Pro-Life Groups May Sue Over Abortion Protest Limits at Democratic Convention

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Pro-Life Groups May Sue Over Abortion Protest Limits at Democratic Convention

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 22, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- During the Democratic convention, pro-life groups have asked Denver officials to give them a commitment to conduct a prayer vigil at the Pepsi Center before the event. Because they haven't received assurances the event will go on unhindered they are considering filing a lawsuit this week.
The groups, including the Christian Defense Coalition, Survivors, Operation Rescue and others, sent a letter to City Attorney David Fine threatening a lawsuit if they don't receive a response by Friday.
The event calls for encircling the Pepsi Center, a large stadium used for sporting events, with hundreds of Christians.

They would be "kneeling in prayer around the Pepsi Center and leaving roses to remember the children that have died from abortion and the women that have been bruised and diminished" the letter says.
"We would also be praying for Senator Obama to stand for human rights and social justice and end this tragic war against America's children," the letter says.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, who authored the letter on behalf of the groups said he hasn't heard from Fine about the event and considers the delay a limit on the groups' free speech.
"This delay is creating a major hardship for us and also limiting our ability to peacefully plan to exercise our First Amendment rights on the streets of Denver during the DNC," Mahoney said.
During the event the group would leave 1,400 roses to honor the children who have died from abortion. The number is equal to the number of African-American children that die every day in America from abortion.

"We have been working with the City of Denver since September of 2007 to hold this prayer vigil outside of the Pepsi Center," Mahoney told LifeNews.com. "After almost a year of discussions, we still do not have a firm commitment from them that we will be able to peacefully gather in prayer at the Pepsi Center."
"We hope we do not have to go into federal court to settle this matter, but we certainly will do so if we cannot reach an agreement with the City," he concluded.


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From http://lifenews.com/nat4065.html


Hillary Clinton Opposes Bush Plan to Protect Pro-Life Doctors on Abortion

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 22, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Senator Hillary Clinton says she will try to stop a new proposal from the Bush administration that would protect pro-life doctors, nurses and other medical professionals from having to participate in abortions. The Bush plan also protects medical facilities that don't want to do abortions.

The idea is to require hospitals and other medical facilities that receive federal funding to guarantee that they will not refuse to hire medical staff who refuse to participate in abortions.
The facilities would be required to sign written certifications as a prerequisite for receiving the federal funds.
The rules would go further and require state and local governments receiving federal funding to certify as well that they won't discriminate against hospitals and medical facilities that don't do abortions when making grant considerations with federal monies.

But Clinton has said no to the idea and called it a "gratuitous, unnecessary insult" to women.
"We will not put up with this radical, ideological agenda to turn the clock back on women's rights," the New York senator said.
She joined Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocates who have misconstrued the proposal by claming it limits the promotion of contraception and birth control.
"Women would watch their contraceptive coverage disappear overnight," Clinton claimed.
Clinton and the pro-abortion gorups say the plan includes things like the morning after pill that can also work sometimes as an abortion drug.

The proposed HHS rules define abortion as “any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.”
With such a definition, the proposal clearly applies only to abortions or drugs that cause abortions and true contraception is not involved in the policy.