Abortion Clinics Fear Medical Standards

Virginia may enact regulations for abortion clinics similar to hospitals and surgery centers after a ruling by Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II.

-- From "Cuccinelli: Virginia has right to regulate abortion clinics" by Matthew Cella, The Washington Times 8/23/10

An opinion issued Friday by the pro-life Republican comes after years of attempts by conservative legislators to pass additional restrictions in the General Assembly for abortion clinics, which in Virginia have been treated for regulatory purposes as physicians' offices.

"The state has long regulated outpatient surgical facilities and personnel to ensure a certain level of protection for patients. There is no reason to hold facilities providing abortion services to any lesser standard for their patients," said Brian J. Gottstein, a spokesman for Mr. Cuccinelli.

"Even pharmacies, funeral homes and veterinary clinics are regulated by the state," he said.

Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, said meeting the structural requirements of the regulations could cost as much as $2 million and would be "financially prohibitive" for abortion providers.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ken Cuccinelli's End Run on Abortion" by Nicole Allan, a staff editor at TheAtlantic.com 8/25/10

Virginia abortion rights advocates saw it coming. After Ken Cuccinelli, a rising Republican star known for his hard-line stances on most social issues, was elected state attorney general last year, they knew it was only a matter of time before he zeroed in on abortion.

Cucinelli's tactic is not new. In 2001, Mother Jones ran a story about the rise of what abortion rights advocates call TRAP laws, short for Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. The article, written by Barry Yeoman and titled "The Quiet War on Abortion," detailed the anti-abortion movement's shift from targeting the legality of the procedure to applying pressure on its providers . . .

According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, varying degrees of TRAP laws have passed in 44 states plus the District of Columbia. . . .

William Hurd, a former solicitor general for the state of Virginia, does not think Cuccinelli has political motives. "The practice has been to call 'em as you see 'em, and that's what the attorney general has done here," he said. "I think the opinion is very carefully crafted, saying that while the boards do have some authority to regulate this, they are also subject to constitutional limitations. Certainly, while people may debate the abortion issue, in terms of pro-life or pro-choice, certainly everyone should agree that women are entitled to good health care."

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

Memorial Day 2010 "For You"

Today, most Americans remember "the sacrifices of those who fell in military service to the country."

-- From "Silence, ceremonies to mark sacrifice of military" by the CNN Wire Staff 5/31/10

Vice President Joe Biden will take the place of President Obama for the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington, the most prestigious military cemetery in the country, where many of the soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

Obama is in Chicago, Illinois, spending the night with his family at their home for the first time in more than a year. He will mark the holiday with remarks at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, about an hour outside Chicago.

Back in Washington, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will officially recognize six names added to the black granite wall in May.

The addition brings the number of men and women who were killed or remain missing in action to 58,267.

. . . the National Moment of Remembrance [3:00pm eastern time] -- established by Congress -- asks Americans to stop whatever they are doing and observe a minute's silence. The time was chosen because it is when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday . . .

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Virginia School Bans Books Critical of Homosexuality

Librarians say such books "would make gay students feel inferior"

-- From "Conservative Group Urges Libraries to Accept Collection" by Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post Staff Writer 10/3/08

During a week that librarians nationwide are highlighting banned books, conservative Christian students and parents showcased their own collection outside a Fairfax County high school yesterday -- a collection they say was banned by the librarians themselves.

More than 40 students, many wearing black T-shirts stamped with the words "Closing Books Shuts Out Ideas," said they tried to donate more than 100 books about homosexuality to more than a dozen high school libraries in the past year. The initiative, organized by Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, was intended to add a conservative Christian perspective to shelves that the students said are stocked with "pro-gay" books.

Most of the books were turned down after school librarians said they did not meet school system standards. Titles include "Marriage on Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting" and "Someone I Love Is Gay," which argues that homosexuality is not "a hopeless condition."

Fairfax County's policy on library book selection says "the collection should support the diverse interests, needs and viewpoints of the school community."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Christian Clubs OK in Virginia Schools

A federal judge has found unconstitutional a Virginia school district's policies that discriminated against the Child Evangelism Fellowship's Good News Clubs because of their religious nature.

-- From "Good News Clubs welcome in VA school district" by Jeff Johnson - OneNewsNow - 8/12/2008

The Williamsburg-James City, Virginia, School District argued it was required to charge the Good News Clubs rent for after-school meetings . . .

Yesterday (August 11) U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson of Newport News . . . ordered the school to stop charging Good News Clubs for facilities that are made available to secular groups for free.

The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that schools may not discriminate against religion-based extra-curricular clubs when student groups expressing non-religious viewpoints are allowed to operate on campus. Good News Clubs, according to a Liberty Counsel press release, teach children "respect, good citizenship, moral values, and character development from a biblical perspective."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Ex-Gay Ministry Harassed by Homosexual Activists at Fair

From "Ex-Gay Ministry Harassed by Homosexual Activists at Fair" posted 8/30/07 at Citizenlink.org

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) got an earful of "tolerance" at the Arlington County Fair in Virginia last week. They were faced with a barrage of verbal abuse, and one man was reportedly assaulted by a gay activist.

“They accused this young man of hiding his feelings," PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs explained. "They walked by him and hit him in the back — attacked him.”

PFOX set up a display to offer hope to people dealing with unwanted same-sex attractions, but two gay activists objected to the message of hope.

“They told us that we had no right to be there. That we were nothing but a group of religious bigots," Griggs told Family News in Focus. “And that the right to free speech doesn’t apply to former homosexuals.”

Officers kicked the gay activists out of the fair and encouraged the PFOX volunteer to press charges, but he chose not to.

Gay Activists Assault Ex-Gay, Trash Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays Booth at Fair

When pro-gay activists are in power true tolerance and diversity will not be permitted. Pro-gay ideology is too fragile to 'tolerate' it. We cannot be allowed to upset the house of cards they are constructing for themselves with the truth...

From "Gay Activists Assault Ex-Gay, Trash Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays Booth at Fair" by Peter J. Smith, posted 8/28/07 at Lifesite.org

Angry homosexual activists harassed and assaulted ex-homosexuals at the Arlington County Fair last week, according to an ex-gay educational and support group.

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) reports its volunteers were distributing education materials on same-sex attraction and awareness of ex-homosexuals at their fair booth. Homosexual activists approached them and created a disturbance, spewing obscenities and dashing materials from the exhibit table.

The group demanded that PFOX leave the fairgrounds, recognize "same-sex spouses" and rejected arguments that homosexuals could change their sexual orientation, although they admitted they knew heterosexuals who had done the same.

The confrontation escalated after one activist struck a PFOX ex-gay volunteer after becoming infuriated over the man's testimony about leaving the homosexual lifestyle. A police officer then ejected the activist from the fairgrounds, although the ex-homosexual volunteer declined to press charges citing the example of Jesus Christ.

The incident, while not uncommon in PFOX experience, continues to highlight homosexual activists' rejection of tolerance and equal access ideas opposing and competing with the homosexual agenda.

PFOX said that several homosexuals had identified themselves as TEACHERS (emphasis ours) and would make sure that PFOX ex-homosexual materials would not reach teenagers in schools as pro-homosexual materials do.

Scary...