Pro-life blog buzz 9-11-12

from Jill Stanek.comby Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN and Kelli
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• Abolitionist Society of OK prints a personal testimony of rape, pregnancy, and healing. The lack of support the author received from obstetricians is appalling, and raises the question: Is it rape victims who attach stigma to pregnancies resulting from rape, or is it the rest of society?

• Ethika Politika displays some of the disrespectful, vile comments that came from social media following Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention last week. Who knew there were so many creative ways to use the “F” word?
• At Live Action, Stephen Brown has a three-part series on the lawsuit against Planned Parenthood for Medicaid fraud, and why PP has such a strong stake in the outcome of this election.
• Abstinence Clearinghouse points out another difference in the platform of the two major parties. The Republican platform includes abstinence education, which is in direct opposition to the idea of school family planning clinics:
  
  We renew our call for replacing “family planning” programs for teens with abstinence education which teaches abstinence until marriage as the responsible and respected standard of behavior. Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS when transmitted sexually. It is effective, science-based, and empowers teens to achieve optimal health outcomes and avoid risks of sexual activity. We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for abortion and contraception.
• Fr. Frank Pavone points out how abortion in a democracy can fundamentally transform the State.

• American Life League’s Judie Brown addresses the life issue at the ballot box in Massachusetts this November – assisted suicide:
  
  It may sound preposterous, but the fact is that once a person buys into the philosophy that there are lives unworthy of being lived — as is the case with those who market abortion — there is little to nothing stopping that same individual from advocating death as a solution to life’s challenges when they are at the other end of the spectrum.

  Freedom of choice has no boundaries once God is taken out of the equation and personal self-interest, often called autonomy, moves in to take center stage.

• Michael New says Democrats are again trotting out the same tired and unsubstantiated claims about social spending and abortion:
  
  [T]here is not one peer-reviewed study which shows that Medicaid spending or any other kind of welfare spending actually reduces the incidence of abortion.

  There is, however, a substantial body of research which documents the effectiveness of pro-life laws. In 2009 the Guttmacher Institute did a literature review on public-funding restrictions for abortion. Of the 24 studies they considered, 20 found that abortion rates fell after public funding was reduced. They even acknowledged the best research indicates that restricting public funding lowers abortion rates. There is also an academic literature which documents the effectiveness of parental-involvement laws and properly designed informed-consent laws.
  President Obama has pursued policies which will almost certainly increase the incidence of abortion…. If abortion is listed as a federal health benefit, that could easily nullify or weaken a number of state-level pro-life laws. Obamacare also provides federal funds to insurance plans which cover abortion. The HHS contraceptive mandate could require employers to cover abortifacients and is also a taxpayer bailout of Planned Parenthood.

• Accepting Abundance shares a cartoon portrayal of the issue of conscience rights. Think taxpayer-funded birth control and abortion.