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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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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A prominent right-to-die group in the Netherlands wants to set up a suicide clinic to be used by all those people who wish to die but do not meet government requirements for assisted suicide.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A new documentary produced by the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network (CBCN) reveals the shocking secrets of the infertility industry and how they lure vulnerable young women into the so-called "safe" business of egg donation.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist As the debate leading up to the almost certain nomination of U.S. Solictor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court gets underway, conservative lawmakers have announced that if they had the numbers, they would demand an investigation into Kagan's role in doctoring a medical group's statement that influenced the outcome of the 1997 partial birth abortion debate.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A rare moment in the history of the mainstream media occurred recently when a popular pro-life television show based in Cincinnati, Ohio won a regional Emmy award for a show chronicling the compelling case of a woman born with a rare disease who overcame enormous odds to fulfill her dream of becoming a mother.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life has announced that his dicastery is planning to publish a new document on the after-effects of abortion which is expected to be completed next year.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist If passed, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” recently introduced by pro-life Congressmen in the U.S. House, will institute a permanent, government-wide statutory ban on all taxpayer-funded abortion.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the world’s first human clinical trial of a therapy involving embryonic stem cells, a move that has been condemned by the Vatican as "unacceptable."

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The governor of the state of New Jersey has decided that in order to restore "fiscal sanity" to his state budget, there will be no more taxpayer money given to "family planning" clincs.  New Jersey's Star Ledger is reporting that Catholic Governor Chris Christie has fulfilled yet another campaign promise to restore the state's government to "fiscal sanity" by vetoing a bill that would have allotted $7.5 million in state funds to  "family planning" clinics, most of which are run by Planned Parenthood. "State spending has been reset to levels the taxpayers can afford,” said Christie in a stern message to the legislature. “Supplemental spending that would return to the unchecked spending and out of control budget shortfalls of the past will not make it past the Governor's desk." Michele Jaker, executive director of The Women's Health Matters Campaign, a collaboration between the Family Planning Association of New Jersey and the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey, described herself as being "disappointed, angry and frustrated" by the Governor's veto. "How else can I describe my feelings about the Governor's veto of funding for women's health? What part doesn't he get - that thousands of women and men in NJ rely on family planning funding to get the health care they need? That funding family planning actually saves the state money? It's baffling." Meanwhile, pro-life groups are applauding the move. “The taxpayers of New Jersey are under no obligation to fund the radical and failed social agenda of Planned Parenthood,’’ said Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life. “We commend Governor Christie for his steadfast opposition to restoring these funds.” Reports indicate that the Democrat-controlled Legislature may seek to mount a veto-override. To sign a national petition asking the government to defund Planned Parenthood, visit www.defundplannedparenthood.org  © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com

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