In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers have filed House Bill 465, which would ban healthcare facilities owned by the University of North Carolina and East Carolina University from performing abortions. Additionally, the legislation would increase the required waiting period prior to an abortion from 24 hours to 72 hour.
Four women representatives, Rep. Jacqueline Shaffer, Pat McElraft, Rena Turner and Susan Martin, sponsored HB 465. The vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood, Melissa Reed, commented on the legislation and said, “This delay, coupled with the additional restrictions, further demonstrates that politicians are attempting to practice medicine with absolutely no understanding of the scope of practice of abortion care.”
She continued, “In reality, these bills have nothing to do with patient safety and are just attempts by politicians to insert their own political agendas into medical care, It is shameful North Carolina legislators continue to sacrifice women’s health in their ideological attempts to take this state backwards.”
According to Indy Week, Indiana abortionists must inform women the following prior to an abortion: medical assistance benefits may be available for prenatal care, childbirth and neonatal care; the father has to pay child support, even if he has offered to pay for the abortion; she has other alternatives to abortion, including adoption or having a child; she has the right to review information from crisis pregnancy centers; and she can withhold her consent to having an abortion at any time before or during the procedure.
Earlier this year, North Carolina lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 604,which attempts to tighten exemptions to the state’s 20-week abortion ban and allows the Department of Health to annually inspect all abortion facilities. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Morgan Daniel (R-Morganton) and also reiterates the transfer-agreement mandate between abortionists and local hospitals.
As LifeNews previously reported, in 2013 a North Carolina abortion facility was shut down after the Department of Health and Human Services found that it “present an imminent danger to the health, safety and welfare of the clients and that emergency action is required to protect the clients.” TheBaker Clinic for Women, located in Durham, failed to perform adequate quality control in blood banking as well as controlled testing on 108 patients that received Rh(D) (Rhesus) testing.
In severe cases, this can be deadly because it can lead to stillbirths. Rhesus can also result in learning difficulties for the child, deafness, anemia, jaundice or blindness.
“Abortion is a hard enough thing for any woman to decide without the torture of seeing the baby on an ultrasound screen.”
Planned Parenthood has a long history of opposing informed consent laws that would allow a woman to see an ultrasound. Even when the proposed law would not require her to view the ultrasound, but only says she must be given the choice to view it, Planned Parenthood still protests.
Is seeing an ultrasound of one’s baby a form of torture? It’s true that seeing a picture of the baby she is carrying might make abortion harder for a woman to rationalize. The sight of her baby may indeed invoke strong emotions. An ultrasound would reveal what’s at stake in her decision. It may be more difficult for her to abort after she has seen the features of her child.
But are women so weak that they can’t handle upsetting information? Is seeing their preborn baby before agreeing to destroy him or her something women can’t handle? Women are not so fragile that they must be protected from the truth. Saying that women can’t handle unpleasant truths about their own medical care is insulting to all women. The fact that those making this argument claim to be feminists only highlights their hypocrisy.
Pro-choice groups often say that pro-lifers give inaccurate information to abortion-minded women. But it is undeniable that ultrasounds show the truth. They are simply pictures. They show the baby who is there without embellishment or exaggeration. They show what is in the woman’s womb – no more, no less. Ultrasounds, by their very nature, can’t lie.
Is it better for a woman to abort, thinking she is getting rid of a few cells or a shapeless mass only to discover that her baby was fully formed, or is it better for her to know the facts beforehand? The facility may try to prevent her from seeing the image, but they won’t be there to censor abortion information from her for the rest of her life. It is likely that she will eventually learn facts about fetal development and the appearance of a preborn baby.
Perhaps she will see the ultrasound of a future pregnancy or a friend’s child; however, the abortion facility workers won’t be there to support her when this happens. The woman may have to deal with feelings of shock, anger and regret on her own. If she does regret her abortion, it is often pro-lifers, not abortion supporters, who will help her heal. Pro-life activists run many post-abortion support ministries, such as Silent No More.
I have heard and read countless stories from former abortion patients, saying the facilities turned the ultrasound screen away from them. In some cases, the mother asked to see the image, only to be discouraged by facility workers.
One abortion provider, quoted in American Medical News, admittedthat she regularly turned the ultrasound away from abortion patients.
Planned Parenthood will claim that they show women the ultrasound on request, but that leads one to wonder: “Why would Planned Parenthood waste time and resources opposing laws that tell their clinics to do something they already do?” It’s true that the waiting period attached to most of these laws is one of the reasons pro-abortion groups fight the laws. But the quote above indicates that the ultrasound requirement is also a reason behind Planned Parenthood’s attempts to block informed consent laws.
Do abortion workers trust women to make informed decisions about their medical care? Sadly, many providers seem to think women shouldn’t have all the facts about the life-changing decision to have an abortion.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
by Dave Andrusko | LifeNews.com | 4/1/15 3:31 PM
Although the 2016 presidential election is 19 months away, we’re already under siege by pollsters asking about various candidacies, the importance of various issues, and just the general lay of the land (often taking the form of does the respondent think the country is headed in the right direction).
A CBS News poll released Sunday discussed which potential Republican candidates found the most favor (or, as the poll asked, which candidates would they consider voting for) ; ditto for the Democrats, although to this point the only real question was whether Democrats want to see another credible Democrat run against Hillary Clinton (answer is yes).
For our purposes in this short post, two things are worth mentioning. First, CBS News asked Republicans which were the “biggest litmus” test for GOP voters, as the Washington Times characterized the question.
The Times summarized the results thusly:
“Among the issues asked about in the poll, the biggest litmus tests for Republicans are candidate positions on ISIS – which Republicans overwhelmingly see as a major threat to the U.S. – and abortion. Sixty-one percent of Republicans would not consider voting for a candidate who disagrees with them on dealing with ISIS, and half (51 percent) would not vote for someone with a different position on abortion,” the poll says.
Second, the responses of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to a question about abortion. The 1,023 adults were asked which came closest to their view. Abortion should be
* All Republicans Democrats Independents
Generally available 38 22 54 37
Available but under stricter limits 34 39 28 35
Not be permitted 25 36 18 25
Several results jump out. Exactly one-fourth (25%) said abortion should not be permitted, which included 25% of Independents.
Nearly half (46%) of Democrats said abortion should either be available but under stricter limits (28%) or not permitted (18%). Interesting!
And 75% of Republicans said abortion should either be available but under stricter limits (39%) or not permitted (36%).
Remember the basic reality of abortion polling. A majority of the public opposes the reasons for which over 90% of all abortions are performed. So when someone says they believe abortion should be available but under stricter limits, at least two things are in play.
First, many [most?] will support abortion only in the “hard cases.” Second, if they are asked a follow up question whether they want Roe v. Wade overturned, they will say no both because they have no idea how radical Roe is and because they support abortion in those difficult, limited circumstances.
A very interesting poll that you can read at cbsnews.com.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
by Alliance Defending Freedom | LifeNews.com | 3/31/15 6:43 PM
Alliance Defending Freedom asked the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit Monday to hear the case of Pennsylvania’s Geneva College, which is challenging a three-judge panel’s ruling that would force the Christian school to provide access to abortion pills as required by an Obama administration mandate.
ADF attorneys argue that the ruling conflicts with the reasoning of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, which protects Americans from being forced to act contrary to their beliefs by the government’s mandate. That mandate forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide access, through their health insurance plans, to abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy financial penalties through the IRS.
“Faith-based schools should be free to operate according to the faith they teach and espouse,” said ADF Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor. “Both the First Amendment and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act protect this freedom. If that freedom exists for family-owned businesses run by people of faith, as the U.S. Supreme Court so recently affirmed, then it should certainly apply to Christian colleges, which also clearly have a religious purpose and identity.”
“The administration’s attempts at an ‘accommodation’ for non-profits have not been accommodations at all,” Baylor explained. “They still force schools like Geneva to violate their conscience, and that’s why we are asking the full 3rd Circuit to weigh in.”
Last year, a federal district court suspended enforcement of the mandate against Geneva College’s employee and student health plans. The administration appealed those decisions to the 3rd Circuit, which consolidated the case, Geneva College v. Burwell, with two other similar cases.
“In its decision, the Supreme Court resolved the debate, holding that government substantially burdens religious exercise when it substantially pressures a religious claimant to take an action contrary to its religious convictions,” the ADF en banc petition filed with the 3rd Circuit explains.
“The panel’s approach is inconsistent with Hobby Lobby,” the brief continues. “If it were true that RFRA claimants can never point to ‘the effects’ of the actions the government requires them to perform, then the plaintiffs in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood would not have prevailed at the Supreme Court.”
“All Americans should oppose unjust laws that force people – under threat of punishment – to give up their fundamental freedoms in order to provide insurance,” added ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “That’s no different for this Christian organization, which simply wants to abide by the very faith it espouses. The government is forbidden from punishing people of faith for making decisions consistent with that faith.”
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
by Shawn Carney | LifeNews.com | 3/30/15 9:49 AM
Children who were scheduled to be aborted are alive today … because over these past 40 days, God blessed your prayers and peaceful vigil.
In fact, we know of … 402 babies saved from abortion during this 40 Days for Life campaign!
As we enter what’s often called “the week that changed the world,” we journey through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Lord and Savior’s victory over death is the source of our hope – hope for ourselves … and hope for our culture.
Thank you for being that witness of hope in a culture of death! This campaign showed how brightly light can shine when it is courageously brought into the darkness.
We have a final devotional for this campaign today … and, as always, a few stories to share.Grand Rapids Michigan
“It worked!” Those were the words of a young woman who had been sitting in her car in the parking lot of the abortion center in Grand Rapids, talking with a friend who had an abortion appointment.
Lisa, the local coordinator in Grand Rapids, said this woman then went to tell the sidewalk counselors that her friend was not going to keep her appointment. “After picking up a baby gift bag,” she said, “they simply drove away … which was the answer to so many prayers.”
What exactly was it that worked? “The prayer volunteers were praying, the sidewalk counselors were standing by, the friends were talking in the car … and the Holy Spirit somehow used it all to touch the heart of this young mother,” Lisa explained. “What joyful news and what an awesome God!”
Michelle, the 40 Days for Life leader in Montgomery, said prayer volunteers witnessed two saves on one day. One of them did not come easily.
“This had to be the hardest fight I think I had fought here,” a sidewalk counselor said. “This young woman kept going in and out as her boyfriend tried to stop her, only to end up crying at the side of his car. You don’t see many dads this brave at this place.”
Eventually, the woman walked out to the car where her boyfriend was crying. “Facing each other,” Michelle said, “he gently reached for her hands.”
As they talked quietly with the counselors, a man whose child was being aborted inside the building angrily approached the couple and insisted that she go through with the abortion.
“We have no idea why he was interfering and so adamant,” Michelle said. “All we know is that when the sidewalk counselor said ‘in the name of Jesus, get away,’ he fled immediately.” Finally, the couple drove away. They did not have the abortion.
“Continue to pray for this new family,” Michelle said, that they may “love their baby … and be not afraid.”
Unfortunately, not every story has a happy ending. But God is in control.
Sean in Roanoke says the 40 Days for Life team was asked to pray for a woman planning to abort twins. But a few days later, the woman went through with the abortion.
“I am mourning this great loss,” he said.
But there is hope in the fact that God turns mourning into joy. “Though the sorrow may last for a night, God’s joy comes in the morning. Even in the midst of darkness,” Sean said, “we celebrate the light.”
On that note, we end this campaign but continue the battle, knowing in the end that Christ has already claimed the victory.
Students for Life of America sends groups to college campuses around the nation. These groups educate students about the true work of Planned Parenthood and the human tragedy of abortion. Students for Life often comes into contact with college students who have already had their own experiences with Planned Parenthood. And sometimes, these students are willing to be videotaped.
One girl – Erin, from South Dakota State University – went on tape about her shocking experience with Planned Parenthood. She had been told she was unable to have a child, and yet, she believed she might be pregnant. Without knowing that Planned Parenthood pushes an abortion agenda, Erin went in to get a free pregnancy test. She says that she was very happy when the result was positive, but the Planned Parenthood worker offered her one thing: abortion.
The worker handed her not just one, but three pamphlets filled with abortion information. When Erin said abortion was not what she wanted, the woman told her she could come back if she did want an abortion.
There was no congratulations on Erin’s expected baby – even when it was clear that Erin wanted her baby. There was no asking if Erin needed prenatal or other medical help. There was only one thing: abortion.
Sadly, this is just status quo for Planned Parenthood. Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director, has revealed that Planned Parenthood has “abortion quotas” – a number of abortions that must be met so that a certain amount of money is raked in.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains gave its Aurora abortion facility an award for performing an increased number of abortions and exceeding its quota.
Live Action News writer Cassy Fiano explained Planned Parenthood’s absolute focus on pushing abortion – even at the expense of women’s health:
Planned Parenthood under Cecile Richards has been able to transform themselves into the nation’s largest abortion provider, while also increasing the amount of taxpayer funding they receive. And while they tout themselves as an essential women’s health care provider, they have not only slashed their health care services, but mandated that Planned Parenthood affiliates provide abortions. Affiliates that didn’t provide abortions, but provided other health care services, were forced to either agree to the slaughter of preborn children or cut ties.
A woman close to me went into a Planned Parenthood clinic during her college years, pregnant with her first child. She – just like Erin – was not looking for an abortion. But when she told this to Planned Parenthood, she was told they couldn’t help her. The best she got was a referral to an OB-GYN and a disconnected phone number.
Other women have similar testimonies about their own experiences with Planned Parenthood and abortion.
I’ve had 6 abortions, 3 of my abortions were done through Planned Parenthood. It was the most awful thing I’ve ever had to do. It was nothing but a death experience, parts of me died with it. Planned Parenthood gave me no other options. Planned Parenthood buildings have very cold atmospheres, along with the nurses being distant emotionally, no support, just get it done. They need no money to kill humans, the money needs to go to helping these women to give life to their babies.
I was 15 years old when my mother and I returned to Planned Parenthood…I was told I was 11 weeks pregnant and that my pregnancy was a ‘clump of cells.’ I was told to hurry to make an appointment if I wanted an abortion because at 12 weeks, the price would be higher. I was not given any counseling of any kind whatsoever. Today, I deeply regret my abortion.
When I was 21, I had an abortion with the help of Planned Parenthood of West Bend, Wisconsin. Planned Parenthood told me at that time that my baby was nothing but tissue at that point in my pregnancy. I was about 10 weeks along. It was nothing but lies,,,, I was in a horrible relationship, and was forced into having this awful procedure performed on me. This is a decision I will have to live with the rest of my life. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about that precious baby that I killed. There was no counseling afterwards, and no one to talk to….. Please stop this from happening to other women…
See Students for Life of America’s Planned Parenthood Project here and their Pregnant on Campus Initiative (designed to bring practical aid to pregnant college students) here.
A report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office found that America's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, received at least $1.5 billion in state and federal funding in a three-year span from 2010-2012.
The investigation additionally found that the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and five other pro-abortion advocacy companies— Advocates for Youth, Guttmacher Institute, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Population Council, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States – spent a combined total of nearly $482 million in direct federal funding received from Health and Human Services and United States Agency of International Development during that time.
The report, which was compiled after a group of over 60 pro-life Congress members led by U.S. Reps. Diane Black, R-Tenn., Chris Smith, R-N.J. and Pete Olson, R-Texas, sent a letter to GAO in February of 2013 asking for data on the how much federal funding was expended by six major organizations who advocate and or perform elective abortion-on-demand from 2010-2012.
Planned Parenthood spent most of the $482 million provided by HHS and USAID to the six groups, spending over $344 million of it. Additionally, Planned Parenthood received over $1.2 billion from combined state and federal funds from State Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Medicaid.
"The Obama Administration is committed to advancing a pro-abortion agenda and continually has placed the demands of abortion advocates and providers at the top of its public health agenda for six years [and] all the expenses [are] the taxpayers," said the director of Family Research Council's Center for Human Dignity, Arina Grossu, in a press release.
Although Planned Parenthood gets about $500 million in taxpayer dollars every year and offers other services, abortions accounted for 94 percent of the company's pregnancy services in 2013.
"Planned Parenthood –– Child Abuse Incorporated –– is responsible for killing more than 6 million unborn children, and it is unconscionable that this organization continues to be subsidized by the American taxpayer," Smith said in a combined statement.
Although the Hyde Amendment, which was made law in 1976, prohibits the federal government from using taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, elective abortion providers and supporters are able to secure federal funding because of the other services they offer, senior policy advisor for the Christian pro-life activist organization Operation Rescue, Cheryl Sullenger, previously told The Christian Post.
Under the frequently-asked-questions section on the Planned Parenthood website, the company explains that it provides contraception, cancer screenings, breast exams, treatments for sexually transmitted infections and HIV tests with the tax dollars it receives.
"The effort to bar Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving any federal funds would shatter the country's public health safety net and jeopardize women's health," the website claims. "Without Planned Parenthood's 800-plus health centers, millions of women will have no place to go for basic, preventive health care."
In her statement, Black said that the government's trend of providing funding to companies like Planned Parenthood is "shameful" and there is a responsibility for Congress to end the trend.
"This report confirms what we suspected all along: hard-earned taxpayer dollars continue to be used to promote abortions," Black explained. "That is shameful and we have a responsibility to stop it. As a nurse for more than 40 years, I know that abortion is not health care."
Olson said it is appalling that Congress members have to get involved in order for the U.S. citizens to know how much of their money is actually being given to elective abortion-advocating companies.
"It shouldn't take a GAO request from Congress for the American public to know where their tax dollars are being spent. Yet, since I have been in Congress , this is the only way we can get answers," Olson said in a press release. "That's why I continue to demand transparency and fight to stop organizations like Planned Parenthood from receiving a single tax dollar. I will continue to do all I can to prevent taxpayers from being forced to support organizations that promote or perform abortions."
Black's statement added that Congress should further act on the findings of the report and pass the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which would further prevent federal funding from being given to organizations that "promote the destruction of unborn life."
"It's sad irony that this study would be released at a time when Senate Democrats are working against human trafficking and medicare bills that continue the longstanding Hyde Amendment aimed at prohibiting federal funding of abortions," Black said. "As the GAO report clearly shows, this amendment alone does not fully prevent the federal funding of abortion providers and promoters. And lets not forget, this information the Obama administration never wanted us to have."
Thursday, March 26, 2015
by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 3/25/15 4:46 PM
A new governmental report shows American taxpayers have been forced to send $1.5 billion in federal funds to the nation’s biggest abortion business, Planned Parenthood.
Two years ago, pro-life members of Congress sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a comprehensive report on which abortion advocacy groups Americans were forced to fund with their tax dollars. Today the government watchdog (GAO) released the requested report which details funding for six abortion advocacy groups over a three year period (2010-2012).
The six organizations researched were Planned Parenthood, Population Council, International Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Advocates for Youth and Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.
The report found the Planned Parenthood abortion corporation and its affiliates received $344.5 million in federal funds and another $1.2 billion in funding from Medicaid (which includes a combination of federal and state funds) for a total of $1.5 billion over three years from federal programs. The abortion fiant receives $1.2 billion from Medicaid, $201 million from the Title X family planning program $40.6 million from Title XX Social Services block grants and $25.9 million from the Title V Maternal and Child health Services block grant.
On average, Planned Parenthood receives approximately $500 million a year in taxpayer funds. The report found that the six organizations spent $481 million in federal funding from Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012.
Congresswoman Diane Black, a Tennessee Republican, was dismayed by the numbers.
“This report confirms what we suspected all along: hard-earned taxpayer dollars continue to be used to promote abortions. The GAO study found that Planned Parenthood Federation of America alone – the nation’s largest abortion provider – spent about $1.5 billion in combined federal and state funding during this reporting period. This is shameful and we have a responsibility to stop it,” she said. “As a nurse for more than 40 years, I know that abortion is not health care. In light of this report, Congress should act swiftly by passing the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which would help cut off federal funding of organizations like these that promote the destruction of unborn life.”
Representative Black added, “It is a sad irony that this study would be released at a time when Senate Democrats are working against human trafficking and Medicare bills that continue the longstanding Hyde Amendment aimed at prohibiting federal funding of abortions. As the GAO report clearly shows, this amendment alone does not fully prevent the federal funding of abortion providers and promoters. And let’s not forget, this is information the Obama Administration never wanted us to have. The only reason this report exists is because pro-life Members of Congress specifically demanded it. Greater transparency and accountability is needed to expose how taxpayer dollars are being spent when it comes to abortion. By exposing the facts and shining a light on this egregious misuse of federal dollars, I believe we can successfully mobilize the support needed to defund the big abortion industry once and for all.”
“It shouldn’t take a GAO request from Congress for the American public to know where their tax dollars are being spent. Yet, since I’ve been in Congress, this is the only way we can get answers. That’s why I continue to demand transparency and fight to stop organizations like Planned Parenthood from receiving a single tax dollar. I will continue to do all I can to prevent taxpayers from being forced to support organizations that promote or perform abortions. Greater transparency is critically important and precisely what these groups seek to avoid,” said Congressman Pete Olson.
“The government watchdog (GAO) report issued today found that Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion chain in America, received a whopping $1.5 billion dollars through federal programs over a three year period. Planned Parenthood—Child Abuse Incorporated—is responsible for killing more than 6 million unborn children, and it is unconscionable that this organization continues to be subsidized by the American taxpayer,” said Congressman Chris Smith.
“Taxpayer funding should in no way support abortions. But when we hand out funding to groups like Planned Parenthood, we know exactly where it’s going – they proudly admit that the majority of their pregnancy-related resources go toward abortions,” said Senator David Vitter. “We can’t let this federal support come at the expense of millions of unborn children.”
Congressman Tim Huelskamp (KS-01): “Sixteen months ago, I joined seventy-one fellow Members of Congress to demand a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into how Planned Parenthood, the largest abortionist in the world, uses our tax dollars. Last week, GAO finally completed their investigation and confirmed much of what we already knew – massive amounts of taxpayer dollars are being pocketed by a group that is snuffing out the lives of nearly 900 babies every day. Handing over 500 million tax dollars annually to a group of abortionists rife with abuses, including fraudulent Medicaid claims, cover-up of rape and incest, and violations of the Hyde Amendment is not only controversial – it is immoral.”
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 3/24/15 12:13 PM
We know unborn babies are not clumps of cells or blobs of tissues and ultrasound photos have long confirmed their humanity. As the pro-life movement has focused on the pain unborn children feel when they are victimized by abortion, it’s helped put an additional spotlight on the humanity of babies before birth.
Now, a new series of ultrasounds shows just how much they can be harmed even though they haven’t been born. A series of ultrasound images reveals how unborn babies adversely react when their mother smokes a cigarette.
Dr Nadja Reissland has studied moving 4-d scan images and recorded thousands of tiny movements in the womb. She monitored 20 mothers attending the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, four of whom smoked an average of 14 cigarettes a day. After studying their ultrasound scans at 24, 28, 32 and 36 weeks, she detected that babies whose mothers smoked continued to show significantly higher rates of mouth movement and self-touching than those carried by non-smokers.
The image is of a 4-d ultrasound scan showing a sequence of movements displayed by two unborn children at 32 weeks gestation which shows fetal movements in a baby whose mother is a smoker (top) and a fetus whose mother is a non-smoker (below). In the image, the baby clearly looks uncomfortable and covering his or her face.
The pilot study, which Dr Reissland hopes to expand with a bigger sample, indicated that babies carried by smokers may have delayed development of the central nervous system.
The research, conducted by Durham and Lancaster University, is published in the journal Acta Paediatrica.
Dr Reissland, from Durham’s Psychology Department, said: “A larger study is needed to confirm these results and to investigate specific effects, including the interaction of maternal stress and smoking.”
She believed that videos of the difference in pre-birth development could help mothers give up smoking.
But she was against demonising mothers and called for more support for them to give up. Currently, 12 per cent of pregnant women in the UK smoke but the rate is over 20 per cent in the Durham, Darlington and Tees area.
We start off the final week of this 40 Days for Life campaign with HUGE news!
Since the first coordinated 40 Days for Life campaign in 2007, we have now received cumulative reports of 10,000 babies who are alive today because their mothers rejected abortion and chose life!
10,000!!
To God be the glory … great things He has done!
Tempe, Arizona
A young couple had just left Planned Parenthood when a 40 Days for Life prayer volunteer caught their attention. As they talked, they explained that they didn’t think they could afford another child.
It turns out they couldn’t even afford the $75 Planned Parenthood wanted to charge them for an ultrasound.
That’s when the vigil participant said they could get a free ultrasound at a nearby pregnancy help center. When the center’s director heard this couple was on the way, she dropped everything and headed back to arrange the ultrasound.
All this time, the young man and woman smiled as they read a brochure about the development of the baby – and talked about what they were seeing.
As they left for the pregnancy center, the woman said, “We hope it’s a boy.”
Houston, Texas
The Houston team tells of a woman who was going to Planned Parenthood to schedule an abortion. But when she got there, the place was closed.
But even though Planned Parenthood was locked up for the day, there was a man praying on the sidewalk. She spoke to him, and he gave her a coupon for free services at the Big Blue Bus – the mobile pregnancy help center that spends many hours every week parked outside the abortion center.
A few days later, she returned and told the counselors on the bus she was there to redeem her coupon. She had changed her mind and chosen life for her unborn child!
“When she saw her baby on the ultrasound,” said one of the volunteers, “she called this man an angel sent from God. If we hadn’t been there with our Big Blue Bus, chances are she would have gone into Planned Parenthood.”
Sharonville, Ohio
The 40 Days for Life vigil in Sharonville takes place outside a business that stopped doing surgical abortions … but still offers chemical abortions.
“From what we understand,” said Mary Jo in Sharonville, “the cost of this is close to what an early-term surgical abortion costs. The abortion clinic continues to make a lot of money even though it is not doing surgical abortions.”
So the volunteers keep praying … and learning that their prayers are being answered.
A young woman who was entering the abortion center accepted some information from volunteers, but went inside anyway. She left … and returned a few days later. But this time, when she came out, she told the volunteers she had changed her mind and was keeping her baby.
“The weather is getting better,” Mary Jo said. “Please consider coming to pray!”
