge is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to
acknowledge a woman's "right to say no."

An appeals court ruled earlier this year an expectant mother can be
aborted by force if the physician argues it is necessary to "protect
the health of the mother."

But pro-life attorney Chris Sapp is prepared to challenge the 11th
Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Jan. 23 in Roe II v. Aware Women
Center for Choice, Inc., says the Virginia-based Population Research
Institute. PRI is "dedicated to ending human rights abuses committed
in the name of 'family planning,' and to ending counter-productive
social and economic paradigms premised on the myth
of 'overpopulation.'"

Sapp is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiori
acknowledging a woman's right to say "no" to an abortion at any point
in time.

His argument is based on the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances,
or FACE Act, which makes violation of a woman's right to receive
reproductive health care a federal crime.

If a woman had a right to enter a clinic to get an abortion, Sapp
contended, she also has a right to leave a clinic in order to protect
herself and her baby.

'My God, you're hurting me'

The Roe II case began March 29, 1997, when a young, pregnant mother
entered the Aware Women Center for Choice clinic in Florida to get an
abortion.

According to RPI, William P. Egherman, who has performed more than
10,000 abortions and been addicted to alcohol and opiates, began the
procedure by attempting to dilate the woman's cervix.

But the woman had a change of heart.

"My God, you're hurting me" the woman began to scream. "You're
killing me, I'll never be able to have babies. ... Stop!"

But Egherman ignored the pleas and screams and called for assistance
from clinic workers who held the woman down as he continued to dilate
her cervix.

Then he entered the victim with a pair of forceps -- "the bear"
Ehgerman called them -- and began probing and pulling. He mistakenly
pulled out part of the woman's intestines.

Sapp, who represented the woman, said she described it as like being
drawn and quartered.

When he realized what he had done, Egherman heavily sedated the woman
then he called for an ambulance.

But he instructed the ambulance to come slowly, without lights or
sirens, to give him "time to pack the woman with gauze."

Egherman said he also was worried his regular flow of business would
be interrupted by "all the hoopla."

"Saturday's our big day," he explained, "and I didn't want to
generate … any more confusion, any more panic than was already
present at the time. She was loud, and as I said, she was shrill, and
there were a lot of patients who were hearing what was going on, and
the normal rhythm of the day was interrupted. The other patients must
have been terrified, and I didn't want the ambulance showing up with
all the lights and sirens. …"

The woman underwent an operation at the hospital and the damage to
her internal organs was repaired. But her baby was dead.

The matter would have ended at that point if not for Sapp's federal
suit, arguing Egherman had violated the FACE Act.

Sapp argued forcing the abortion procedure and preventing the woman
from going immediately to a hospital where her pregnancy could have
been saved violated her reproductive rights.

Egherman's defense attorneys maintained "if he had to go back in" in
order to protect the woman's health, then this would not constitute a
violation of the FACE Act.

On a summary judgment, the appeals court agreed, but Sapp asserts the
evidence shows the abortion had just begun when the woman called for
Egherman to stop and that he went "back in" to perform the abortion
against her will.

"This ruling does establish a precedent for forced abortion," Sapp
said.

For example, he said, an expectant mother receiving a routine
gynecological exam could be held down and forcibly aborted. The
physician would simply have to argue the abortion was necessary to
protect the mother's health or life, which would not violate the FACE
Act.

Boyfriend 'already paid for it'

PRI said it has learned of another case of forced abortion. A 25-year-
old Maryland woman, four months pregnant, changed her mind after
being taken to the procedure room.

She ran back to the clinic entrance where her boyfriend stopped her.
The boyfriend said she must get an abortion, "I've already paid for
it."

Three clinic workers and the abortion performers surrounded the
women, sedated her by injection, then took her back into the
procedure room. After the forced abortion, she awoke in a closet.

Source: WorldNetDaily.com
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/1
__________________________________

Girl Scouts' Alliance with Planned Parenthood Enrages Parents

(FRC) A firestorm has been brewing over the past few weeks in Texas,
where parents are furious after learning of a cozy alliance between
the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest provider
of abortions. It seems the Girl Scouts have been giving their seal of
approval to an explicit sex ed pamphlet that Planned Parenthood
distributes to children as young as 10 years-old, which includes
diagrams of adults having sex and a boy putting on a condom.

The controversy exploded around the Waco, Texas Girl Scouts
organization, where all but two girls have been pulled by their
parents from a Girl Scout troop and a Brownie troop has been
completely dismantled. Parents were also disturbed to learn the Girl
Scouts had given a "Woman of Distinction Award" to the executive
director of Planned Parenthood last year as a role model for girls.

The bottom line is that fifth-grade girls do not need Planned
Parenthood telling them about sex, condoms and diseases. And if the
Girl Scouts in conservative Waco, Texas are teaming up with Planned
Parenthood, parents across the nation should look into whether their
local organization is doing the same. Click on the link below to send
an email to the Girl Scouts and demand they end their connection with
Planned Parenthood.

Additional Resources
End the Girl Scouts-Planned Parenthood Alliance!
http://www.frc.org/index.cfm?i=AL04C02&f=WU04C06

By: Tony Perkins
Source: Famiy Research Council
Publish Date: March 8, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/2
__________________________________

Sunday's Comin'

(PFL) I share with you today this inspiring meditation based on a
sermon I once heard, and adapted to the concerns of the pro-life
movement.

It's Friday. Jesus is on the cross. He has been killed by his
enemies; he is off the scene. But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Mary is weeping in bitter grief; the disciples are
fleeing in all directions, confused and afraid. But that's because
it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Pilate is washing his hands; the Pharisees are calling
the shots; the Roman soldiers are strutting around with their spears.
But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. The forces that oppress the poor and abandon the lowly
and trample upon the rights of the weak, making them suffer and
robbing them of hope, are in control. But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Satan is doing his dance, and he thinks he rules the
world. Governments do his bidding, and businesses do his work, and
institutions are at his command. But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Abortionists continue their work 4000 times a day,
tearing off the arms and legs of little babies and crushing their
heads. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Pro-abortion groups put out their hands and receive
blood money from billionaires who are as deceived as they are. But
that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Liars attempt to speak for all women and hide the pain
of abortion, and ignore the evidence of how it harms women, and call
abortion a blessing. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Judicial activists have their way, writing the law
instead of applying it, ignoring the will of the American people and
even allowing partial-birth abortion to continue. But that's because
it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Men who distort the Gospel find judges who will approve
of sodomy and attempt to re-define marriage itself. But that's
because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Those who refuse to acknowledge God remove from the
bench men of God just because they post his commandments in the
courthouse. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Many preachers of God's word are silent in the face of
all these evils, as they spend more energy calculating how to keep
safe from lawyers than how to keep safe from the wrath of God. But
that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

People of God, hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the
evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the whole picture,
which is that evil is conquered because of what happened one Sunday
morning. The power of sin and death has been broken by the
Resurrection of Christ. We are called to proclaim, celebrate, and
serve that victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ's return and
the full flowering of the Culture of Life! Indeed, Sunday's comin'!

By: Fr. Frank Pavone
Source: Priests for Life
Publish Date: March 8, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/3
__________________________________

40m bachelors and no women ... the birth of a new problem for China

(The Guardian) China, the most populous nation on Earth, could find
itself dealing with the combined frustrations of as many as 40
million single men by 2020 because its one-child policy is creating a
shortage of female babies.

In an unusually frank speech on China's looming demographic crisis,
Li Weixiong, who advises the country's political consultative
conference on population issues, said a cultural preference for boys
was creating an artificial disparity between the number of boys and
girls that represents "a serious threat to building a well-off
society".

Mr Li said the dearth of women would lead to a dramatic rise in
prostitution and the trafficking of women. "This is by no means a
sensational prediction," he said.

The search for love is leading traditionally staid Chinese men down
unfamiliar paths. There are reports of men placing ads in major
newspapers begging women to respond. If the ads are anything to go
by - with some ads emphasising the possession of a good bathroom -
the way to a modern Chinese woman's heart is a spacious apartment and
a decent salary.

Wealthier men are reportedly taking their search beyond China's
borders, a risky tactic given that many Chinese households have been
less than welcoming to foreign brides.

Unmarried men with less money often have no choice but to turn to
illegal brokers, who dupe rural women into moving to the city with
bogus job offers.

The widespread introduction of ultrasound testing has enabled a much
larger number of Chinese couples to choose to abort female foetuses
in the hope that the next pregnancy will produce a son.

Mr Li said the gender ratio had stayed relatively normal up until
1982 - two years after the Chinese authorities imposed the one-child
rule - at 100 girls born for every 108 boys. But by 2000, the ratio
had shifted significantly to about 117 boys to 100 girls.

The disparity is even bigger in rural areas, where the boy-to-girl
imbalance is estimated to be as high as 130 to 100.

Abortions are not the only cause of the imbalance. There is alarming
evidence that the intense pressure on couples to make sure their only
child is a boy has prompted a resurgence of female infanticide,
despite official attempts to stamp out the centuries-old practice.

Rural families are said to be particularly tempted to kill female
offspring, such is the pressure to produce a child capable of coping
with the physical demands of farming and prevent cash-strapped
farming households from being plunged even deeper into poverty.

In some cases, according to reports, other girls are hidden from the
authorities, or die at a young age through neglect.

Even in urban areas, boys are generally preferred because they are
regarded as more able than girls to provide for their families, care
for elderly relatives and continue the family line.

The government, stung by accusations from child welfare groups that
it is turning a blind eye to the practice of girl-killing, has
allowed some provinces to grant couples permission to have more than
one child provided they pay a fine to register each extra birth.

In some villages, local officials have placed dozens of posters
bearing the message: "Daughters are as good as sons!"

Despite growing evidence of the enormous social cost of their one-
child policy, officials in Beijing insist there are no plans to relax
the measure, which they regard as the most important weapon in
China's battle to keep its population below 1.6 billion until 2050.

Statistically, the policy has had some success. The communist
authorities say it has prevented well over 300 million births since
it was introduced in 1980 and is fulfilling its initial aim of
ensuring that China can combat rural poverty and improve standards of
living across the board.

According to the UN, China's population stood at 1.3 billion in 2003
but independent estimates believe couples with extra children are
hiding them from census authorities, meaning the actual figure could
be as high as 1.5 billion.

As the country's economy continues to grow and transform at an
unprecedented rate, pressure to relax the policy looks likely to
intensify if Mr Li's worst-case scenario of social unrest,
exploitation of women and crime turns out to be correct.

"Such serious gender disproportion poses a major threat to the
healthy, harmonious and sustainable growth of the nation's population
and would trigger such crimes and social problems as abduction of
women and prostitution," he said.

His claims are supported by official figures showing that police
freed more than 42,000 kidnapped women and children in 2001 and 2002.
Many of the victims are believed to have been sold into marriage or
prostitution.

Elisabeth Croll, professor of Chinese anthropology at the School of
Oriental and African Studies in London, said she welcomed Mr Li's
warning as it would remind China's leaders of the magnitude of the
problem they face.

"It is not a new trend," she said. "Demographers in China as well as
foreign analysts have been expressing concern for some years. In the
last census it was quite clear that this was an upward trend and it
is forecast that there will be a shortage of potential marriage mates
which will lead to some social instability."

Several years ago the government prohibited doctors from telling
couples the sex of their child, but the measure seems to have had
little effect. Mr Li called for a ban on mid-term abortions, except
in cases with health concerns.

China's experience could prove a lesson to other countries in the
region whose populations are also being skewed by gender imbalance.

Prof Croll said: "It is an Asia-wide problem affecting many countries
including Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam and India. It is something
that is increasing with development instead of decreasing."

The professor, who wrote about the issue in her recent book
Endangered Daughters: Discrimination and Development in Asia, said it
was a mistake to blame girl infanticide in China only on a resurgence
of "old ideas".

For many families, she said, the preference for a son makes simple
economic sense as they are less likely to leave the family home after
marrying and, as higher earners than women, are more able to provide
for the extended family.

Prof Croll said more families in China's rapidly expanding cities
were favouring sons, partly because a decline in pensions over the
past decade had made older people less secure and more reliant on
their children.

If the authorities are reluctant to lift the birth limit, possible
long-term solutions to the looming dearth of eligible women may be
even more unpalatable. They include altering the traditional marital
balance of power and bringing women's pay more into line with that of
men, enabling them to better support their families.

By: Justin McCurry and Rebecca Allison
Source: The Guardian
Publish Date: March 9, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040309/4

===========================================
EVENTS
===========================================

Generations for Life Conference - March 13 in Chicago

The Generations for Life Spring Conference will bring together pro-
life teens from Chicago and the surrounding area for a day of prayer,
learning and inspiration. The focus of the day will be how to
establish a vibrant school or church pro-life club.

       WHEN: Sat. Mar. 13, 2004, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
       WHERE: St. Mary of the Angels, 1850 N. Hermitage, Chicago
       COST: $10 per person, incl. lunch and materials

For more information on the GFL Spring Conference, including online
registration or a printable mail-in registration form see:
http://prolifeaction.org/generations/conference04.htm
__________________________________

One-Day Conference - The Bioethics Revolution - March 13 in Chicago

On March 13, the Center is hosting a one-day introductory bioethics
conference designed to be a first step in acquiring the resources for
responding to bioethical issues, especially those related to
pregnancy and reproductive technology.

The conference will feature talks, case studies, and small group
discussions to help people gain a biblical framework for viewing
bioethical issues.

Graduate credit for students and Continuing Medical Education (CME)
credit for physicians is available.

For more information or to register, visit:
http://www.cbhd.org/conferences/regionals/chicago.htm
__________________________________

Third Annual IFRL Student Legislative Day - April 21 in Springfield

Howlett Building (Auditorium) - South of State Capitol Building,
Springfield

The Student Legislative Day is an opportunity for junior high and
high school students to learn first-hand about the legislative
process in the Illinois legislature.

Students who participate in this event will:
· Learn how to talk to their legislators to express their points of
view;
· Hear comments from current legislators and have an opportunity to
meet with their individual legislators; and
· Learn about current pro-life legislation at the state and federal
levels;

Tentative Program

  9:30 a.m.   Registration/ Juice and Donuts - Hall of Flags
10:00 a.m.   Welcome/ Overview of Day - Auditorium
10:15 a.m.   Update on Current Legislation by Federal & State
Lobbyists - Auditorium
11:00 a.m.   Comments for State Legislators   Auditorium
11:45 a.m.   Break for Lunch and Student Meetings with Legislators -
State Capitol
  1:30 p.m.   Student Reports on Legislative Contacts - Auditorium
  2:00 p.m.   Evaluation and Conclusion - Auditorium

Follow this link for more information or to register:
http://www.ifrl.org/sld
__________________________________

The 2004 IFRL Legislative Reception - April 21 in Springfield

The Legislative Reception will be held at the Springfield Hilton
Hotel from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, April 21st in the Prairie Room. The
address of the Hilton is 700 E. Adams Street, Springfield.

Why is a Legislative Reception important?
What benefit would my group gain from attending?
Why is politics important?
Why should anyone attend?

Politicians are people! They need to meet committed pro-life people
from all parts of the state BUT ESPECIALLY from their own district.
They need education, support, and encouragement to continue to do the
right thing and vote the right way. If we're not there to show our
support, their pro-abortion constituents will have the upper hand.

They need to know YOU as a person they can call on for educational
materials and information and to know that you will be there for
them. Politicians look at numbers. Will you be counted?

The IFRL is YOU! You are the IFRL!

Please bring as many friends as you can to our Legislative Reception
on April 21st.

Please call 618-465-7655 to register or for more information or to
register online visit:
http://www.ifrl.org/lr
__________________________________

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The IFRL Daily News is © 2004 by IFRL Inc. Reproduction of
information on this newsletter is allowed with recognition of source.
__________________________________

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
IFRL group:

Who are you supporting for the office
of U.S. Senator (from Illinois) in the
2004 Primary

   o Steve Rauschenberger ( R )
   o Andy McKenna ( R )
   o Jonathan Wright ( R )
   o Jack Ryan ( R )
   o Jim Oberweis ( R )
   o Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria ( R )
   o Estella Johnson - Hunt ( D )


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IFRL/surveys?id=1312013

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!