It’s the time of year when thoughts turn more concertedly to the ongoing tragedy – and travesty – of abortion.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÎn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

Activists count back to the January 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade and produce new calculations on how many lives have been ended prematurely through the deliberate choice of their mothers—and with the often enthusiastic cooperation of medical professionals who have found their own ways of reconciling the destruction of life with their Hippocratic oath. (The latest addition tells us that a number roughly equivalent to the population of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona has been subtracted from the human race.)

Partisans of “a woman’s right to choose” rejoice, taking shelter in the assertion that the decision to abort a child is a personal one, between a mother and … well, really, no one. A father’s rights are no longer any more sacred than the life in the mother’s womb, parents are often legally required to stand aside, and doctors these days are on hand less to offer medical counsel than to facilitate the mechanics or chemistry of destruction.

On that score: chemistry is rapidly trumping mechanics, as the efficiency of the abortionists grows. Planned Parenthood is making new fortunes in blood money through the increasingly widespread use of “tele-med” abortions, which negate the presence or participation of medical staff. An expectant mother simply steps into a room, confirms to a doctor via a video chat her determination to abort, follows his directions to press a specific button, and – voila! – a drawer pops open with two pills inside. “Take one now and one tomorrow,” the doctor says. No muss, no fuss … no baby.

Such simplicities make it easier for the body count to accumulate, and there, too, the abortionists are at an advantage, for as Joseph Stalin reminded us, “One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” The more babies that die, the less unbearable the death of one more … a hundred more … a thousand more becomes. Abortionists know better than most that nothing succeeds like excess.

Stalin, though, had nothing on Shannon Dea, co-president of Planned Parenthood’s Waterloo Region, in Canada, who recently declared that “Medical science is irrelevant to the question of when a fetus becomes a human being – that matter is a legal and philosophical one, not a medical one.” But what, exactly, is to be gained by wading into debate with those who deem undeniable truth – and even facts – irrelevant?

Nothing, likely. But for the general benefit, let us consider one particular philosophical implication of all those lives, quenched in the womb. The roughly 53 million children aborted since 1973 equals about 17 percent of America’s current 312 million-plus population. Nearly one-fifth of us, simply taken out of the equation … the equation being our culture, our communities, our daily interactions, our myriad accomplishments as a people.

How would any of us begin to estimate the cost of losing not just the lives, but the extraordinary impact of one-fifth of our nation’s people? What diseases have gone untreated because the mind that could have isolated the necessary bacteria or virus never lived to see a laboratory?

Across those two lost generations, what outstanding leaders of business or industry, what eloquent voices of religion or politics, have been forfeited to a mother’s choice? What paradigm-shifting ideas and insights … what soul-stirring art and music and language … what heroic explorations and athletic accomplishments have never transpired because the unique imaginations and wills and endurances that would have achieved them were vacuumed from a woman’s womb?

How many of those aborted had within them the one-of-a-kind vision that might have accomplished peace … rolled back poverty … broken down racism … staved off tyrants and terrorists … translated, transformed, transcended some aspect of our civilization in a way no one ever had before?

A mind like Einstein’s … the eloquence of Martin Luther King, Jr. … the wisdom of Washington … the physical grace of Baryshnikov … these come along maybe once or twice in a generation. In our arrogance and near-sightedness, did we forfeit our most gifted ones to the expediencies of a self-centered, sex-obsessed culture?

We may never know – but we can wonder. In city after city, as child after child is destroyed without coming to fruition, what are we costing ourselves – and our own children and grandchildren? The abortionists are half right: abortion is as personal as a decision gets.

But it’s about far more – so very, very much more – than any woman’s “right to choose.”

LifeNews Note: Alan Sears, a former federal prosecutor in the Reagan Administration, is president and CEO of the Alliance Defense Fund.

Getting a legal abortion is much safer than giving birth, suggests a new U.S. study published Monday.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÎn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

Researchers found that women were about 14 times more likely to die during or after giving birth to a live baby than to die from complications of an abortion.

Experts say the findings, though not unexpected, contradict some state laws that suggest abortions are high-risk procedures.

The message is that getting an abortion and giving birth are both safe, said Dr. Anne Davis, who studies obstetrics and gynecology at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and wasn’t involved in the new study.

“We wouldn’t tell people, ‘Don’t have a baby because it’s safer to have an abortion’ — that’s ridiculous,” she told Reuters Health. “We’re trying to help women who are having all reproductive experiences know what to expect.”

An induced abortion — like any other medical procedure — requires getting informed consent from the woman, said Dr. Bryna Harwood, an ob-gyn from the University of Illinois in Chicago who also didn’t participate in the new research.

That means women understand and acknowledge the risks of their different options.

What makes it complicated, Harwood added, is when the law interferes and requires doctors to state information that isn’t always balanced or medically sound — usually exaggerating the risk of abortion.

The researchers on the new study combined government data on live births and pregnancy- and abortion-related deaths with estimates on legal abortions performed in the U.S. from the Guttmacher Institute, which conducts sexual and reproductive health research and education.

Dr. Elizabeth Raymond from Gynuity Health Projects in New York City and Dr. David Grimes of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, found that between 1998 and 2005, one woman died during childbirth for every 11,000 or so babies born.

That compared to one woman of every 167,000 who died from a legal abortion.

The researchers also cited a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which found that, from 1998 to 2001, the most common complications associated with pregnancy — including high blood pressure, urinary tract infections and mental health conditions — happened more often in women who had a live birth than those who got an abortion.

In their report, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Raymond and Grimes write that the findings aren’t surprising given that women are pregnant for a lot longer when they decide to have a baby and so have more time to develop complications.

Harwood said previous studies have also shown the safety of legal abortions.

Most abortions have typically been done surgically, she told Reuters Health. But since the abortion drug mifepristone was approved for use in the United States in 2000, the number of medically-induced abortions has been on the rise.

Both methods are now considered equally safe, she said, with the main risk — though very small — coming from medication- and procedure-related infections.

Depending on the state, however, doctors legally must go over the risks of abortion in language that may be misleading, researchers said, with skewed lists of possible complications. Others require a 24-hour waiting period in between the counseling and the abortion itself.

Harwood said that laws regarding what’s said between the doctor and a woman seeking an abortion often hamper doctors’ attempts to inform patients in a balanced way.

“It is certainly an impediment to have the state dictate my informed consent process beyond the usual,” Harwood told Reuters Health.

“Abortion care and pregnancy care should not really be any different than consenting people for any other procedure.”

Davis agreed that state-mandated discussions have no place in abortion counseling. She said she was glad to see the new report, which helps dispel “misinformation” and “lies” about abortion risks included in some state laws — such as the idea that abortion is linked to cancer.

“Women who are having abortions are having a safe, common surgical procedure or taking medication for the same reason,” she told Reuters Health

“They should feel confident that the medical care they’re having is safe, long-term and short-term.”

According to its latest annual report, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) received $487.4 million in tax dollars over a twelve-month period and performed 329,455 abortions.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÎn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

In addition, the number of adoption referrals made by the organization continued to decline.

The latest annual report covers the period from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, the PPFA’s fiscal year. The report states that the organization received “government health services grants and reimbursements” totaling $487.4 million.

Previous Planned Parenthood annual reports showed total funding from “government grants and contracts” (which were $363.2 million in 2009), while this year’s report also accounts for payments from Medicaid managed care plans among the payments the group receives from government .

When compared with previous annual reports, the latest one shows an almost steady increase in the number of abortions performed at its clinics: In 2006, Planned Parenthood did 289,750 abortions; in 2007, it did 305,310; in 2009, it did 331,796; and, in 2010, it did 329,445–a small decrease from the previous year.

The annual report for fiscal year 2008-2009 does not include abortion or adoption figures, but a PPFA Fact Sheet posted on its Web site and said to be current as of September 2010, states that 324,008 abortions were performed at Planned Parenthood clinics around the country in 2008.

According to PPFA’s annual report for fiscal year 2007-2008, in 2007 Planned Parenthood’s “adoption referrals to other agencies” totaled 4,912. In Fiscal Year 2010 that number was 841, a decrease of 82.8 percent.

The PPFA Fact Sheet states that adoption is included in 1 percent of services in 2008 (primary care and “other services” are included in that 1 percent), or 2,405 adoption referrals.

The latest annual report claims that abortion services make up 3 percent of “medical services,” but PPFA states it served 3 million people and performed 329,445 abortions – numbers that show 11 percent of customers received an abortion.

The Fiscal Year 2009-2010 annual report also shows that PPFA’s net assets as of June 30, 2010 topped $1 billion, specifically $1,009,600,000.00.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life organization that lobbies Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, called the organization an “abortion giant.”

“With over a billion in net assets and a business model centered on abortion and government subsidies, it is time for Planned Parenthood to end its reliance on taxpayer dollars,” Dannenfelser said in a statement. “Despite an unprecedented effort by statewide and federal leaders to defund them, a wave of former employees willing to testify against them, and uniform agreement amongst Republican presidential candidates that they should be defunded, Planned Parenthood continues full-steam ahead.”

“They are unwilling to answer to the pro-life American majority that wants out of this business,” Dannenfelser said.

As reported earlier by CNSNews.com, a spokesperson with Planned Parenthood told Bloomberg’s Businessweek last year that 90 percent of government funding the organization gets is from the federal government or from Medicaid.

Abortion provider fighting for federal funding admits many other facilities accept Medicaid patients

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÎn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

The Children’s Memorial at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, names the children that died in the Holocaust, one after another. All 1.5 million of them.
The children of our country’s Holocaust, not only don’t have a memorial in DC, they are nameless innocent’s. 50 million and counting!! This picture comes from the page “Anonymous No Longer” on the Yad Vashem Site.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÃŽn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, faces eight counts of murder in the deaths of a woman following a botched abortion at his office, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions and then were killed by severing their spinal cords with a pair of scissors.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÃŽn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A West Philadelphia abortion doctor, his wife and eight other suspects are now under arrest following a grand jury investigation.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, faces eight counts of murder in the deaths of a woman following a botched abortion at his office, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions and then were killed by severing their spinal cords with a pair of scissors.
“I am aware that abortion is a hot-button topic,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “But as district attorney, my job is to carry out the law. A doctor who knowingly and systematically mistreats female patients, to the point that one of them dies in his so-called care, commits murder under the law. A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law.”
Gosnell is facing charges of murder in the third degree for the death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar. Mrs. Mongar died on November 20, 2009, when she was overdosed with anesthetics prescribed by Gosnell. He is also facing seven murder charges for the deaths of infants who were killed after being born viable and alive during the sixth, seventh, or eighth month of pregnancy. Gosnell is also facing numerous other charges.
Gosnell is suspected of killing hundreds of living babies over the course of his 30-year practice. However, he is not charged because the records do not exist.
DA Williams said Gosnell made approximately $1.8 million in one year alone performing the procedures.

our of the suspects, some improperly licensed according to officials, also face multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing the newborns. All of the suspects are now behind bars after warrants were served overnight.
A search of Gosnell’s office, called the Women’s Medical Society, revealed that bags and bottles holding aborted fetuses were scattered throughout the building. Jars containing the severed feet of babies lined a shelf.
Gosnell, a family practioner, was never certified as an OB/GYN. He is accused of re-using unsanitary instruments and performing procedures in filthy rooms. Some of the rooms had litter boxes and animals present at the time of the operations.
Investigators also said Gosnell allowed unlicensed employees, including a 15-year-old high school student, to perform operations and administer anesthesia.
The grand jury investigation revealed that, for over two decades, government health and licensing officials had received repeated reports about Gosnell’s dangerous practices. However, no action was ever taken, even after the agencies learned that Mrs. Mongar had died during routine abortions under Gosnell’s care (see related story).
Dr. Gosnell, who has practiced in the West Philadelphia neighborhood for decades, is also the target of a federal grand jury investigation into illegally prescribing prescription drugs. Investigators say during a search of his home, they found $240,000 in cash.
Defense attorney William J. Brennan, who was out of town when the arrest happened this morning, said he had not yet talked to Dr. Gosnell, but says the charges are extremely serious and emotionally charged, and it is extremely important not to have a rush to judgement. Brennan says Gosnell is “cloaked with the presumption of innocence.”
Meanwhile, a civil suit has also been filed against Gosnell on behalf of the husband and children of the woman who died after an abortion. The suit seeks unspecified damages for the family of Karna Mongar, an immigrant from Bhutan who spent many years as a refugee. The suit claims she died after just five months here because of treatment by unlicenced personnel in a facility that lacked proper medical equipment.
The doctor, in past interviews with Eyewitness News, has proclaimed his innocence, predicting if charged, he will be acquitted.

The Guttmacher Institute, which periodically surveys U.S. abortion providers, reported Tuesday that there were 1.21 million abortions in 2008 and a rate of 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÃŽn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

NEW YORK – The long-term decline in the U.S. abortion rate stalled as the recession took hold, according to the latest comprehensive survey of America’s abortion providers.
The Guttmacher Institute, which periodically surveys U.S. abortion providers, reported Tuesday that there were 1.21 million abortions in 2008 and a rate of 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
Both figures were up slightly from the previous 2005 survey, ending a steady decline since 1990, when U.S. abortions peaked at 1.6 million and the abortion rate was 27.4.
One possible factor was the recession that hit in 2008, altering the financial prospects for many families.
“Abortion numbers go down when the economy is good and go up when the economy is bad, so the stalling may be a function of a weaker economy,” said University of Alabama political science professor Michael New. “If the economy does better, you’ll see numbers trending down again.”

The Guttmacher Institute supports abortion rights, but its surveys are widely considered to be the most comprehensive available because federal agencies rely on incomplete data from state governments.
Sharon Camp, the institute’s president, said the stalled numbers should serve as an “urgent message” to policymakers that access to contraceptive services should be increased to prevent unintended pregnancy.
Many anti-abortion activists have opposed this approach, saying abortion rates can best be lowered through abstinence-only sex education and tougher state-level restrictions on abortion.
Many states have expanded restrictions in recent years, and others will be considering such steps in the aftermath of conservative gains in legislatures in the Nov. 2 elections. For example, lawmakers in several states would like to emulate Nebraska in outlawing abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the premise that fetuses can feel pain after that point.
“We know that it makes a difference what the law says in any particular state,” said Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life. “You can see dramatic decreases in abortion.”
Elizabeth Nash, a Guttmacher public policy associate, said the restrictive state laws tend to have little impact on affluent and middle-class women.
“What they end up doing is targeting the most vulnerable women — the ones without resources to go other places,” she said.
The new Guttmacher report documented sharp variations by state — with abortion rates over 30 per 1,000 in Delaware, New York and New Jersey and at or below 6 per 1,000 in Wyoming, Mississippi, Kentucky, South Dakota and Idaho.
The report also documented a significant increase in early medication abortion, entailing use of the so-called abortion pill. The number of such procedures performed in clinics — which provide 94 percent of all abortions — rose from 161,000 to 199,000 between 2005 and 2008, accounting for about 17 percent of abortions.
Initially known as RU-486, the pill was approved for use in the U.S. in September 2000. Affording women more privacy than a surgical abortion, the pill marketed as Mifeprex now accounts for about one-quarter of U.S. abortions performed in the first nine weeks of pregnancy.
“U.S. government reports have shown that abortions are increasingly occurring earlier in pregnancy, when the procedure is safest,” said Rachel Jones, lead author of the Guttmacher study. “Increased access to medication abortion is helping to accelerate that trend.”
According to the new study, the number of abortion providers changed little — from 1,787 to 1,793 — between 2005 and 2008. As was the case before, 87 percent of U.S. counties — home to 35 percent of women of reproductive age — had no abortion provider.
The new report did not provide demographic details on the ages, ethnicity and socio-economic status of women obtaining abortions, but Sharon Camp said it was clear that African-American and Hispanic women continued to account for a disproportionate share of abortions because they had relatively high rates of unintended pregnancies.
She remarked that abortion, since it was legalized nationwide in 1973, has become one of the most common surgical procedures.
“Yet after all these years,” she said, “it remains maybe the most highly sensitive issue in our country on the personal and political level.”

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/Obamacare-is-even-worse-than-critics-thought-960772-103571664.html#ixzz10NTjaNph

As written, Obamacare covers elective abortions, contrary to Obama’s promise that it wouldn’t. This means that tax dollars will be used to pay for a procedure millions of Americans across the political spectrum view as immoral. Supposedly, the Department of Health and Human Services will bar abortion coverage with new regulations but these will likely be tied up for years in litigation, and in the end may not survive the court challenge.

To view dictionary popup window put your cursor on the blue words

Iniquity Abounding

“For the mystery of iniquity•Strongs 458: anomia, an-om-ee´-ah; from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (genitive case) wickedness:—iniquity, x transgress(-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
•Strongs 459: anomos, an´-om-os; from 1 (as a negative particle) and 3551; lawless, i.e. (negatively) not subject to (the Jewish) law; (by implication, a Gentile), or (positively) wicked:—without law, lawless, transgressor, unlawful, wicked. doth already work: only he who now letteth•Strongs 2722: katecho, kat-ekh´-o; from 2596 and 2192; to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively):—have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, x make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold. will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
—2Thessalonians 2:7

Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÃŽn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

Six months ago, President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rammed Obamacare down the throats of an unwilling American public. Half a year removed from the unprecedented legislative chicanery and backroom dealing that characterized the bill’s passage, we know much more about the bill than we did then. A few of the revelations:

» Obamacare won’t decrease health care costs for the government. According to Medicare’s actuary, it will increase costs. The same is likely to happen for privately funded health care.

» As written, Obamacare covers elective abortions, contrary to Obama’s promise that it wouldn’t. This means that tax dollars will be used to pay for a procedure millions of Americans across the political spectrum view as immoral. Supposedly, the Department of Health and Human Services will bar abortion coverage with new regulations but these will likely be tied up for years in litigation, and in the end may not survive the court challenge.

» Obamacare won’t allow employees or most small businesses to keep the coverage they have and like. By Obama’s estimates, as many as 69 percent of employees, 80 percent of small businesses, and 64 percent of large businesses will be forced to change coverage, probably to more expensive plans.

» Obamacare will increase insurance premiums — in some places, it already has. Insurers, suddenly forced to cover clients’ children until age 26, have little choice but to raise premiums, and they attribute to Obamacare’s mandates a 1 to 9 percent increase. Obama’s only method of preventing massive rate increases so far has been to threaten insurers.

» Obamacare will force seasonal employers — especially the ski and amusement park industries — to pay huge fines, cut hours, or lay off employees.

» Obamacare forces states to guarantee not only payment but also treatment for indigent Medicaid patients. With many doctors now refusing to take Medicaid (because they lose money doing so), cash-strapped states could be sued and ordered to increase reimbursement rates beyond their means.

» Obamacare imposes a huge nonmedical tax compliance burden on small business. It will require them to mail IRS 1099 tax forms to every vendor from whom they make purchases of more than $600 in a year, with duplicate forms going to the Internal Revenue Service. Like so much else in the 2,500-page bill, our senators and representatives were apparently unaware of this when they passed the measure.

» Obamacare allows the IRS to confiscate part or all of your tax refund if you do not purchase a qualified insurance plan. The bill funds 16,000 new IRS agents to make sure Americans stay in line.

If you wonder why so many American voters are angry, and no longer give Obama the benefit of the doubt on a variety of issues, you need look no further than Obamacare, whose birthday gift to America might just be a GOP congressional majority.

An appeals court Thursday lifted a temporary injunction barring the federal government from funding research involving human embryonic stem cell research.

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Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÃŽn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia granted a request from the Justice Department to stay an injunction issued Aug. 23 blocking the funding. In a major victory for supporters of the research, the court said the Obama administration could resume funding the research pending a full appeal of the case.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, ruling in a lawsuit filed by two researchers working on alternatives to the cells, said the funding violated a federal rule that prohibits federal tax money from being used for research that involves the destruction of human embryos.

Here’s an excerpt from Thursday’s order:

O R D E R
Upon consideration of the emergency motion for stay pending appeal and for
immediate administrative stay, it is
ORDERED that the district court’s August 23, 2010 order be stayed pending
further order of the court. The purpose of this administrative stay is to give the court
sufficient opportunity to consider the merits of the emergency motion for stay and
should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion. See D.C.
Circuit Handbook of Practice and Internal Procedures 33 (2010). It is
FURTHER ORDERED that appellees file a response to the emergency motion
by September 14, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. The appellants may file a reply by 4:00 p.m. on
September 20, 2010. The parties are directed to hand-deliver the paper copies of their
submissions to the court by the time and date due.

The original decision was hailed by opponents of the research, who argue it is immoral to destroy human embryos. But it was condemned by supporters and advocates for patients, who said it was a major setback for one of the most promising areas of biomedical research.

In response to the order, the National Institutes of Health announced it was suspending consideration of any new grants for such research. Any researchers who had already received funding could continue their work, but their grants would not be renewed when they come up for routine review, the NIH said. As a result, hundreds of scientists around the country are scrambling to try to figure out how they are going to continue their research.

The Justice Department asked that the injunction be lifted as it appeals the decision, arguing the halt to the funding was causing irreparable harm to researchers, the federal government and patients hoping for cures.

Thursday’s decision was hailed by supporters of the research.

“We are very pleased that the Court of Appeals has stayed the preliminary injunction. It is crucial that federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research be restored permanently and this stay is a step in that direction,” said Lisa Hughes, president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a coalition of patient advocacy groups, scientists and research organizations that has lobbied for the funding. “While this issue continues to be argued in the courts, we call on Congress to move swiftly to resolve this issue and secure the future of this important biomedical research.”

The Food and Drug Administration approved a controversial new form of emergency contraception Friday that can prevent a pregnancy as many as five days after sex.

To view dictionary popup window put your cursor on the blue scripture words.

Innocent Blood

“Yea, they sacrificed•Strongs 2076:zabach, zaw-bakh´; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent•Strongs 5355:naqiy, naw-kee´; or ayIqÃŽn naqiyi (Joel 4 : 19; Jonah 1 : 14), naw-kee´; from 5352; innocent:—blameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit. blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted•Strongs 2610:chaneph, khaw-nafe´; a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:—corrupt, defile, x greatly, pollute, profane. with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions•Strongs 4611:mah-al-awl´; from 5953; an act (good or bad):—doing, endeavour, invention, work..”
—Psalms 106:37-39

The decision to allow the sale of the pill, which will be marketed under the brand name “ella,” was welcomed by family-planning proponents as a crucial new option to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But critics condemned the decision, arguing that it was misleading to approve ella as a contraceptive because the drug could also be used to induce an abortion.

Ella can cut the chances of becoming pregnant by about two-thirds for at least 120 hours after a contraceptive failure or unprotected sex, studies have shown. The only other emergency contraceptive on the market, the so-called morning-after pill sold as Plan B, is significantly less effective, becomes less effectual with each passing day and will not work after 72 hours.

Supporters and opponents both said the decision marked the clearest evidence of a shift in the influence of political ideology at the FDA. The last time the FDA considered an emergency contraceptive — making Plan B available without a prescription — the decision was mired in controversy amid similar concerns voiced by antiabortion activists. After repeated delays, Plan B was approved for sale to women 17 and older without a prescription.

Ella, which was approved in Europe last year and is available in at least 22 countries, was unanimously endorsed by an FDA advisory committee less than two months ago. Women will need a prescription but could keep a supply at home.

“Women’s health advocates appreciate that the review process for ella was consistent with standard FDA procedure and based on scientific evidence, not politics,” said Kirsten Moore, president of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project. “Approval of ella is further evidence that the FDA is committed to restoring scientific integrity in its decisions.”

For their part, critics said the decision reflected the abortion-rights stance of the Obama administration.

“They are choosing political ideology and the abortion industry’s radical agenda over women’s health and the safety of their children,” said David Bereit, director of the Fredericksburg-based antiabortion group 40 Days for Life.

If the history of Plan B is any indication, ella’s approval is likely to mark the beginning of many years of political and regulatory battles over the drug.

Critics are already concerned that ella’s approval as a contraceptive will make it eligible to receive federal tax subsidies, which are banned for the abortion pill RU-486,. They also are concerned that ella will be included in the services that health plans will have to pay for under the new health-care overhaul law.

“By misclassifying ella as emergency contraception, this administration has paved the way to covertly allow federal funding for abortion,” said Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), who called on Obama to issue an executive order prohibiting federal funds from paying for ella.

Ella is also likely to exacerbate a long-running debate over whether doctors have an obligation to write prescriptions for medication they oppose on moral grounds and whether pharmacists have an obligation to fill them. Many doctors and pharmacists refuse to write or fill prescriptions for Plan B or refer patients elsewhere for it.

“I am certain that pharmacists will refuse to fill prescriptions for” ella, said Karen L. Brauer of the group Pharmacists for Life International.

Plan B prevents a pregnancy by administering high doses of a hormone that mimics progesterone. It works primarily by inhibiting the ovaries from producing eggs. Critics argue that it can also prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb, which some consider equivalent to abortion.

Ella, known generically as ulipristal acetate, works as a contraceptive by blocking progesterone’s activity, delaying the ovaries from producing an egg. But progesterone is also needed to prepare the womb to accept a fertilized egg and to nurture a developing embryo. That’s how RU-486 prevents a fertilized egg from implanting and dislodges growing embryos. Ella’s chemical similarity to RU-486 raises the possibility that it might do the same thing, perhaps if taken at elevated doses. But no one knows for sure whether the drug would induce an abortion, because the drug has never been tested that way.

Critics, however, are convinced it will and fear that a woman who does not realize she is pregnant will use the drug, unwittingly giving herself an abortion. They also worry that men will slip ella to unsuspecting women. And, the critics say, a woman might knowingly use ella to try to abort a fetus, putting herself at risk for potentially serious complications that have been reported among a small number of women using RU-486 and possibly damaging her developing child if it doesn’t work.

The Family Research Council and several other groups announced plans Friday to launch a campaign publicizing ella’s possible abortion potential.

“Ella is an abortion drug,” said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. “It operates the same way as RU-486, the abortion drug. Many women may be comfortable taking a contraceptive but would object to taking an abortion drug.”

Proponents dismiss the concerns, saying that ella has been tested only within five days of unprotected sex and there is no evidence that it works as anything other than a contraceptive. HRA Pharma of Paris, which makes ella, has no plans to test it as an abortion drug, but it did not appear to cause any problems for the handful of women who became pregnant after taking the drug, according to company officials. Studies involving more than 4,500 women in the United States show ella is safe, causing only minor side effects, such as headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and dizziness, the FDA said.

“Ella will become an important option for women,” said Vanessa Cullins of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, which will market the drug in the United States, hopes to make ella available by the end of the year. The price has not yet been announced.