Free Republic

The House of Representatives passed a measure Thursday evening in a 251-172 vote to amend the federal health care bill to include protections against federal tax funding of abortion, as well as strengthened conscience rights for health care providers. The House cast the vote to pass the bill after voting in favor of a closed rule earlier in the day. The rule for the Protect Life Act, H.R. 358, had passed 248-173 nearly along party lines. During much of the floor debate, Republicans emphasized the need to stop a massive influx of tax funding of abortion under the new health...

Mike Pence has launched what will surely be a quixotic campaign to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding. Pence announced today, on the anniversary of Roe v Wade, that he will press Congress to act against the big-box abortion provider by stopping the millions of dollars it receives each year from the federal government. After HR 614’s introduction yesterday, it has already gained 61 co-sponsors:

It has emerged that US President-elect Barack Obama held his first telephone conversation with Pope Benedict XVI yesterday, the day a senior Vatican official made clear the Holy See would oppose any changes by Mr Obama in US policy on embryonic stem cell research. The Vatican said the conversation on Tuesday formed part of the "normal exchanges" between a new American President and other world leaders. Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope's spokesman, said neither the Pope nor Mr Obama had made any reference to the stem cell issue during the call, in which Mr Obama had responded to the Pope's...

Continuation of Terri Schiavo daily March threads. Due to overwhelming participation we reached over 5000 posts in three days time!

Ginger Ekselman, who once had an abortion, plans to confront Julia Black's controversial documentary. Thank you, Julia Black. Even if watching your film, My Foetus, is the hardest thing I ever do, I know I have to do it. Like you, I grew up strongly pro-choice, in the era of women's liberation. Like you, I found out I was pregnant in my early 20s, at the end of my degree. Like you, I had an abortion. I was majoring in women's studies at the time. I thought I knew about abortion. A close friend had done her social work placement...