Life Links 11/17/10

Carleton University's student union has banned the campus' prolife club. However, they did give them an option of continuing to be recognized. All Carleton Lifeline has to do is become pro-choice.

“We invite you to amend your constitution to create one that respects our anti-discrimination policy as laid out above,” wrote Khaldoon Bushnaq, CUSA’s vice-president of internal affairs. “If you are able to resubmit a constitution that meets our criteria by Thursday, November 18th we will be able to certify your club for this semester.”
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“It’s very ironic that they have a discrimination policy that allows them to discriminate against pro-life groups,” (Ruth Lobo, the president of Carleton Lifeline) said. “CUSA claims to be representative of all students. As a pro-life student I am not represented by an organization I am forced to pay dues to in my tuition. Either they should create a policy in which students can opt out of fees or get rid of the discrimination policy,” Ms. Lobo said.

Ramesh Ponnuru responds to William Saletan's advice for the prolife movement.

Third, Saletan says that if pro-lifers “were to embrace contraception and give it moral sanction,” it would reduce abortion more than any anti-abortion law. I’m highly skeptical. Are people really having sex without contraception because pro-lifers have refrained from proselytizing in favor of contraception?

Come on Ramesh. Everybody knows that National Right to Life's lack of a position paper on contraception is main cause of unmarried women using birth control sporadically and improperly.


Prolifers came up to testify against a measure to regulate prolife pregnancy centers at a New York City Council committee meeting.

Council Member Daniel Halloran raised questions about the city government telling a group that it must disclose what it doesn't provide, suggesting that Planned Parenthood should change its name to indicate that it also plans for nonparenthood.

"I am very concerned that if the government can step in here it can step in other places and do exactly the same thing," he said.

In North Dakota, the Cass County state’s attorney Birch Burdick has decided against charging abortionist Lori Thorndike for performing abortions after letting her North Dakota medical license expire.

Under North Dakota law, abortions must be performed by a licensed physician. Violations in the abortion statute are subject to possible misdemeanor or felony criminal penalties.