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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Ella, a drug currently being marketed in Europe as a "morning after pill", even though it has not undergone rigorous testing in the U.S. and has been known to cause birth defects in children who survived after their mothers used the drug.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A major pro-life organization has launched a petition drive aimed at convincing members of Congress to block a bill pending in the U.S. House that will grant $715 million to international family planning agencies to fund abortion, sterilization and oral contraception.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The federal judge in California who declared a ban on same-sex marriage in the state to be unconstitutional, has decided to allow same-sex marriages to resume on August 18 at 5:00 p.m.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist Laws in the state of Louisiana that protect the profits of the funeral industry are being used to prevent a monastery of monks from selling handmade wooden caskets to support themselves.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The nation's largest grass roots family organization, the American Family Association (AFA) is calling for a nationwide boycott of Home Depot for allowing employees to sport pro-homosexuality buttons on their aprons even though they fired a Christian employee last year for refusing to remove a "One Nation Under God" button.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The first major study to compare religion and relationship quality across America's major racial and ethnic groups finds that shared religious activity – attending church together and especially praying together – is linked to higher levels of relationship quality, particularly among Black couples.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist State law is forcing the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin to begin offering its employees insurance coverage for birth control.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist An increasing number of students returning to campus this fall stand a good chance of encountering a missionary of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), which recently announced that it will now be present on 50 colleges during the 2010-11 school year.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist Youth-oriented Urban Outfitters is calling on teens to "help support Planned Parenthood" by buying a three-pack of their condoms, which are known to be among the most inferior of all brands. 

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist Life Decisions International (LDI) has released an updated version of the Corporate Funding Project (CFP) that identifies corporations that support Planned Parenthood. The  Corporate Funding Project, which produces an updated list twice a year, focuses on educating  corporate officials about the agendas of Planned Parenthood in an effort to convince them to deny support to this dangerous group. LDI suggests pro-life consumers boycott these corporations so as not to be responsible for indirectly funding Planned Parenthood. The latest list includes AOL, Kohl's department stores, Mrs. Fields cookies, Staples, Toys "R" Us, ING financial services and Trader Joe's. A number of hotel and restaurant franchises are also on the list such as Darden Restaurants (which owns Bahama Breeze, The Capital Grille, LongHorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Season 52) and Hilton Worldwide (which owns Conrad Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns/Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Hotels and Homewood Suites). The Gap, Freddie Mac (which provides government-sponsored secondary mortgages), Time Warner, Nike, Nationwide Insurance, Walt Disney, Wells Fargo (including Wachovia Bank) and Johnson & Johnson are among the entities that have returned to the list. "As a direct result of the commitment, action and prayers of pro-family people, at least 256 corporations have stopped funding Planned Parenthood," said Kenneth C. Garvey, LDI's Director of Communications.  It is estimated that the boycott has cost Planned Parenthood more than $40 million since the Corporate Funding Project (CFP) began nearly 18 years ago. "This should serve as a testament to those who thought it impossible to change corporate philanthropic behavior," he added. Garvey was critical of pro-life organizations that continue to use PayPal even though it has been a boycott target for several years now. "PayPal is owned by boycott target eBay," Garvey said. "Most pro-life groups are aware that it is a boycott target because it has funded Planned Parenthood, but they have consciously chosen to continue doing business with the company. Doing so is indefensible." Garvey said alternatives to PayPal exist, and he will gladly help anyone who has trouble tracking them down. "It is unconscionable that anyone who claims to be pro-life would willingly do business with a company that funds the number one enemy of preborn children," Garvey said. The new Boycott List also includes a "Dishonorable Mention" section, which identifies charitable groups that are associated with Planned Parenthood and/or its agenda. Groups named in this section include Lions Clubs, the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, Boys & Girls Clubs, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Camp Fire, Girls Inc., Girl Scouts, Kiwanis Clubs, March of Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Rotary Clubs, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Salvation Army, YWCA, America Gives Back (formerly [American] Idol Gives Back), and YMCA, among others. "This has not been some sort of 'Jesse Jackson boycott' where we make news for a few days and then go away," said LDI Chairman Thomas C. Strobhar. "Corporate officials are learning that those who value life are among the most dedicated people on earth. We will not go away until corporate involvement with Planned Parenthood comes to an end." For more information about the CFP, including the steps taken before a corporation is placed on The Boycott List, click here. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com

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