Roundup: U.S. Senate is Debating Resolution Condemning Violence Against Abortion Providers

Jun 23, 2009, 11:11am

U.S. Senate is Debating Resolution Condemning Violence Against Abortion Providers;
Abortion Law in Spain Could be Liberalized; What Will Happen in Wichita?

U.S. Senate is Debating Resolution Condemning Violence Against Abortion Providers
In
the wake of Dr. George Tiller’s murder, the U.S. Senate is debating a
resolution that condemns violence against abortion providers. The words
"reproductive health care" are in the bill, causing Republicans and
anti-abortion senators to oppose it, according to a Minnesota Independent article.

Senators
Amy Klobuchar, who is the lead sponsor, Jeanne Shaheen and Barbara
Boxer worded the bill to say "acts of violence should never be used to
prevent women from receiving reproductive health care." The bill’s
opponents say it glorifies abortion. The article also said that an anonymous Republican senator moved to use the "secret hold," which prevents a vote on the bill.

Klobuchar told the Minnesota Independent, "As a former prosecutor I have seen how acts of violence can tear apart
communities…No matter how heated the
debate or how great our differences, violence is never the answer."

A
similar bill passed the House June 9, but it was a watered down version
of the one currently in the Senate. It did not mention Dr. Tiller or
his profession, and did not use the words "reproductive rights" or
"abortion."

Abortion Law in Spain Could be Liberalized
Spain’s
prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has proposed a bill to
liberalize abortions, clashing with the Catholic Church. Most of
Spain’s population considers themselves Catholic, and Friday bishops
accused the the Socialist party of "undermining the country’s moral
fabric," according to Reuters FaithWorld blog.

Currently,
Spanish abortion law allows abortion only under certain circumstances,
the main one being if the pregnancy threatens a woman’s psychological
health. In addition to liberalizing abortion restrictions generally,
the bill would allow 16-year-olds to terminate a pregnancy without
parental consent, Reuters said.

What Will Happen in Wichita?
Wichita, KA has been the heart of the abortion debate for decades, and
now supporters from both sides of the issue are wondering what will
happen to Dr. George Tiller’s former clinic.

NPR
reported that LeRoy Carhart has said he will continue to provide
late-term abortions in Kansas, but has not said whether it will be at
Tiller’s clinic, which is now closed. Operation Rescue owner Troy
Newman said he would like to purchase the building and turn it into a
memorial for the unborn, according to the article.

Abortion
rights activist Diane Wahto has been involved in the pro-choice
movement since before the "Summer of Mercy," a anti-abortion protest in
1991.

Wahto told NPR:

"So much of our lives here, the lives of pro-choice people in this
community, has been centered around keeping that clinic open and making
sure that the antis didn’t win…And it makes me so angry,
and yet there’s no place to put the anger."

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:

June 22: The Moderate Voice: What Abortionist Killers Believe

June 22: Science Notes: What causes third-trimester abortions?

June 22: LifeSiteNews: Canadian Bishops Conference Pres Says "No Foundation" for Allegations against Development and Peace

June 22: Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood: Peaceful protest continues at Planned Parenthood Aurora

June 22: KFBB: Planned Parenthood sues over birth control

June 23: Catholic Online:President Obama Acknowledges Fatherhood Begins at Conception.

June 23: Catholic Online:Father Pavone: ‘Abortion for Men’

June 22: Chicago Daily Observer:Adjuncts of Apostasy; Pillars of Jelly at Notre Dame

June 22: Minnesota Independent: Klobuchar bill condemning Tiller murder faces GOP opposition

June 22: Jezebel: Should Pro-Choicers Embrace Abortion Restrictions?

June 22: LifeNews: Teenager From Ohio Wins National Pro-Life Oratory Contest With Abortion Speech