Categories
Abortion Constitutionality

Criminal penalties for women who self-abort?

Here is a link to a story in the National Right to Life News about a British women who was sentenced for aborting her own child in the last week of pregnancy. http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/09/british-woman-sentenced-to-eight-years-for-aborting-her-child-in-last-week-of-pregnancy/ In the US, the Ninth Circuit (on September 11, 2012) held unconstitutional an Idaho law prohibiting self-abortion. Here is commentary from Walter Weber. […]

Categories
Abortion Legislation Politics

Pro-life voting

I don’t think that I want to comment one way or the other on the question of whether those who regard abortion as a political issue of the greatest importance should vote for Mitt Romney, or more generally for Republicans, this fall (and in any case I definitely don’t want to do so right now). I […]

Categories
Abortion

Michael Paulsen essay on abortion and rape

Here is a good essay (The Right to Life and the Irrelevance of Rape) by Michael Paulsen.  http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/09/6229 Here is key portion of his argument: “The fact of rape is irrelevant. Rape is tragic, awful, horrible, gut-wrenching—an unspeakable crime of great emotional harm—but rape is essentially irrelevant to the morality of abortion. The issue is […]

Categories
Abortion Presidential Actions

interesting essay on abortion and judicial conservatism

On Public Discourse, here is the first part of a two-part essay by Michael Fragoso entitled “Abortion and the Courts: A Brief Political History of Judicial Conservatism.”  http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/08/6088 Fragoso takes issue with the view that presidential elections don’t matter because judges appointed by Republican presidents have been, from the perspective of the pro-life movement, “at best–part of the problem  […]

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Abortion Research sites and suggestions Uncategorized

Sneak peek at upcoming publications

One of the ways to get a heads up on upcoming books in the area of Abortion, Euthanasia, and Infanticide is to go to Amazon (or some other book store, I presume) and type in “Abortion” or whatever in the search field. Then sort by publishing date. The first books that show up will be […]

Categories
Abortion Constitutionality Court cases Free Speech Pregnancy Assistance Centers

4th Circuit will rehear important crisis pregnancy center/free speech cases

Back in June, I reported on two important decisions from the Fourth Circuit. http://www.uffl.org/blog/2012/06/28/important-decisions-from-the-4th-circuit-in-crisis-pregnancy-center-cases/   Those cases involved laws that require crisis pregnancy centers to post notices stating that the centers don’t have medical professionals on staff and encouraging women to consult with a licensed health care provider. In June, a panel of the Fourth Circuit held that these compelled speech laws […]

Categories
Abortion Feminism Politics

Michael New’s review of Jane Gilroy’s book on Ellen McCormack

Here is a link to Michael New’s review of Jane Gilroy’s book on Ellen McCormack. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/08/6039  McCormack’s 1976 presidential campaign was an important moment in the history of the pro-life movement. New notes: “This campaign is nicely chronicled in Jane Gilroy’s new book A Shared Vision. Gilroy gives some well-deserved attention to the accomplishments of a […]

Categories
Abortion Bioethics Contraception Court cases Legislation Medical abortion Organ Donation Philosophy

Highlighting a few recent items in the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly

The Spring 2012 NCBQ arrived in yesterday’s mail (many academic journals tend to run a few months behind), and I’d like to make brief mention of several things from the previous issue (Winter 2011) and the new one. In the Winter 2011 issue there is a review, by Germain Kopaczynski, OFM, of Joseph W. Dellapenna’s Dispelling the Myths […]

Categories
Abortion Constitutionality Fetal pain

9th Circuit enjoins Arizona’s law banning abortion after 20 weeks

Here is a link to a LifeNews article on the 9th Circuit’s ruling to enjoin an Arizona law banning abortions after 20 weeks based on fetal pain.  http://www.lifenews.com/2012/08/01/appeals-court-stops-arizona-fetal-pain-based-abortion-ban/ On July 30, 2012, Judge Teilborg of the US District Court for the District of Arizona upheld the constitutionality of the Arizona law. Judge Teilborg’s ruling included this passage: […]

Categories
Abortion Court cases Opinion polls Politics

pro-life gains since the Casey decision

It has been 20 years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. On the 20th anniversary of this landmark decision, there has been much recent reflection about the impact of Casey. In LifeNews, Dr. Michael New notes Clarke Forsythe’s recent National Review commentary on Casey and offers some comments of his own.  http://www.lifenews.com/2012/07/02/prolife-movement-has-made-big-gains-since-the-casey-decision/ Here […]