ABORTION NEWS
From 2006-October to December
Sponsored link.
Background information on many aspects of abortion is found in individual essays, e.g.
public opinion,
clinic protests,
clinic violence,
parental notification,
abortion methods, and
post abortion syndrome. Information about the use of
stem cells is elsewhere.
News items:
 | 2006-OCT-02: USA: Notification bill defeated: Congressional Bill S. 403 would have
required a young woman under the age of 18 to inform at least one parent
before she obtained an abortion in another state if her home state had a law
requiring parental notification. The intent of the bill was to prevent young
women from traveling to another state which lacked such a law in order to
obtain an abortion without informing their parents. The bill was originally
passed by the Senate on JUL-25 with a vote of 65 to 34.
Shortly before Congress adjourned on SEP-29, 57 senators voted to remove the
final procedural obstacle to the bill so that President Bush could sign it
into law. However, 60 "cloture votes" are required to end a filibuster.
Fifty one out of 55 Republicans and 6 of the 45 Democrats voted in favor of
the bill. 1,2 |
| 2006-OCT-07/08: South Africa: Catholic
Cardinal says constitution is anti-life: Cardinal Wilfrid Napier,
president of the Southern Africa Catholic Bishop's Conference
described South Africa's constitution as "fiercely
anti-life" because it permits the sale of contraception products, allows
abortion access and permits loving, committed
same-sex couples to marry. He said that the
constitution is: "... against nature. It is against what marriage was
intended for - to have children. That kind of activity cannot bring life.
There is no way we can give a person the right to do something that is
morally wrong." Denigrating the beliefs of Agnostics, Atheists,
Buddhists, Humanists, and others, he said that: "Human beings cannot
function without a deity." He believes that people have not challenged
the constitution because such an action may be seen as unpatriotic,
undemocratic and/or racist. 3 |
| 2006-OCT-10: USA:
U.S. Supreme Court rejects request for abortion review: Sandra Cano, was
the plaintiff in the Doe vs. Bolton case of 1973. This was a companion case
to the more commonly known Roe v. Wade. Cano's case created a health
exception for abortions. Cano recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to
review her case. She argued that lawyers of the American Civil Liberties
Union had unduly influenced her to pursue the case, and that new scientific
knowledge has been uncovered since 1973 about the nature of an embryo and
fetus. The court rejected her request. Normal McCorvie -- the "Roe" of Roe
v. Wade had also asked the court for a review of her case. The court
rejected her case earlier in 2006. 4 |
|
2006-OCT-16: Portugal: Government campaign starts to promote abortion
access: The government of Portugal has
launched a campaign to encourage voters to pass a referendum to allow women
to choose to have an abortion in the first ten weeks of pregnancy. Prime
Minister Jose Socrates delivered a speech at the Women's
Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference, which had been organized by
the Socialist deputies of the European Parliament. He said, in part: |
"What is at stake here is that women who wish to abort should be free
to do so up to 10 weeks of pregnancy without being persecuted or
prosecuted. ... The Socialist Party does not impose its will. Every
person should be free and I support the yes campaign."
5
| 2006-OCT-26: Nicaragua: Government votes to
ban all abortions: For the past century, women have been able to obtain
an abortion if three doctors would certify that her health was at risk.
Nicaraqua's Congress overwhelmingly voted to ban all abortions, even those
required to save the life of the woman. If President Enrique Bolanos
signs it into law, then every pregnant woman in the country would be require
to give birth, even if childbirth results in her death.
The president had proposed increasing prison sentences for illegal abortions
from about 6 years to from 10 to 30 years. He also asked that women
who had abortions be prosecuted. However, the Congress did not approve these
changes to the sentencing.
About 85% of Nicaraqua's population is Roman Cathoic. Most of the other
countries in Latin America also are heavily Roman Catholic. According to the
Center for Reproductive Right most countries in the region allow
abortion when a woman's life is in danger but deny it to pregnant victims of
rape or incest, or if the woman faces serious health risks or disability.
6 |
References used:
- "Senate Dems abort
parent notification bill," UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum,
2006-OCT-02, at:
http://www.religionandspirituality.com/
- The text of the "Child Custody
Protection Act," S 403 ES, Senate, is at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
- "Constitution is anti-life, says cardinal," Independent Online,
2006-OCT-09, at:
http://www.iol.co.za/
- "Supremes reject request for 'Doe' abortion review. Court refuses to look
at claims woman was shoved into landmark 1973 ruling," WorldNetDaily,
2006-OCT-12, at:
http://worldnetdaily.com/
- "Portuguese government launches campaign in abortion referendum," People's
Daily Online, 2006-OCT-17, at:
http://english.people.com.cn/
- Filadelfo Aleman, "Nicaraguan Congress votes to ban all abortions,"
Associated Press, 2006-OCT-26, at:
http://www.chron.com/
Copyright © 2006 by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Created: 2006-OCT-03
Latest update: 2006-OCT-17
Author: B.A. Robinson
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