Abortion news

For the year 2010

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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:

	2010-JAN-11: NV: "Personhood" change to the Nevada Constitution fails: PersonhoodUSA is attempting to restrict or eliminate abortion access by overturning Roe v. Wade through a novel technique. It is promoting "personhood" amendments to various state constitutions including that of Nevada. If it was allowed to be on the ballot and if it was supported by 50% of the voters (plus one) it would have altered the Nevada constitution so that human personhood would be defined as starting during the process of conception. Defining a pre-embryo, embryo and fetus as human persons would mean that each abortion would be a homicide, or at least a manslaughter -- no matter at what stage in gestation it was performed. The PersonhoodUSA strategy appears to be to have each state constitution modified with the same definition of personhood in the hopes that the U.S. Supreme Court would follow suit on some future abortion ruling. On JAN-08, District Judge James Russell ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood & the American Civil Liberties Union, and against Personhood Nevada Ballot in the lawsuit Bristol v. Personhood Nevada. The judge ruled that the language of the ballot question was so vague that the average person would be unable to understand it. Also, the petition violates a state law which states that such ballots can only deal with a single subject. Personhood Nevada plans to appeal the decision to the Nevada Supreme Court. 1,2
	2010-JAN-16: MD: Regulation of crisis pregnancy centers: A new bill was approved by a 12 to 3 vote and signed into law by the city city council in Baltimore. It requires crisis pregnancy centers in the city to post a sign stating in both Spanish and English that they do not "... provide or make referrals for abortion or birth-control services." Four centers in Baltimore are affected. It is believed to be the first law of its kind in the U.S. The law was initiated in response to a perceived communication problem. Many pregnant clients in crisis approach crisis pregnancy centers in the expectation of having all of their options explained to then. Most crisis pregnancy centers are run by religious groups who are very much opposed to abortion access; some are also oppose to the use of contraceptives. There have been many studies that show that some unsuspecting clients are bombarded by anti-abortion messages when they arrive at the clinic. The law forces centers to be transparent and open about their services. Some pro-lifers are interpreting the law as condemning the centers for duplicity. 3,4
	2010-JAN-29: KS: Anti-abortionist murderer convicted: Scott Roeder was found guilty of the premeditated, first-degree murder of Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider in Witchita, KS. He faces a manatory life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years. When asked during the trial why he had murdered Dr. Tiller, he said: "The lives of those children were in imminent danger. If someone did not stop George Tiller, he was going to continue as he had done for 36 years prior to that time. If someone did not stop him, they were going to continue to die. I did what I thought was needed to be done to protect the children. I shot him." At one point, he considered chopping off Tiller's hands with a sword, but then settled on a gun. 5

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "Nevada Court rejects proposed personhood amendment," Religion Clause blog, 2010-JAN-12, at: http://religionclause.blogspot.com/
2. "Personhood comes to Nevada," PersonhoodNV, 2010-JAN-08, at: http://www.personhoodnevada.com/ This is a temporary listing.
3. "Baltimore passes unbalanced ordinance ," OneNewsNow, 2009-JAN-16, at: http://www.onenewsnow.com/
4. "New Baltimore law would stop Crisis Pregnancy Centers from misleading women," Feminists for Choice, 2009-NOV-30, at: http://feministsforchoice.com/
5. Charlie Butts, "Conviction in Kansas abortionist murder," One News Now, 2010-JAN-29, at:  http://www.onenewsnow.com/

Copyright © 2010 by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Created: 2010-JAN-19
Latest update: 2010-JAN-31
Author: B.A. Robinson

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