The defense and promotion of human life are not the monopoly of anyone, but rather the responsibility and task of all. – The Gospel of Life, 91

Below I’ve included 2 articles for you on national and local pro-life updates.

Obama Unveils Health Care Plan, Violates Pledge by Keeping Abortion Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – President Barack Obama has proposed changes he thinks should be included in the changes made to the Senate health care bill as Democrats move ahead with their plan to railroad the bill thorough Congress via reconciliation. However, Obama does not propose any changes to the massive abortion funding.

In fact, analysis from one pro-life organization finds Obama’s plan actually increases the total potential abortion funding.

The current Senate bill contains massive abortion funding that could force taxpayers to fund hundreds of thousands of abortions and it has other pro-abortion problems. But the new Obama health care proposal, unveiled today in advance of the White House health care summit, leaves intact that Senate language funding abortions.

It opens the door for Rep. Bart Stupak, whose amendment stopped abortion funding in the House version of the bill that will be tossed aside, to gather a group of 10-12 pro-life Democrats who voted for the House bill to oppose the Senate version.

The Obama plan also violates his pledge to Congress and the American people that his version of health care reform would not force taxpayers to fund abortions.

In a September nationally-televised speech to Congress, Obama sought to clear up projections from pro-life advocates that his health care plan would fund abortions. “One more misunderstanding I want to clear up — under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions,” Obama claimed. Full story at LifeNews.com

Idaho Senate Passes Bill to Protect Conscience Rights of Pro-Life Medical Workers

Boise, ID (LifeNews.com) – An Idaho state Senate committee approved a bill that would create statutory protections for health care professionals in specific areas of medical practice. The Senate State Affairs committee voted 6-3 to send SB 1353 to the Senate floor with a recommendation that the Senate pass it.

The legislation makes it so pro-life health care workers don’t have to fear for their jobs if they decide they don’t want to dispense drugs that could be used to cause abortions or kill patients at the end of their life.

David Ripley, the director of Idaho Chooses Life, talked more about the passage of the pro-life bill.

“Opposition to the bill came largely from the abortion lobby because of their fears that it will create impediments to easy distribution of so-called emergency contraception,” he said. “Much of the morning debate was taken up with a debate of how the drug works.”

“Oddly enough, the debate was settled by the closing testimony of retired abortionist Duane St. Clair, who acknowledged that emergency contraception can sometimes cause the destruction of an embryo by making the uterine wall inhospitable to the new human life,” he added.

Idaho Right to Life and the Catholic Diocese of Boise supported the legislation along with ICL and Dr. Will Rainford, representing Bishop Driscoll, emphasized the spiritual gravity of forcing Christian medical personnel to participate in medical procedures they know to be wrong. Full story at LifeNews.com

Please continue to pray for SB 1353 and contact your state senators to encourage their support of the bill.

For the Voiceless,

Brandi