It was the only coverage by the “acclaimed” news organization since it announced the beginning of Dr. Gosnell’s trial back on March 19^th, 2013.

Yesterday marked the beginning of Dr. Gosnell’s defense.  Today, Judge Jeffrey Minehart has dropped three of the murder charges and five counts of corpse abuse.

Gosnell faces eight total murder counts — one for killing a woman in a botched abortion and seven for killing babies in abortion-infanticides that involved live-birth abortions and snipping their necks after birth.

Gosnell’s defense attorney asked the judge to drop three of the charges for killing the babies and the judge agreed with the contention there was not enough evidence to convict Gosnell on those charges. Another charge of infanticide was also dropped. He still faces the other charges the prosecution has brought and the murder trial will continue on them.

One of the dropped charges involves a 28-week-old baby Gosnell killed and whose remains were kept in an abortion clinic freezer.

Common pleas court Judge Jeffrey Minehart also dropped five counts of corpse abuse at the request of his defense attorney Jack McMahon and did not explain his ruling dropping any of the charges.

And now, NYT issues a story relating to the trial?  When charges are dropped???

And there’s no bias at all on the part of this media organization?  /sarc

Safety is one of the most potent defenses of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that imposed a national policy of abortion on demand. Women had abortions even before it was legal to do so, the argument goes, but restrictive laws forced them to go to back-alley quacks. In this view, the story of Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist on trial for the murders of one woman and seven infants, is a cautionary tale about illegal, not legal, abortion. The facts tell a different story.

Back-alley abortion was indisputably a problem before Roe. Deep in the 281-page report that accompanied the 2011 indictments of Gosnell and his staff, the Philadelphia grand jury recounted an example from the city’s history.

It was called the Mother’s Day Massacre—the brainchild of Harvey Karman, an eccentric California man without medical training who had served 2½ years in prison for performing illegal abortions in the 1950s. Karman teamed with a young Philadelphia doctor who offered to perform abortions on 15 impoverished women, each between four and six months pregnant, who were bused to the Philadelphia clinic from Chicago on Mother’s Day 1972.

What the women didn’t know was that they were guinea pigs for a device Karman had invented, which he called the “super coil.” He had tested it only on wartime rape victims in Bangladesh, where he had traveled under the sponsorship of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Complication rates were high, and little wonder. A colleague of Karman’s Philadelphia collaborator described the contraption as “basically plastic razors that were formed into a ball. . . . They were coated into a gel, so that they would remain closed. These would be inserted into the woman’s uterus. And after several hours of body temperature, . . . the gel would melt and these . . . things would spring open, supposedly cutting up the fetus.”

As in Bangladesh, the Philadelphia experiment was a failure. Nine of the 15 women suffered serious complications. One needed a hysterectomy.

The following year, the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. It would be 37 more years before the Philadelphia doctor who carried out the Mother’s Day Massacre would go out of business. His name was Kermit Gosnell.

The statements above are part of an article entitled “Back Alley Abortion Never Ended”, written by James Tarantino.  To a certain extent, the Mother’s Day Massacre was an event that supported the argument presented in Roe v. Wade, i.e. that legalizing abortion was necessary to protect the rights of women and provide for their safety in getting an abortion.  Within that context, Gosnell has in all likelihood been considered something of a hero by pro-abortion supporters.

Another article entitled “Harvey Karman and the super coil fiasco: A forgotten episode in the history of American abortion technology” (European Journal for Contraception and Reproductive Health Care; Mar 2008, Vol 13 Issue 1, p.4-8) provides additional information:

Thus, in order to prove  the efficacy of his new technology, Karman once again sought the help of Merle Goldberg who, through her organization the National Women’s Health Coalition, contacted Chicago’s Jane Abortion Collective. Jane located 20 women in dire need of second trimester abortions, most of whom were impoverished women of colour. The 20 women were scheduled to undergo the illegal super coil abortions at Jane’s Chicago headquarters on May 3, 1972; however, anti-abortion activists notified the police, who exposed the ‘abortion ring’ and prevented the women from having their pregnancies terminated. On May 15, 1972, which was ironically Mother’s Day, Goldberg, who filmed the entire ordeal for New York-based NET TV without the participants’ permission, transported the women from Chicago to Philadelphia. Waiting for their arrival were Harvey Karman, local obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Baron Gosnell, and his assistant Dr Benjamin Graber, who flew in from Los Angeles specifically for the event.

Just before the Chicago women arrived, Phyllis Ryan of Choice, a local abortion referral service, discovered that the illegal super coil abortions were going to be performed at Gosnell’s clinic. Ryan was particularly distressed that an experimental technique was going to be employed, which had not been subjected to extensive medical scrutiny. Moreover, she questioned whether the women had given informed consent; they had not.

Ryan notified the press and the District Attorney’s office about the impending abortions, and began to protest outside of the clinic doors. As Laura Kaplan, a member of the Jane Collective later recalled:

“To complicate matters further, [Karman] was having problems. A few women were not miscarrying . . . [Karman] used drugs to encourage labor and performed a few late D&Cs. The whole event, which had started out on such a positive note, had turned into a nightmare. One woman was hospitalized in Philadelphia and had a hysterectomy. Another’s back problems were exacerbated by her [abortion] and she had to return to Chicago by plane. The other women rode the bus back to Chicago in silence”

The following video provides information about the activities of JANE.

Arranging Safe Abortions: Jane

In the above video, it is mentioned that JANE realized that they were sending women to “physicians” who weren’t actually licensed physicians.  It was at this point that they decided to become the “physicians”.  No medical training.  No experience in surgery.  This is what they defined as “safe abortions” for women.

It really isn’t surprising that this is the type of approach that would be considered by the feminist movement of that day.  Female authors such as Sheryl Burt Ruzek, PhD., M.P.H., were releasing literary works promoting the mentality of “women’s rights”, “women’s choice”, “taking control” vs. system controls (which they viewed as being dictated by males).  Ruzek’s book entitled “The Women’s Health Movement: Feminist Alternatives to Medical Control” has been used internationally to support a women’s “right to choose”.

The general justification, supposedly, was to prevent the horrors that had existed under the rule of law when abortion was illegal…to establish an environment where abortions would be safe.  The following two videos provide description of the environment and events that existed at the time:

When Abortion Was Illegal

The Danger of Illegal Abortions

As I watched these two videos for the first time, I was struck by the similarities of the conditions associated with abortion that existed at the time and current conditions.  Roe v. Wade was supposed to promote “safe” abortions.  Planned Parenthood’s promotional narrative was “safe, legal, and rare”.  Feminist had fought for supposedly “safe” abortions.

Yet Mr. Tarantino is correct….back alley abortions never ended.  Patient safety means very little in the abortion industry.  If it is a choice between money and political power on one side versus policies, procedures, and regulations that would keep patient safety standards high on the other side, patient safety loses and has been losing for over forty years.

The argument used by pro-abortion supporters that the legal restrictions were the underlying cause of the gross negligence exhibited by physicians such as Dr. Gosnell doesn’t even come close to being the truth.  Even if no legal restrictions pertaining to trimester or weeks had existed, without regulatory measures in place to define what “safe” entails being enforced under the rule of law, the outcomes of gross negligence would still be the same. 

Those of us who choose life have fought to protect and preserve the sanctity of the lives of the unborn children killed via abortion for the past forty years.  If we have to pick up the fight to get appropriate regulatory measures in place so that the lives of mothers will be protected as well, then so be it.

Pro-abortion forces have had forty years to get it done.  If they won’t do what is right, we will.

Protect the future of education in America!  Join the #stopcommoncore rally!

Truth in American Education website

Stop Common Core website

The group associated with the Stop Common Core website also produced the following informative videos.

Part 1 of 5 Stop The Common Core 

Part 2 of 5 Stop the Common Core 

Part 3 of 5 Stop the Common Core 

Part 4 of 5 Stop the Common Core 

Part 5 of 5 Stop the Common Core 

Heritage

Indiana Among States Acting to Oppose Common Core Standards

Common Core Standards’ Devastating Impact on Literary Study and Analytical Thinking

National Education Standards Trade Literature for Reading Government Documents

Others

Common Core Education without Representation

Get Wise, America: Defining Terms of Education Reform

Homeschool blog in NY

Pennsylvanians Against Common Core

Americans for Prosperity Foundation report

Common Core State Standards opt out form

Common Core database example (for NC, it’s called CEDARS)

The trial of Dr. Gosnell is still ongoing.  Today, the jury heard evidence pertaining to actions of neglect on the part of the Dr. Gosnell and his staff by administering anesthesia to patients and then leaving them without anyone to monitor their status for hours on end.

Also pertaining to the Gosnell case, the President-elect of NARAL Pro-Choice America is attempting to shift responsibility for Dr. Gosnell’s actions onto the backs of pro-lifers.

The evidence suggests a number of factors led women to Gosnell: Medicaid’s refusal to cover most abortions; the scarcity of providers in Pennsylvania; fear of violent protesters; and a right-wing culture that has stigmatized abortion.

It’s important that the women of Pennsylvania know that abortion is a legal, safe medical procedure. As set forth in the Gosnell indictment, legitimate providers like Planned Parenthood and members of the National Abortion Federation follow standard medical procedures and the law.

Unfortunately for pro-death, pro-abortion supporters, the grand jury report specified other findings:

“Based on her observations, the evaluator [from NAF] determined that there were far too many deficiencies at the clinic and in how it operated to even consider admitting Gosnell to NAF membership. On January, 2010, she wrote to Gosnell informing him of NAF’s decision and outlining the areas in which his clinic was not in compliance. The evaluator told the Grand Jury that this was the first time in her experience that NAF had outright rejected a provider for membership. Usually, if a clinic is able to fix deficiencies and come into compliance with the standards, NAF will admit them. Gosnell’s clinic, however, was deemed beyond redemption.”

“We understand that NAF’s goal is to assist clinics to comply with its standards, not to sanction them for deficiencies. Nevertheless, we have to question why an evaluator from NAF, whose stated mission is to ensure safe, legal, and acceptable abortion care, and to promote health and justice for women, did not report Gosnell to authorities. …”

Interesting question, isn’t it?  And I’m hoping that we will get an in-depth answer for questions of this sort before the trial comes to an end.

Moving on…

A Pro-life math teacher in Portland, Oregon, was removed from the classroom under escort of the local police for opposing Planned Parenthood.  The abortion industry giant offers several supposedly “helpful” sex education courses to young adults that those promoting sexual education have deigned to be an invaluable part of their education.  So valuable, in fact, that it apparently matters more to the school board of Benson High School that students have access to sex education than to provide students with access to adequate education in mathematics.  And that is with a 51% proficiency rating in the subject area of mathematics!

Gov. Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota signed three pieces of legislation into law on Monday, Mar. 26^th.

North Dakota House and Senate presiding officers:

I have signed HB 1305 which would ban abortions performed solely for the purpose of gender selection and genetic abnormalities.

I have signed HB 1456 which would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade. Because the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed state restrictions on the performing of abortions and because the Supreme Court has never considered this precise restriction in HB 1456, the constitutionality of this measure is an open question. The Legislative Assembly before it adjourns should appropriate dollars for a litigation fund available to the Attorney General.

I have signed SB 2305 which requires admitting and staff privileges at a nearby hospital for any physician who performs abortions in North Dakota. The added requirement that the hospital privileges must include allowing abortions to take place in their facility greatly increases the chances that this measure will face a court challenge. Nevertheless, it is a legitimate and new question for the courts regarding a precise restriction on doctors who perform abortions.”

Across the sea in Great Britain, the Society for Protection of Unborn Children (SCUP) has issued an appeal to stop using Liverpool Care Pathway as a means of providing euthanasia via backdoor methods.  Here in our own country, it appears that Liberal euthanasia supporters are “gunning up” for their own run at utilitarianism.  They’re going to try to redefine “death”.  Just in time for Obamacare’s “life years rationing” policy.  Not a joke, folks.

Extending the index from 4 to 10 years did not diminish the model discrimination (validation cohort,C statistics 0.817 vs 0.834; P= .35), suggesting that the risk factors important for 4-year mortality prediction are also important for 10-year mortality prediction. The model compares favorably with other mortality indexes that predict mortality beyond 7 years…Patients identified by this index as having a high risk of 10-year mortality may be more likely to be harmed by preventive interventions with long lag times to benefit, whereas patients identified as having a low risk of 10-year mortality may be good candidates for such interventions.

The complete Journal of American Medical Association article can be found here.

Check your schedule for Good Friday….

On a bleak Friday afternoon, our savior Jesus Christ was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull.” Today, we have our own Golgotha: the abortion clinic, where two thousand years after the Crucifixion, His image is violently destroyed, again and again, by abortion.

That’s why, for the last five years, the Pro-Life Action League has marked Good Friday with a pro-life “Way of the Cross for Victims of Abortion” at our local Planned Parenthood.

We’ve found this activity to be such a blessing, one of our favorite pro-life activities of the year. So this year we’re calling on pro-lifers like you nationwide to join us in hosting a “Way of the Cross for Victims of Abortion” at your local abortion facility.

Enough for today.  I’d appreciate it if Red State readers will let me know if they would like to see a diary that focuses on pro-life events once or twice a week.  Thank you in advance for your feedback.

First, there is the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell going on.  When the trial began, media outlets on the left (such as HuffPo) were posting articles that ran along the lines of “alleged victims….alleged crimes….good man being persecuted because of his race….evil wingnuts on the right who are waging this war on women and don’t want women to enjoy unrestricted reproductive freedom are responsible for this atrocity….”.  Something along those lines anyway.  But as the trial has unfolded and evidence has been presented substantiating that the “good doctor” wasn’t quite what he seemed and his business practices were such to put women at life-threatening (if not death causing) risk…the left has gone strangely silent.  Not a peep today.

Another event of this week is the suit that was filed in court claiming that Planned Parenthood is guilty of defrauding $377 million dollars in Medicaid reimbursements from the people of the state of Washington.

According to the suit, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest asked the state for more reimbursement funds than it is entitled to for contraceptives and abortifacient Plan B “emergency contraception.”

Its total damages could be as much as $377,134,130, according to the ADF.

Bloedow said he discovered “repeated false, fraudulent, and/or ineligible claims for reimbursement” to Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services and its Health and Recovery Services Administration, which runs the state’s Title XIX Medicaid program. Bloedow discovered the fraud through using state open records requests.

“Compliance with the law should not be sacrificed for the sake of Planned Parenthood’s bottom line. They have cheated the American taxpayer for too long,” said Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. Attorney. “It’s time the abortion giant is held accountable.”

Indeed, it is time for accountability on the part of Planned Parenthood.  Past time actually.  The sooner the better.

After all, this isn’t the first case of Medicaid fraud filed against the abortion industry giant.  A case in Texas has been approved to be tried in court.  Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which provides abortions in Iowa and Illinois, is facing a similar case.  And an abortionist in Georgia has been indicted for Medicaid fraud.

And that’s just in 2013.

$377 million.  In one state.  Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

The events surrounding the arrest of Dr. Gosnell served as an eye-opener for pro-life and pro-abortion forces alike.  One of the key factors revealed in the case is that agencies which should have protected the general public from the callous and willful negligence of Dr. Gosnell turned a blind eye to the facts, leaving not only hundreds of viable babies to be killed but also to have mothers put at extreme risk.

The grand jury report provides example after example of illegal activity on the part of Dr. Gosnell and his staff.  It isn’t abortion that Dr. Gosnell performed in his “women’s health” facility…it was infanticide.  He murdered viable babies after delivery by driving a pair of scissors into their neck and cutting their spinal cord, an act he called “snipping”.    This “women’s health” facility didn’t even come close to upholding what would be considered industry norms as it relates to sanitation, sterilization, prevention of complications, or credentialing of personnel.  And women suffered because of it.

Dr. Gosnell didn’t just kill babies.  He was also a deadly threat to mothers.  Not every abortion could be completed by inducing labor and delivery.  On these occasions, Gosnell would attempt to remove the fetus himself.  The consequences were often calamitous – though that didn’t stop the doctor from trying to cover them up.

One woman, for example, was left lying in place for hours after Gosnell tore her cervix and colon while trying, unsuccessfully, to extract the fetus.  Relatives who came to pick her up were refused entry into the building; they had to threaten to call the police.  They eventually found her inside, bleeding and incoherent, and transported her to the hospital, where doctors had to remove almost half a foot of her intestines.

On another occasion, Gosnell simply sent a patient home, after keeping her mother waiting for hours, without telling either of them that she still had fetal parts inside her.  Gosnell insisted she was fine, even after signs of serious infection set in over the next several days.  By the time her mother got her to the emergency room, she was unconscious and near death.

A nineteen-year-old girl was held for several hours after Gosnell punctured her uterus.  As a result of the delay, she fell into shock from blood loss, and had to undergo a hysterectomy.

One patient went into convulsions during an abortion, fell off the procedure table, and hit her head on the floor.  Gosnell wouldn’t call an ambulance, and wouldn’t let the woman’s companion leave the building so that he could call an ambulance.

Complaints against Dr. Gosnell that were submitted to local and state agencies were ignored.  For political reasons.  To promote abortion.  For the sake of “women’s health”.  Even when 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar died, the state still did nothing to shut down Dr. Gosnell’s “women’s health” facility.

Because we should support a woman’s right to “unrestricted reproductive freedom” and promote “women’s health”.

I can just hear the pro-abortion supporters crying out, “But that’s only one example…Dr. Gosnell is only one person.  You can’t judge the entire industry by the actions of only one person”.

The evidence, provided here, here, and here indicate otherwise. And those are just recent cases of botched abortions reflecting the substandard medical practices of abortionists.  Perhaps this list can shine more light on the matter.

For those who haven’t caught on to it yet, I’m using the phrase “women’s health” in a tongue-in-cheek manner.  There’s nothing about the operation of substandard medical facilities engaging in illegal activity that promotes the quality of women’s health.  In fact, we’re now to the point in our “progressive” stance towards the support of “women’s health” and “unrestricted reproductive freedoms” that women actually need patient advocates who are willing to fight against the lack of oversight being provided to the abortion industry.

Hence, the motivating factor for Americans United for Life (AUL) in development of policy proposals that can be used to act as a detriment in the totally negligible and irresponsible behaviors of abortionists.  Americans United for Life develops policy proposals for a wide range of issues related to protection and preservation of the sanctity of human life.  These issues include abortion, protection of the unborn, bioethics, end-of-life issues, and healthcare freedom of conscience.  Each year since 2010, AUL has released a document titled “Defending Life” that provides an indepth state-by-state analysis of current policy positions at the state level.  A copy of Defending Life 2013 can be downloaded via this link.

Defending Life 2013 includes four new policy proposals that are designed with the purpose in mind of bringing abortion centers into the light of modern-day healthcare provision by requiring that these providers meet standards that are commonly applied in similar areas of the healthcare industry:

• The Abortion Complication Reporting Act requires abortion centers to report all complications to the state. This legislation is critical because, without it, abortionists can keep abortion deaths from the public eye. Just this month, Maryland investigators—who were spurred to act by the death of Jennifer Morbelli in a late-term abortion—learned that another Maryland woman had died in an abortion center. Abortion workers were unable to respond to her cardiac arrest because the defibrillator was broken.
• · The Women’s Health Protection Act requires abortion centers to be licensed. A license may not be granted until the center passes a physical inspection. The Act also directs the state health department to adopt standards for abortion centers, including basic necessities like “areas for pre-procedure hand washing,” “emergency exits to accommodate a stretcher or gurney,” “areas for cleaning and sterilizing instruments,” and, most important, “required equipment, supplies, and medications that shall be available and ready for immediate use in an emergency.”
• · The Abortion Providers’ Privileging Act requires abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. A lack of admitting privileges can delay emergency treatment for women suffering from abortion complications.
• · Finally, the Abortion Patients’ Enhanced Safety Act defines abortion facilities as ambulatory surgical centers, subject to all of the regulations that are applied to non-abortion surgical clinics.

All four of the above are excellent proposals.  The last two on the list have been near-and-dear to my own heart for quite a while due to the fact that these types of proposals require oversight from entities outside the realm of the abortion industry.

The Abortion Providers’ Privileging Act requires that abortionists apply for admitting privileges at a local hospital.  Within a hospital, gaining admitting privileges relies on two processes, i.e. application and delineation of privileges.  Application includes numerous requirements, including proof medical school graduation, internship, and residency; licensed to practice medicine; malpractice coverage; certificate of insurance; and a National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) report.  The NPDB is a national repository of information pertaining to physician professional credentials.  For accreditation purposes, hospitals must query the NPDB at least every two years during the renewal of clinical privileges to obtain information about a physician’s standing the health care community.  The data bank serves as a means of flagging system for state licensing boards, hospitals, and other healthcare entities.

The delineation of privileges process tends to focus on the scope of services a physician can provide within the realm of that physician’s area of specialty.

These are standard processes in the realm of health care.  They are designed to provide patient protection and to encourage that quality of care standards are kept high.  Renewal of privileges usually takes place on a two-year schedule.  Within that two year period of time, if changes have taken place that negatively impacts the physician’s professional status, then the hospital or other health care entity can respond in a way that ensures the general public is protected.  Many of these health care entities, such as hospitals, have to go through an accreditation process in order to receive reimbursements from government payers, i.e. Medicare and Medicaid.  Outside agencies, such as the Joint Commission, are involved in those accreditation processes.  All in all, it serves the purpose of keeping physician’s who have stains on their record of one sort of another from abusing the system.

The latter of the four policy proposals, i.e. the Abortion Patient’s Enhanced Safety Act, relates to categorization of abortion facility as ambulatory service centers.  Where this has the most impact is that it requires abortion facilities to meet the same standards similar facilities providing outpatient surgery would face.  The Joint Commission provides a very good reference on what is included in these standards.  Just to provide a few example, the standards include environment of care, emergency management, human resource, infection prevention and control, information management, life safety, medication management, National Patient Safety Goals, performance improvement, and rights and responsibilities of the individual.  This is a partial list of the standards required for ambulatory surgery centers.

During recent years, in their effort to promote greater access to abortion-on-demand, the abortion industry has fallen way behind in meeting the standards that are considered “normal’ within the health care industry.  Quality of care has become substandard at best. And it shows.  Especially when it results in the deaths of patients and/or long-term complications for patients.

It’s become absolutely necessary for intervention of some sort that will turn back the tide of the totally irresponsible behaviors of providers within the abortion industry.  It has to be done for the sake of protecting and preserving the lives of women who receive services from these providers.

And pro-life organizations like Americans United for Life are leading the way.

Gosnell, whose squalid “house of horrors” abortion clinic and callous, has had almost flippant attitude toward his macabre abortion practices shocked the nation.

“The Gosnell case is a watershed moment for the issue of abortion,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation. “The discovery of his horrific practices helped shed light on an abortion industry that has run amok without oversight or accountability for decades, and has prompted significant changes in abortion laws and attitudes toward enforcement in several states.”

In all, Gosnell faces 43 criminal counts, including eight counts of murder in the death of one patient, Karnamaya Monger, and seven newborn infants. Additional charges include conspiracy, drug delivery resulting in death, infanticide, corruption of minors, evidence tampering, theft by deception, abuse of corpse, and corruption.

Gosnell could face the death penalty if convicted and he faces a mandatory minimum 20 years. A pool of 125 was narrowed down to 43 potential jurors this afternoon and the death penalty played a role.

A second article source also informs us….

The grand jury report describes how state regulators failed to inspect Gosnell’s abortion facility for years at a time. In fact, the inspection that uncovered the evidence in Gosnell’s murder trial was not a state inspection, but a federal one; the FBI raided the clinic because Gosnell was allegedly running an illegal pill mill on the side. Had Gosnell stayed out of the drug trade, his horrific abortion and infanticide practice might have gone on unabated for many more years.

“3801 Lancaster” is also the title of a video that describes the actions of Dr. Gosnell along with the gross lack of due diligence on the part of the Pennsylvania Health Department.  The video is roughly twenty minutes long, but it is well worth the investment of time to watch it.  The video includes testimonials from two of Dr. Gosnell’s former patients.  Each has a heart-wrenching tale to tell the public.

Here are some excerpts from the grand jury report:

This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women.  What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester of pregnancy – and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors.  The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels – and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths.

(snip)

Gosnell seemed impressive as well.  A child of the neighborhood, Gosnell spent almost four decades running this clinic, giving back – so it appeared – to the community in which he continued to live and work.

But the truth was something very different, and evident to anyone who stepped inside.  The clinic reeked of animal urine, courtesy of the cats that were allowed to roam (and defecate) freely.  Furniture and blankets were stained with blood.  Instruments were not properly sterilized.  Disposable medical supplies were not disposed of; they were reused, over and over again.  Medical equipment – such as the defibrillator, the EKG, the pulse oximeter, the blood pressure cuff – was generally broken; even when it worked, it wasn’t used.  The emergency exit was padlocked shut.  And scattered throughout, in cabinets, in the basement, in a freezer, in jars and bags and plastic jugs, were fetal remains.  It was a baby charnel house.

The people who ran this sham medical practice included no doctors other than Gosnell himself, and not even a single nurse.  Two of his employees had been to medical school, but neither of them were licensed physicians.  They just pretended to be.  Everyone called them “Doctor,” even though they, and Gosnell, knew they weren’t.  Among the rest of the staff, there was no one with any medical licensing or relevant certification at all.  But that didn’t stop them from making diagnoses, performing procedures, administering drugs.

The report itself is 280 pages long.  The information provided above is simply an example of what is displayed on pages 1 and 2 of the report.  Perhaps this might give an idea of the severity of conditions and gross negligence that was taking place in Dr. Gosnell’s business that supposedly supported “Women’s Health”.

Pro-life organization Life News will be following the Gosnell case as it unfolds.  The decision in the case will determine how far our nation has come in acceptance of abortion as a way of life in America…even when it means the death of the mother along with the child.

After the facts of the conditions in Gosnell’s business began to be revealed, it opened the door for a new approach in addressing abortion services.  Americans United for Life has become one of the primary leaders on the legal front of this battle.

I’ll be presenting a diary providing information that describes the activities of Americans United for Life on Mar. 16, 2013.  Stay tuned for more!

I missed the first episode, which was presented on Mar. 3 at 8 p.m ET*.  (Anyone who watched it wanting to provide their opinion on the first installment of the series, please feel free to fill the rest of us in.)  A description of Episode One, titled “Beginnings”, is as follows:

Noah endures God’s wrath; Abraham reaches the Promised Land but still must prove his faith in God; Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, and his faith in God is rewarded when the Red Sea parts to allow the Israelites to escape Pharaoh’s chariots; Moses delivers his final message from God–the Ten Commandments.

Here are two recap videos for hours one and two of Episode One of the series:

Fortunately for those of us who missed seeing Episode One, there is an encore performance tonight at 6 p.m ET*.  Immediately afterwards, Episode Two, titled “Homeland”, will be presented.  A description of this episode and the preview video are provided below:

Joshua conquers Jericho; Delilah betrays Samson as the Israelites battle the Philistines; Samuel anoints David king, a move that could throw the nation into civil war; Saul is consumed with jealousy when David defeats Goliath; King David ushers in a golden age for Israel, but is soon seduced by power and lust for Bathsheba; God forgives David, and his son, Solomon, builds God’s temple in Jerusalem.

As with all theatrical productions associated with the Bible, there will always be human interpretations that may or may not hold true to the Scripture.  This should be considered in watching the series.  But I think a series such as this will make a much more thought-provoking topic of conversation than a show such as, say…..American Idol.

And as always, with the primary emphasis of the Bible being placed on things pertaining to the soul of individual human beings, i.e. what is often referenced to as “things of a spiritual nature”, it will be interesting to see how those associated with the MainStreamMedia will report on the series.  Will they be able to identify the spiritual implications of various scenes?  Can they conduct an accurate analysis of what types of spiritual influences are involved?  Or will they reveal themselves, once again, to be limited to mockery rather than comprehension?

It should prove to be an interesting series!

Going to get some popcorn now.  Getting stocked up for tonight.  See y’all later!

*Eastern time.  Thanks for the reminder, WCP.

The Arkansas House on Wednesday voted to override Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto of a bill that would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward, giving the state the country’s most restrictive abortion laws and setting the stage for a certain court challenge.

A day after the Republican-led state Senate voted to override Beebe’s veto, the GOP-controlled House voted 56-33 to do the same. Only a simple majority was needed in each chamber.

The vote comes less than a week after the Legislature voted to override the governor’s veto of a separate bill banning most abortions starting in the 20th week of pregnancy. That bill took effect immediately after the final override vote, whereas the 12-week ban wouldn’t take effect until this summer.

Liberals have already begun hyperventilating over this one.   Let them.  If they have no intention in protecting the right to life of the most innocent amongst us, then we will!

So, how is support for School Choice faring in America these days?  Based on the results, I’d say it is faring fairly well.  Half of America’s Governors will be officially celebrating National School Choice Week, joined by 23 mayors and 12 state legislatures.

What is School Choice?

The Heritage Foundation has a brief video that explains School Choice and the impact that it can have on quality of education.

School Choice Resources

Other videos pertaining to school choice can be found at the Heritage Foundation website.  The Heritage Foundation also provides research articles and data pertaining to education policies being considered at a federal level, such as common core standards and accreditation.  In addition, Heritage provides a glossary explaining the terminology being used in reference to school choice options.  (Sorry, but the interactive map at the link above doesn’t work.  Wish it did!!!)

A second resource site that provides information pertaining to school choice is the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice, founded by economist Milton Friedman and his wife, Rose Friedman.  Mr. Friedman wrote the groundbreaking article “The Role of Government in Education”, which set the premise for using vouchers in education.  Below is a video of Mr. Friedman speaking on the subject of school choice.  (And for those who are interested, here’s a link to Mr. Friedman’s  “Free to Choose” series)

We all know that changes have to be made to our education system.  The system operating costs continue to spiral upward while the outcomes, i.e. student performance and quality of education, keep spiraling downward.  The “solution’ provided by those who want the current operating system  to be maintained is to throw more money at it.  That isn’t going to magically resolve the problems.  We need solutions.

Finding solutions begins with ideas.  Wild, “outside the box” type of ideas in some cases.  But since this is National School Choice Week, it provides an opportunity for us to stretch our minds and exchange ideas of what we would like to see changed in our education system.

Sharing an American Education Dream

I’ll start with my idea of the direction I would like to see our education system move in.  Full disclosure on this is that I’m a full-time student studying Health Informatics through a fully-accredited, totally online curriculum.  I’m partial to using the virtual classroom approach in education.  Perhaps one of the biggest advantages is the potential to learn at your own pace.  Oh, there are deadlines.  Absolutely there are deadlines.  But for students who are motivated to learn, online education systems provide a method and means of potentially accelerating the pace of learning as compared to what it would be if taught in a traditional setting.  Given the manner in which our traditional public education system now impedes students who would otherwise be motivated to learn and holds them back from learning at a higher rate and pace (and possibly impairing the potential level of knowledge obtained by the student), I definitely see virtual classrooms as a potential means of improving student outcomes while also decreasing the costs per student.

Keeping Pace is a website that provides information about what is going on in virtual education systems across the nation.  The organization recently released an annual policy review report that provides a lot of very interesting information and statistics.  My state of NC has our own system called NCVPS.  Enrollment was over 88,000 last year.  County administrators are encouraging students to take online courses to keep operating costs low.  But we don’t have a full-time online system.

In the neighboring state of SC, they use Connections Academy system, which covers  grades K-12.  The system even offers clubs, which I would love to see us utilizing this type of idea more than we have, especially if it involves Young Entrepreneur Clubs.

I also dream of seeing Conservative organizations develop software that might be used for online education.  It could be the basic education courses, such as math, science, etc., without all the unnecessary propaganda that left-leaning academics like to throw into the mix.  Or it could be specialized courses.  Heritage could present courses on American History, Government, etc.  An organization like Friedman’s could present courses on Economics, etc.  Then we petition the states to include these courses as approved electives in the education curriculum.  It would be a start, at least.

All of the school choice options may offer advantages, but my own personal favorite is virtual education.  What is your favorite? Why?  What are your ideas  or suggestions?

It’s honest at least.  And that’s a step in the right direction.  Better by far than the constant and repetitive attempts to deceive young females with all the other random dishonest claims that the pro-abortion crowd has used over the years.

For those of us who attempt to live our lives within a scope of moral absolutes, the question of abortion being the equivalent of murder has always been a relatively simple question to answer.  Yes, it is the equivalent of murder.  Our moral standards define various forms of behavior as being right while other forms of behavior are wrong.  Murder is wrong.  Most of us have also learned to stay away from relative moral standards as much as possible.  Why?  Because it can be highly tempting to want to justify behaviors that are wrong.  Human beings are simply human.  No more and no less.  We all face temptations to engage in wrong behaviors from time to time.  It’s how we respond to those temptations that matters, i.e. whether we resist those temptations or whether we allow them to get the better of us.

For those who don’t live within a scope of moral absolutes, the following type of justification can be relatively common:

Here’s the complicated reality in which we live: All life is not equal. That’s a difficult thing for liberals like me to talk about, lest we wind up looking like death-panel-loving, kill-your-grandma-and-your-precious-baby storm troopers. Yet a fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She’s the boss. Her life and what is right for her circumstances and her health should automatically trump the rights of the non-autonomous entity inside of her. Always.

(snip)

We’re so intimidated by the wingnuts, we get spooked out of having these conversations. We let the archconservatives browbeat us with the concept of “life,” using their scare tactics on women and pushing for indefensible violations like forced ultrasounds. Why? Because when they wave the not-even-accurate notion that “abortion stops a beating heart” they think they’re going to trick us into some damning admission. They believe that if we call a fetus a life they can go down the road of making abortion murder. And I think that’s what concerns the hell out of those of us who support unrestricted reproductive freedom.

But we make choices about life all the time in our country. We make them about men and women in other nations. We make them about prisoners in our penal system. We make them about patients with terminal illnesses and accident victims. We still have passionate debates about the justifications of our actions as a society, but we don’t have to do it while being bullied around by the vague idea that if you say we’re talking about human life, then the jig is up, rights-wise.

Those are portions of Ms. Williams article, which ends with the comments of

And I would put the life of a mother over the life of a fetus every single time — even if I still need to acknowledge my conviction that the fetus is indeed a life. A life worth sacrificing.

Yes, the temptation to justify wrong behavior is definitely being exhibited in this article, is it not?  Of course, one of the problems of relative moral standards is that it sears the human conscience causing human beings to become numb on the inside to the low standards consuming their life and the scope of wrong behavior that they are willingly embracing.

But even beyond the question of moral standards and human behavior, I wonder if Ms. Williams has actually considered this question in light of the rule of law.  What is being promoted by the pro-abortion movement is for an individual to take the responsibility upon themselves to define whether or not another human being has the right to life and selective adherence to the rule of law.

In our nation, we have laws prohibiting deliberate, intentional, cold-blooded murder.  As citizens of this nation, we can selectively choose to violate a law, but if we do so, we must be prepared to accept the scope of consequences that exist as punishment for failing to adhere to the law, correct?  That’s how the rule of law works.  We don’t have the right to selectively impose the rule of man (with ourselves as judges for the law) over the rule of law on a whim then simply justify our actions based on our professed “rights”.  We don’t have the right to take the law into our own hands.  Especially when it causes harm to other s within our society.

Yet the life of the innocent and unprotected “is a life worth sacrificing” according to Ms. Williams.

Unborn children definitely fall into that category of “others”, don’t they?  With no voice of their own and unable to stand up for themselves…to protect themselves from harm.   If the pro-abortion society didn’t understand before why those of us who value human life have been as adamant as we have in our fight against abortion, perhaps they will understand this…we won’t leave them to stand alone.  Those unborn children with no voices.  We won’t leave them to stand alone with no one to champion their right to life.  Even if you do desert them, we won’t.

If you’re voting today, or just out and about,  let us know what’s going on in your area.

See something suspicious at the voting site?  Share it with the rest of us.

Just for the fun of it, from the man who gave us “it depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is”…”Who wants a president that will knowingly, repeatedly tell you something he knows is not true?”

(check out 0:45 mark)

Have a great election day, everyone.  Be safe!  Go vote!  Take others with you!!!

Update:  Twitchy has pictures of turnout at voting sites.  Looks good so far.  Looks really good for Repubs!  http://twitchy.com/2012/11/06/pics-fired-up-voters-report-long-lines-in-gop-heavy-areas/

Anyone have links to Twitter feeds providing reports?  Post ‘em below!

The case involves Elisa Bauer, a 32-year-old woman who is mentally and physically disabled due to fetal alcohol syndrome.  Fetal alcohol syndrome develops when an expectant mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy.  This can result in developmental issues for the child that lead to long-term health problems such as abnormal heart structure, behavioral problems, and/or mental retardation.  Elisa suffers from epilepsy and is reported to have the mental and social capacity of a 6-year-old.

Elisa was adopted at birth and has remained under court-approved legal guardianship of her adoptive parents, even though the decision was made for Elisa to live in a group home.  Elisa has been known to leave the group home for hours or days at a time to engage in sexual activity with men at a local truck stop.

Elisa is now 11 weeks pregnant.  Washoe County Social Services has issued a request to have a local Court set a status hearing to evaluate the potential adverse effects that Elisa’s pregnancy could have on both Elisa and the unborn child. What is currently being suggested is that the Court should have the legal right not only to enforce an abortion of the unborn child but also to dictate that Elisa be sterilized involuntarily.

There are six families who are waiting in line to adopt this child.  Elisa’s adoptive family is willing to provide for her care during her pregnancy.  Expert physicians who have been consulted have stated that although constant monitoring would be required during Elisa’s pregnancy, abortion is neither necessary nor prudent.

Pro-abortion proponents, in the name of “caring about women’s health” and “what’s best for society as whole” are pushing our nation in the direction of gross governmental paternalism to the point that government becomes the definitive source on issues pertaining to the sanctity of life and who has the right to live or die.

We need to watch this case very carefully because if the decision of forced abortion and involuntary sterilization is ruled in this case, it could very easily set a dangerous precedent for all of us.

In the meantime, we need to share Elisa’s story with others who genuinely desire to protect and preserve the sanctity of all human life.  For those who are willing to do so, Elisa’s family has established a facebook page in her behalf where concerned citizens can show their support for Elisa.  There is also a petition that has been generated to try to save Elisa’s baby.

Enjoy!  And Happy Halloween!

The Guilford County Board of Elections has stated that this is an equipment malfunction that occurs when the voting equipment is in need of recalibration.

For those who remember it, the state of NC ran into similar problems in 2008, but there was no way at that time to prove any gross or deliberate negligence on the part of election board staff.

Just a few words of wisdom for NC early voters…

If you intend to vote for Romney as President, you can not choose the “straight Republican ticket” option that displays on the voting equipment panel.  You have to select the option that allows you to vote for the candidates at each level of the state election in order for your vote for a Republican as President to be confirmed.

When you get to the end of choosing your individual candidates, the equipment panel will then display a list of all the selections you have made.  Check this screen carefully before selecting the “submit” or “confirm” option to ensure that your choices have been displayed properly.

If you or someone you know sees any inaccuracies or inconsistencies being displayed in voting outcomes, report those outcomes immediately before you leave the voting site.

First and foremost, here’s the link to Mitt Romney’s website.  If we take the time to check it out and become familiar with his policy positions, then we will be able to present informed arguments supporting OUR candidate during this last push prior to the election.  Also, the Romney team provides the opportunity for individual citizens to be active in making phone calls from their homes.

The comprised list below displays upcoming GOTV and/or social events in each of the states listed and provides calendar of events website links for further information of events taking place at the county level.  All of the websites listed below have links posted to access volunteer activities!   If you know of other GOTV or social events in your state that are not displayed in this list, please provide information of such in your responses to this diary.  Thanks.

Montana GOP     Calendar of events

Victory 2012 sign up

Join us in our efforts to turn out votes for our Republican candidates as Absentee Ballots are mailed! Over half of the ballots cast in this election will be submitted via mail ballot before the polls open on November 6th. We can’t miss this crucial opportunity to turn out votes for Republicans! We need your help today!

Nebraska GOP      Calendar of events

Nevada GOP        Calendar of events

New Hampshire GOP     Calendar of events

Super Saturday Phone Bank and Door-to-Door

Come to your local Victory office on Saturday, October 6, to identify the voters who will take our candidates to victory in November. This will be NHGOP’s single biggest volunteer effort so far this year. Each Victory office needs volunteers that day for phone banking and door-to-door voter contact. All GOP candidates benefit from this important project, so come on down!

New Jersey GOP

Gov. Christie’s 50^th Birthday event, Monday, Oct.1, 2012, Short Hills Hilton, Short Hills, NJ, 07078

New Mexico GOP       Calendar of events

NM Victory Super Saturday

Come out to help us turn New Mexico red! For more information, please contact the Victory Office nearest you. Victory office information can be found at  http://gopnm.com/Victory_New_Mexico.aspx

Date:	Saturday, October 06, 2012
Time:	9:00 AM
Location:	Victory Offices Across NM

New York GOP       Calendar of events

North Carolina GOP

Super Saturday Tarheel Turnout

On Saturday October 6, volunteers from across the country will be joining together for a massive door-to-door and phone-banking operation.  This will be a huge day in North Carolina, and we’re counting on you to help get the word out!

You can help us by signing up today for a Super Saturday door-walk and/or a phone-bank shift. Simply enter your contact information, and your local Regional Field Director will contact you with information on how to get involved with our Victory efforts.

North Dakota GOP     Calendar of events

Ohio GOP

For the state of Ohio, you have to look at the map, pick out a county, and then go the individual website for each county to see events that are taking place.

Oklahoma GOP        Calendar of events

Oregon GOP        Calendar of events

Pennsylvania GOP      Calendar of events

Okay, all you folks in PA.  I’m jealous!  Bobby Jindal is in your neck of the woods for a dinner this weekend!

Rhode Island GOP      Calendar of events

South Carolina GOP      Calendar of events

South Dakota GOP        Events listed on home page.

Tennessee GOP         Calendar of events

On Oct. 6^th, the TN-GOP will be holding an event in Murfreesboro called T-Bones and Politics featuring Gov. Scott Walker

Texas GOP      Calendar of events

Utah GOP       Calendar of events

Vermont GOP        Calendar of events

Virginia GOP      Calendar of events

Winning Weekend

On October 6^th, the Republican Party of Virginia will be hosting our final Winning Weekend of 2012 where folks all across Virginia are working to recruit new volunteers, register voters, and contact their neighbors.  Top volunteers will have the opportunity to win tickets to an upcoming Washington Redskins game and even a FedEx Field sideline pass. Will you be a part of the October 6th Winning Weekend?

Washington GOP       No calendar of events posted.

West Virginia GOP       Calendar of events

Wisconsin GOP

Badger Blitz Super Saturday         

Join us for our Badger Blitz Super Saturday on October 6th. Victory centers across the state will be open from 9am to 9pm, with shifts available throughout the day. Join us as we work to turn Wisconsin red in 2012 and help elect Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Ryan as the next President and Vice President of the United States!

Wyoming GOP    Calendar of events

First and foremost, here’s the link to Mitt Romney’s website.  If we take the time to check it out and become familiar with his policy positions, then we will be able to present informed arguments supporting OUR candidate during this last push prior to the election.  Also, the Romney team provides the opportunity for individual citizens to be active in making phone calls from their homes.

The comprised list below displays upcoming GOTV and/or social events in each of the states listed and provides calendar of events website links for further information of events taking place at the county level.  All of the websites listed below have links posted to access volunteer activities!   If you know of other GOTV or social events in your state that are not displayed in this list, please provide information of such in your responses to this diary.  Thanks.

Alabama GOP

The state of Alabama has a program called Battleground Patriots that is designed to help GOTV efforts in four states that voted for Obama in 2008, i.e. Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.  Volunteers will be traveling to those states to perform traditional campaign tasks.  Each trip during the month of October will last for approximately five days, and the linked site displays information about the dates those trips will be taken.

Alaska GOP        No upcoming GOTV events specified.

Arizona GOP           Calendar of events link

Arkansas GOP        Calendar of events link

California GOP

Wake Up America rally is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2012.  Madison Rising will be providing musical entertainment!!

This rally will provide you with ways to get involved in grassroots groups and initiatives so that you can make an immediate difference in the November election.

If you are concerned about the fiscal state of this country and state, this rally will provide you with ways to get involved in grassroots groups and initiatives so that you can make an immediate difference in the November election. Some of you may not believe this, but a small number of people can make a big difference in politics. Those with the loudest voice get heard. We need your voice!

Our country and state are on the precipice, but the ship can be turned around this November. Now is the time to get involved. Wake Up America!…Liberty is Waiting….Let’s Roll!

This will be a family-friendly event. Join us on a beautiful Sunday afternoon outside with your family and a community of like-minded people listening to Dennis Prager, Steve Bannon, Bill Whittle, Mark Meckler, and AlfonZo Rachel. What could be better?

Colorado GOP           Colorado Victory campaign link

Connecticut GOP           Calendar of events link

Delaware GOP            Calendar of events link

Florida GOP

The Republican Party of Florida Victory 2012 dinner will be held at the Disney Contemporary Hotel.  More information can be found here.

Georgia GOP           Calendar of events link

Hawaii GOP             Calendar of events link

Idaho GOP       No events listed on calendar.

Illinois GOP             Calendar of events link

Upcoming Events:

Sept 30:  Rep. Dan Moffitt’s Family Farm Picnic

Sept 30:  Rep. Jason Barickman’s Ford County Cook Out

Oct. 3:  Rep. Tom Morrison’s Reception with Coach Mike Ditka

Oct 4:  Apple Pie and Hors D’Oeuvres with Don Peloquin

See other events on Calendar!!!

Indiana GOP            Calendar of events

Iowa GOP                Calendar of events

Kansas GOP             Calendar of events

Kentucky GOP           Calendar of events

Louisiana GOP          Calendar of events

Maine GOP          No events listed on calendar

Maryland GOP      Calendar of events

Super Saturdays!!!

 Now is your chance to help turn Maryland—and America—around!

Join the Maryland Republican Party StrikeForce for our Super Saturdays.  We are asking that you volunteer at least ONE Saturday this autumn to make Maryland a true two party state!

The MDGOP StrikeForce is composed of grassroots activists who will work on behalf of all of our GOP candidates (Romney/Ryan, Dan Bongino, Andy Harris, Nancy Jacobs, Eric Knowles, Faith Loudon, Tony O’Donnell, Roscoe Bartlett, Frank Mirabile, Ken Timmerman) and provide ballot initiative education material.

Oktoberfest 2012

Join Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey and the Maryland Republican Party for an evening of Beer, Brats & Political Banter as we prepare our Countdown to Victory 2012.  Conservatives from all over the state will descend on the Maryland State Fairgrounds on the night of October 19.  All proceeds will assist the absentee ballot and early voting efforts of all 2012 Republican candidates in Maryland.  Stay tuned as we will soon be announcing our Keynote Speaker for the event, and it’s big

Massachusetts GOP     Calendar of events

Michigan GOP       Calendar of events

Minnesota GOP      Calendar of events

Mississippi GOP     Calendar of events

Missouri GOP     Calendar of events

Watch the ad first….

Key quote from the video…

“These services that they provide — what is it? Ninety-five percent of them don’t involve anything controversial, so for that little 5 percent that Mitt Romney decides he doesn’t agree with, he’s going to take away cancer screenings? What is he doing? He’s going to take people’s access to health care close by? We’re talking about working-class ladies who need health care.”

Let’s talk about that 5% figure Elizabeth Banks presents in the ad, shall we?  As a matter of fact, we can start with a recent Planned Parenthood client named Tonya Reaves.

On July 23, 2012, Life News posted the following:

A young woman has died after having a second-trimester abortion at a Chicago-area Planned Parenthood clinic. Tonya Reaves, 24, died late Friday night, according to a local CBS television station, of hemorrhage, with a cervical dilation and evacuation, according to the medical examiner’s office following an autopsy after the abortion that claimed her life.

CBS Chicago said Reaves died after the abortion she had at 18 S. Michigan Avenue Planned Parenthood facility. The woman was transported from the Loop Health Center Planned Parenthood abortion clinic to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 11:20 P.M

Since that time, more information has come to light concerning Ms. Reaves death:

Last month Tonya Reaves lay bleeding to death from a botched abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Chicago for five and a half hours, before the abortion giant made provisions to transport her to the hospital, where she later died. During that time, no one at the abortion clinic thought to call 911.

Now, however, new documents and a recording obtained by the pro-life group Operation Rescue, prove that not only did Planned Parenthood not call 911 about Reaves, but they ignored instructions from a 911 dispatcher during a call about a separate emergency that same day, to call 911 directly in case of emergency.

The City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications has confirmed to Operation Rescue, in response to a FOIA request, that only one call was placed from Planned Parenthood’s location on that day, and that the call was not about Reaves. (emphasis mine)

The Reaves family then began to pursue legal action.  Life Legal Defense Fund, acting as an independent body, requested that the autopsy information be released in accordance with Illinois state law, but access to this information has been denied.

The death of Tonya Reaves, a 24 year-old who died after an abortion at Planned Parenthood’s Loop Health Center in Chicago, has remained a mystery because employees at the Chicago Office of the Medical Examiner failed to comply with the Life Legal Defense Foundation’s request for Reaves’ autopsy report. The controversial manner of Reaves’ death on July 20th trigged a hailstorm of calls for abortion provider regulation in Illinois, one of the few states allowing abortion providers to function virtually unfettered with little or no oversight. (emphasis mine)

Five hours!  Five hours she laid their bleeding while no one took the time to call 911, Ms. Banks.

Five hours, President Obama.  Five hours this organization you’re supporting was so completely and totally negligent in attempting to ensure the life of this young mother that they left her to suffer before they made provisions to take her to the local emergency room.

And you are going to support this type of gross negligence?  You’re going to allow them to continue to proceed with no oversight that would protect the lives of young women such as Ms. Reaves?

Planned Parenthood is getting away with murder, both figuratively and literally.  If it had been any other health care provider/organization receiving access to Medicaid funds, accreditation would have been required.  Through that accreditation, Tonya’s death might have been prevented through policies and procedures requiring emergency response to a sentinel event.

As it stands, the federal government has allowed Planned Parenthood to escape from being held accountable for even the most basic of standard practices of care that might be sustained via procedures that are developed by external accrediting body.

Don’t even try to paint Mitt Romney as the villain in this when you are letting an organization such as Planned Parenthood get away with this type of negligence leading to wrongful death of a young American woman and turn a blind eye to it!

Peter Edelman – typical hard-core liberal

Article in Question:  “Why Can’t We End Poverty?” 

Overview of Article:

Talks about how the number of people living in poverty has increased.  Praises policies that have been put into place over the years to provide support for people in living in poverty.

Then, he expresses wonderment as to why greater success has not been achieved in overcoming poverty and provides his version of explanations in answer to this question.  Note his expressed sense of bewilderment that people are actually willing to work for low wages.  (This really bothers Mr. Edelman…he mentions it several times in his article….because if people would stop working for low wages, then the government would have a legitimate basis to dictate an increase in wages that meets their standards of “good-paying jobs”!)

With all of that, why have we not achieved more? Four reasons: An astonishing number of people work at low-wage jobs. Plus, many more households are headed now by a single parent, making it difficult for them to earn a living income from the jobs that are typically available. The near disappearance of cash assistance for low-income mothers and children — i.e., welfare — in much of the country plays a contributing role, too. And persistent issues of race and gender mean higher poverty among minorities and families headed by single mothers.

Edelman says nothing about the fact that our welfare programs aren’t really designed to help people rise above poverty, especially now that President Obama took away work requirements.  Our welfare system works more like a doctor treating symptoms rather than actually trying to find a cure.  All it does is helps to alleviate the symptoms of poverty.  Nothing more and nothing less.  Edelman doesn’t address how this might be changed.

He sets the premise for 99% versus the 1% closing argument.  Talks about how grateful we should be for food stamps.

Then, we get to the comments in question….

Race and gender play an enormous part in determining poverty’s continuing course. Minorities are disproportionately poor: around 27 percent of African-Americans, Latinos and American Indians are poor, versus 10 percent of whites. Wealth disparities are even wider. At the same time, whites constitute the largest number among the poor. This is a fact that bears emphasis, since measures to raise income and provide work supports will help more whites than minorities. But we cannot ignore race and gender, both because they present particular challenges and because so much of the politics of poverty is grounded in those issues.(emphasis mine)

Did everyone catch that?

In plain English language rather than liberal-speak, he’s saying “There is a disproportionate variance according to percentages, but in consideration of the population ratios, there are still more poor white people than there are poor people of other races.  Whether liberals like it or not, poor white people can receive government support, too.  But they can get around this and help direct more funds into populations of race by putting emphasis on race and gender!”

Did I miss something?   Doesn’t living in poverty mean exactly that?  And aren’t public funds assigned for the so-called “common welfare” to be used for that purpose,regardless of race?

Another part of Mr. Edelman’s liberal meanderings that really bothers me is the message that it conveys to women of race.  More or less what he tells them is that if you’re a black or Hispanic woman (or any other color than white)…you are DOOMED to live in poverty.  You get that?  Doomed.  Don’t even try to change your circumstances because you aren’t capable of succeeding!

Mr. Edelman concludes his article with typical liberal flare for the dramatic…dreaming about the “good old days” of the Great Depression and what he calls the “Progressive Era”, talking up the civil rights movement, than calling for a “power to the people” populist charge against the 1%.

Like I said at the beginning…typical hard-core liberal.

More often than not, we find ourselves discontent with how Republicans in Congress respond to situations.  They act as if they have no more confidence in we the people than the left does, and it gets discouraging to say the least.

In those situations when they do stand with us and beside us, the very least that we should do is to let them know how much we genuinely appreciate it!

For at least today, we had a champion who stood up on the behalf of the American people, especially those of us working and/or owning businesses in the private sector.  Mike Kelly was that champion.

We need a lot more of this kind of passion coming from those who represent us in Congress!

UPDATE:  I saw this video posted at youtube last night, and even then, reading some of the responses to the video raised my temperature by a few degrees.  I just checked back in on this…and I have to tell you, folks, the amount of sheer ignorance about how the private sector side of our economy works that is being displayed in those comments is astonishing!!!

I’ve been posting at RS for almost four years now and I’ve yet to use the word “idiot” in description of or response to anyone.  I’m using it now!  Some of the comments that are being posted in response to Mr. Kelly’s video are by far the most idiotic comments I’ve ever read!  (Yes, it IS that bad!)

You all-private-sector-activity-is-evil people are killing this country!