Thousands gather for abortion protest in Houston
On Martin Luther King Day Jan. 19, 2010, thousands of people, including nationally renowned pro-life leaders came from across the U.S. to protest the future six-story home of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston, Texas.
The building, formerly belonging to a bank and shaped like a cash register, will be transformed into a 78,000 square foot clinic and is expected to be one of the largest in the nation. It will also include a surgical wing capable of providing late-term abortions.
“Planned Parenthood's Houston abortion super center will most likely become the prototype for so-called 'preventative care' centers under President Obama's health care plan,” warned Tony Perkins, Family Research Council President on Monday, speaking on the wider implications of the facility renovation.
“Already, Planned Parenthood is counting the millions, if not billions, of dollars the organization will receive under the current Obama plan,” he charged.
“And that's just federal funding. As the legislation stands now, Planned Parenthood would be considered an 'authorized care provider' by private insurers, which would flood the organization's coffers with even more money regardless of its predatory record against minorities,” Perkins said.
Joining Perkins was Lou Engle of the organization Call to Conscience, Shawn Carney of the Coalition for Life, numerous other pro-life leaders and a multi-racial crowd of protestors.
The rally was held on Martin Luther King Day in honor of the civil rights leader and in protest of what many feel is Planned Parenthood's racially targeted efforts towards minorities.
Lou Engle has previously spoken on his belief that Planned Parenthood has chosen the building as their future site partly because it is surrounded by minority neighborhoods. Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla argued that the site will primarily host office space and provide reproductive services other than abortion.
“Since the facility will be situated near predominately black and Hispanic neighborhoods, it is clear that Planned Parenthood is targeting minority groups,” said Engle in a press release on Jan. 5. “That is why we are gathering minority leaders in Houston and around the country who are grieved, and who are committed to raising awareness and ultimately halting Planned Parenthood's brazen assault on innocent life.”
Many of the protestors wore red duct tape marked with the words “life” over their mouths while they marched, prayed and maintained silence to highlight the fact that the unborn who are killed by abortion have no voice.
Other speakers and attendees of the rally were Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church; Star Parker, president of the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education as well as Abby Johnson, the former Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood Director.
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court handed down the still controversial Roe v. Wade decision. That ruling effectively took the massive moral question of abortion out of the hands of the American people, and in the 37 years since, an estimated 50 million unborn children have been aborted. Since that time, we have learned that "Roe," Norma McCorvey, was used by radicals and taught to lie about the circumstances of her pregancy in court.
The Bay State ReverberatesIt has been quite an interesting week in politics. The one-year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration saw a Republican, Scott Brown, elected senator from Massachusetts for the first time in a generation. That he captured the seat that the late Ted Kennedy held for a generation puts the victory in bold print. Following that win, the Democrats' health care takeover bill appears to be on life support.
On Martin Luther King Day Jan. 19, 2010, thousands of people, including nationally renowned pro-life leaders came from across the U.S. to protest the future six-story home of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston, Texas.
The building, formerly belonging to a bank and shaped like a cash register, will be transformed into a 78,000 square foot clinic and is expected to be one of the largest in the nation. It will also include a surgical wing capable of providing late-term abortions.
“Planned Parenthood's Houston abortion super center will most likely become the prototype for so-called 'preventative care' centers under President Obama's health care plan,” warned Tony Perkins, Family Research Council President on Monday, speaking on the wider implications of the facility renovation.
“Already, Planned Parenthood is counting the millions, if not billions, of dollars the organization will receive under the current Obama plan,” he charged.
“And that's just federal funding. As the legislation stands now, Planned Parenthood would be considered an 'authorized care provider' by private insurers, which would flood the organization's coffers with even more money regardless of its predatory record against minorities,” Perkins said.
Joining Perkins was Lou Engle of the organization Call to Conscience, Shawn Carney of the Coalition for Life, numerous other pro-life leaders and a multi-racial crowd of protestors.
The rally was held on Martin Luther King Day in honor of the civil rights leader and in protest of what many feel is Planned Parenthood's racially targeted efforts towards minorities.
Lou Engle has previously spoken on his belief that Planned Parenthood has chosen the building as their future site partly because it is surrounded by minority neighborhoods. Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla argued that the site will primarily host office space and provide reproductive services other than abortion.
“Since the facility will be situated near predominately black and Hispanic neighborhoods, it is clear that Planned Parenthood is targeting minority groups,” said Engle in a press release on Jan. 5. “That is why we are gathering minority leaders in Houston and around the country who are grieved, and who are committed to raising awareness and ultimately halting Planned Parenthood's brazen assault on innocent life.”
Many of the protestors wore red duct tape marked with the words “life” over their mouths while they marched, prayed and maintained silence to highlight the fact that the unborn who are killed by abortion have no voice.
Other speakers and attendees of the rally were Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church; Star Parker, president of the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education as well as Abby Johnson, the former Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood Director.
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court handed down the still controversial Roe v. Wade decision. That ruling effectively took the massive moral question of abortion out of the hands of the American people, and in the 37 years since, an estimated 50 million unborn children have been aborted. Since that time, we have learned that "Roe," Norma McCorvey, was used by radicals and taught to lie about the circumstances of her pregancy in court.
Today, she is strongly pro-life. There are Walks for Life today all over the country and Texas, including Dallas, Houston, at the capitol in Austin and in Washington, DC to mark the day.Rather than recite Roe's legacy of division and rancor that by now we all are familiar with, today's anniversary is an appropriate time to note a few things that are happening right now.
The American people are, for the first time since the question has been polled, more pro-life than not. In May 2009, Gallup found that 51% of Americans identify themselves as pro-life, while 42% identify as pro-choice.Among the reasons for the shift in opinion, is the increased availability of sonogram technology. Sonograms show unambiguously that the unborn are alive. The power of the sonogram image led College Station Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson to turn against abortion last year.
The Republican Party of Texas has put the question of mandating sonograms on our primary ballot this year.Meanwhile, in Houston former mayor and now Democratic contender for governor Bill White has presided over the construction of what may be the world's largest abortion clinic. White bills himself as a moderate Democrat, but his administration allowed this 6-floor, 78,000 square foot facility to be built. Its location shows that it clearly markets its late-term abortion services to Houston's minority communities.
And there's more to this awful story: White's director of Health Policy was one Elena Marks. Ms. Marks is (or was) also the Texas head of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Bill White's connection to this gigantic abortion mill is undeniable; he holds no claim to being a moderate Democrat.
The Bay State ReverberatesIt has been quite an interesting week in politics. The one-year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration saw a Republican, Scott Brown, elected senator from Massachusetts for the first time in a generation. That he captured the seat that the late Ted Kennedy held for a generation puts the victory in bold print. Following that win, the Democrats' health care takeover bill appears to be on life support.
It is not dead yet - liberals like Nancy Pelosi are still trying to push it through even though the American people have loudly rejected it. The Obama administration's plan to try arch terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York may also now be in doubt. It should be. Even New York's Democratic governor has been cool to the idea of trying KSM as a civilian in the city he attacked. All of this might help explain by the latest Gallup poll shows that 57% of adults are disappointed with President Obama.
The fact is, he's governing from the far left, and that's not where most Americans are. The other fact is, he has broken major campaign promises by proposing massive tax increases and having his health care bill brokered in back room deals, and the American people are aware of it. That's why he has fallen farther faster in job approval in his first year than any other US president ever has.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court struck down parts of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance law this week.
That was a clear victory for free speech.And then on Thursday, news broke that the liberal Air America talk radio network is bankrupt and will cease operations. Air America's sordid history of stealing from Boys and Girls Clubs never quite made the mainstream media splash that it should have. The network was on so few stations and attracted so few listeners that it won't be missed.
