Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pro-Abortion Group Wants Pregnancy Centers Removed From Internet Directories
Pro-Abortion Group Wants Pregnancy Centers Removed From Internet Directories
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 1, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- They say they support choice, but the pro-abortion activists at NARAL want to leave women in unplanned pregnancy situations with one option: abortion. In a letter to its members today, NARAL president Nancy Keenan announced she is asking two Internet directories to remove pregnancy center listings.
If NARAL is successful, that means millions of people who visit the two prominent directories every year will not see listings for pregnancy centers that provide women with abortion alternatives.
"Today, my team sent our letter with more than 59,000 signatures to YellowPages.com and SuperPages.com asking them to remove misleading CPC ads from their sites," Keenan said this afternoon. "But anti-choice CPCs are still blanketing buses, billboards, and even the airwaves with their falsehoods."
LifeNews.com has contacted but not received a response from representatives of both directories to determine whether they will bend to NARAL's pressure to remove these pro-woman agencies from their listings.
Even if NARAL is successful in censoring information about pregnancy help centers in the directories, they want to go further.
"Now we must take the next step. We need a federal bill to put an end to deceptive CPC ads everywhere," Keenan said, using false claims to support such a bill. "Many CPCs do whatever it takes to block women from choosing abortion. We've heard it all: lies about abortion and condoms, guilt-trips, and harassing follow-up phone calls."
Keenan is promoting the so-called Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act, filed by pro-abortion Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, in the U.S. House. The measure would have the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fine pregnancy centers for supposedly engaging in false advertising.
"My heart sinks every time I hear about a woman who was forced to hear lies and lectures from a CPC when what she needed was the truth. The Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act can protect women seeking real health care from being tricked into going to an anti-choice CPC," Keenan says.
Kristin Hansen, the vice president for communications at Care Net, a national network of more than 1,100 pregnancy centers, talked with LifeNews.com last month about other NARAL attacks on pregnancy centers.
"Abortion advocacy groups like NARAL have been working hard this year to perpetuate the 'boogeyman' idea that the work of pregnancy centers is harming women," she said.
"Every day, there’s a new blog post, video, 'undercover report,' or now, here’s a flashy quiz to help build an email list and raise money. These scare tactics are riddled with false accusations and are meant to deter women from visiting pregnancy centers for help," she added.
As a response, Care Net released its own REAL Quiz about Pregnancy Centers to counter NARAL's negativity with the truth.
Hansen says most pregnancy center clients appreciate the help and support and the ones speaking out against such centers are typically pro-abortion staffers and volunteers claiming to have been treated poorly.
"If you take a closer look, you see that the negative information about pregnancy centers comes from the same people who are usually a staff person, volunteer, or member of an abortion advocacy group. The complaints do not come from actual clients, who regularly give high approval ratings of the pregnancy center they visited," she said.
The attacks may be backfiring as Care Net is expanding its outreach to new communities.
"Despite these ongoing attacks from NARAL, a growing number of people are getting excited about the compassionate work of pregnancy centers. Care Net sees wonderful doors opening this year as more community leaders are stepping up to open new pregnancy centers in cities where there are few or none," Hansen said.
"Every day, someone’s heart is touched with the vision of reaching out to women facing unplanned pregnancies with practical help and emotional support. There's no new mean-spirited quiz or negative campaign that can prevent the growth of this positive movement in the hearts of volunteers across America," she concluded.
ACTION: Contact the directors at http://www.yellowpages.com/about/contact-us and http://www.superpages.com/about/feedback.html and tell them to ignore NARAL's request to remove pregnancy center ads.
Related web sites:
Care Net - http://www.care-net.org
CareNet Quiz - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/realquizaboutpregnancycenters
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6489.html
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 1, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- They say they support choice, but the pro-abortion activists at NARAL want to leave women in unplanned pregnancy situations with one option: abortion. In a letter to its members today, NARAL president Nancy Keenan announced she is asking two Internet directories to remove pregnancy center listings.
If NARAL is successful, that means millions of people who visit the two prominent directories every year will not see listings for pregnancy centers that provide women with abortion alternatives.
"Today, my team sent our letter with more than 59,000 signatures to YellowPages.com and SuperPages.com asking them to remove misleading CPC ads from their sites," Keenan said this afternoon. "But anti-choice CPCs are still blanketing buses, billboards, and even the airwaves with their falsehoods."
LifeNews.com has contacted but not received a response from representatives of both directories to determine whether they will bend to NARAL's pressure to remove these pro-woman agencies from their listings.
Even if NARAL is successful in censoring information about pregnancy help centers in the directories, they want to go further.
"Now we must take the next step. We need a federal bill to put an end to deceptive CPC ads everywhere," Keenan said, using false claims to support such a bill. "Many CPCs do whatever it takes to block women from choosing abortion. We've heard it all: lies about abortion and condoms, guilt-trips, and harassing follow-up phone calls."
Keenan is promoting the so-called Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act, filed by pro-abortion Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, in the U.S. House. The measure would have the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fine pregnancy centers for supposedly engaging in false advertising.
"My heart sinks every time I hear about a woman who was forced to hear lies and lectures from a CPC when what she needed was the truth. The Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act can protect women seeking real health care from being tricked into going to an anti-choice CPC," Keenan says.
Kristin Hansen, the vice president for communications at Care Net, a national network of more than 1,100 pregnancy centers, talked with LifeNews.com last month about other NARAL attacks on pregnancy centers.
"Abortion advocacy groups like NARAL have been working hard this year to perpetuate the 'boogeyman' idea that the work of pregnancy centers is harming women," she said.
"Every day, there’s a new blog post, video, 'undercover report,' or now, here’s a flashy quiz to help build an email list and raise money. These scare tactics are riddled with false accusations and are meant to deter women from visiting pregnancy centers for help," she added.
As a response, Care Net released its own REAL Quiz about Pregnancy Centers to counter NARAL's negativity with the truth.
Hansen says most pregnancy center clients appreciate the help and support and the ones speaking out against such centers are typically pro-abortion staffers and volunteers claiming to have been treated poorly.
"If you take a closer look, you see that the negative information about pregnancy centers comes from the same people who are usually a staff person, volunteer, or member of an abortion advocacy group. The complaints do not come from actual clients, who regularly give high approval ratings of the pregnancy center they visited," she said.
The attacks may be backfiring as Care Net is expanding its outreach to new communities.
"Despite these ongoing attacks from NARAL, a growing number of people are getting excited about the compassionate work of pregnancy centers. Care Net sees wonderful doors opening this year as more community leaders are stepping up to open new pregnancy centers in cities where there are few or none," Hansen said.
"Every day, someone’s heart is touched with the vision of reaching out to women facing unplanned pregnancies with practical help and emotional support. There's no new mean-spirited quiz or negative campaign that can prevent the growth of this positive movement in the hearts of volunteers across America," she concluded.
ACTION: Contact the directors at http://www.yellowpages.com/about/contact-us and http://www.superpages.com/about/feedback.html and tell them to ignore NARAL's request to remove pregnancy center ads.
Related web sites:
Care Net - http://www.care-net.org
CareNet Quiz - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/realquizaboutpregnancycenters
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6489.html
Appeals Court Reinstates Case Against Planned Parenthood Over Massive Fraud
Appeals Court Reinstates Case Against Planned Parenthood Over Massive Fraud
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 2, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reinstated the lawsuit filed by a former vice president of a Planned Parenthood abortion business affiliate in California. The case details allegations of massive fraud where the abortion giant overbilled state officials.
P. Victor Gonzalez says the abortion business fired him because he raised concerns about illegal practices of overcharging the state hundreds of millions of dollars on birth control.
The former Planned Parenthood official filed a lawsuit in March 2008 but, in January 2009, a federal district court judge dismissed the case and Gonzalez filed an appeal.
Represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, Gonzalez is now considered a federal whistleblower.
“This is a tremendous victory,” Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ chief counsel, told LifeNews.com after the decision.
“While this case is by no means over, winning this appeal means we have gotten the federal claim over the threshold hurdles and can now get down to the heart of this case: the alleged fraud," he explained.
Gonzalez says his own internal audit estimates that Planned Parenthood overcharged California taxpayers for purchasing birth control by at least $180 million.
He was the vice president of finance and administration for Planned Parenthood of Los Angles and, according to a Los Angeles Times report, the overbilling began in the late 1990s.
While other public health facilities and private facilities charged the state between $8 and $9 for a cycle of birth control pills, Planned Parenthood charged almost $12. The Planned Parenthood charge to the California government was several times more than it paid for the drugs originally.
Gonzalez alleges that other California-based Planned Parenthood affiliates and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California knowingly engaged in a scheme to defraud state and federal taxpayers by deliberately over-billing the Medi-Cal program.
Judge A. Howard Matz dismissed Gonzalez’s suit in October 2008 and he ruled that Gonzalez did not qualify as a whistleblower under federal law because he was not the "original source" of the data exposing the fraud. As a result, he said his court lacked jurisdiction in the suit.
The federal False Claims Act (FCA) forbids government contractors from submitting “false or fraudulent” claims for payment. The FCA also authorizes private individuals to bring suit against the offenders to recover the fraudulently obtained funds.
The allegation in this case is that PP affiliates in California illegally marked up the supposed cost of various birth control drugs when seeking government reimbursement, resulting in tens of millions of dollars of overbilling – at taxpayer expense. State audits in both California and Washington State have found PP affiliates guilty of overbilling.
When Gonzalez sued Planned Parenthood, a prominent law firm began representing the abortion business at no cost to the defendants and asked the federal district court to dismiss the case on technical jurisdictional grounds.
The federal district court accepted their arguments in part, and dismissed the case. ACLJ attorneys then entered the case to handle the appeal.
“The question on appeal was whether the former PP employee is a proper whistleblower under the False Claims Act,” said Sekulow. “We contended that the answer is ‘Yes,’ and now a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit has unanimously agreed with us.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Planned Parenthood overbilling occurred until state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara sponsored legislation allowing Planned Parenthood to charge more based on concerns the abortion business presented her that it would suffer financial problems without it.
However, altering the statute didn't address the billing practices prior to it and a 2003 state audit found at least $5.2 million in overbilling in 2003 alone from just one of the nine California Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Medi-Cal officials first noticed the problems in 1997 and Planned Parenthood received two separate letters at that time pointing out the problems.
State officials now say Planned Parenthood was given conflicting information on billing practices. They say Planned Parenthood does not need to repay the millions it overcharged state taxpayers.
Still, Gonzalez wants the abortion business to be held accountable for firing him abruptly on March 9, 2004 for doing his job and pointing out that it was breaking the law.
In its legal papers, ACLJ notes a California Department of Health Services audit in 2004 found more than $5 million in egregious over-billing in two years by the San Diego/Riverside Planned Parenthood affiliate.
In the reply brief filed with the appeals court on September 25th, the ACLJ counters arguments that the Planned Parenthood affiliates made in their own brief on appeal. In particular, the ACLJ brief takes Planned Parenthood to task for “misrepresenting” the record in the case and for “improperly” trying to inject new materials into the case on appeal.
This is a very complicated, highly technical area of the law,” noted Sekulow.
“There is no way an ordinary citizen, no matter how just the claim or how egregious the fraud, could afford to take on a prominent law firm in a complex area of the law like this. We're very pleased that the ACLJ was available to provide the high-powered analysis a case like this calls for,” he told LifeNews.com.
Related web sites:
ACLJ - http://www.ACLJ.org
http://www.lifenews.com/state5226.html
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 2, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reinstated the lawsuit filed by a former vice president of a Planned Parenthood abortion business affiliate in California. The case details allegations of massive fraud where the abortion giant overbilled state officials.
P. Victor Gonzalez says the abortion business fired him because he raised concerns about illegal practices of overcharging the state hundreds of millions of dollars on birth control.
The former Planned Parenthood official filed a lawsuit in March 2008 but, in January 2009, a federal district court judge dismissed the case and Gonzalez filed an appeal.
Represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, Gonzalez is now considered a federal whistleblower.
“This is a tremendous victory,” Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ chief counsel, told LifeNews.com after the decision.
“While this case is by no means over, winning this appeal means we have gotten the federal claim over the threshold hurdles and can now get down to the heart of this case: the alleged fraud," he explained.
Gonzalez says his own internal audit estimates that Planned Parenthood overcharged California taxpayers for purchasing birth control by at least $180 million.
He was the vice president of finance and administration for Planned Parenthood of Los Angles and, according to a Los Angeles Times report, the overbilling began in the late 1990s.
While other public health facilities and private facilities charged the state between $8 and $9 for a cycle of birth control pills, Planned Parenthood charged almost $12. The Planned Parenthood charge to the California government was several times more than it paid for the drugs originally.
Gonzalez alleges that other California-based Planned Parenthood affiliates and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California knowingly engaged in a scheme to defraud state and federal taxpayers by deliberately over-billing the Medi-Cal program.
Judge A. Howard Matz dismissed Gonzalez’s suit in October 2008 and he ruled that Gonzalez did not qualify as a whistleblower under federal law because he was not the "original source" of the data exposing the fraud. As a result, he said his court lacked jurisdiction in the suit.
The federal False Claims Act (FCA) forbids government contractors from submitting “false or fraudulent” claims for payment. The FCA also authorizes private individuals to bring suit against the offenders to recover the fraudulently obtained funds.
The allegation in this case is that PP affiliates in California illegally marked up the supposed cost of various birth control drugs when seeking government reimbursement, resulting in tens of millions of dollars of overbilling – at taxpayer expense. State audits in both California and Washington State have found PP affiliates guilty of overbilling.
When Gonzalez sued Planned Parenthood, a prominent law firm began representing the abortion business at no cost to the defendants and asked the federal district court to dismiss the case on technical jurisdictional grounds.
The federal district court accepted their arguments in part, and dismissed the case. ACLJ attorneys then entered the case to handle the appeal.
“The question on appeal was whether the former PP employee is a proper whistleblower under the False Claims Act,” said Sekulow. “We contended that the answer is ‘Yes,’ and now a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit has unanimously agreed with us.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Planned Parenthood overbilling occurred until state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara sponsored legislation allowing Planned Parenthood to charge more based on concerns the abortion business presented her that it would suffer financial problems without it.
However, altering the statute didn't address the billing practices prior to it and a 2003 state audit found at least $5.2 million in overbilling in 2003 alone from just one of the nine California Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Medi-Cal officials first noticed the problems in 1997 and Planned Parenthood received two separate letters at that time pointing out the problems.
State officials now say Planned Parenthood was given conflicting information on billing practices. They say Planned Parenthood does not need to repay the millions it overcharged state taxpayers.
Still, Gonzalez wants the abortion business to be held accountable for firing him abruptly on March 9, 2004 for doing his job and pointing out that it was breaking the law.
In its legal papers, ACLJ notes a California Department of Health Services audit in 2004 found more than $5 million in egregious over-billing in two years by the San Diego/Riverside Planned Parenthood affiliate.
In the reply brief filed with the appeals court on September 25th, the ACLJ counters arguments that the Planned Parenthood affiliates made in their own brief on appeal. In particular, the ACLJ brief takes Planned Parenthood to task for “misrepresenting” the record in the case and for “improperly” trying to inject new materials into the case on appeal.
This is a very complicated, highly technical area of the law,” noted Sekulow.
“There is no way an ordinary citizen, no matter how just the claim or how egregious the fraud, could afford to take on a prominent law firm in a complex area of the law like this. We're very pleased that the ACLJ was available to provide the high-powered analysis a case like this calls for,” he told LifeNews.com.
Related web sites:
ACLJ - http://www.ACLJ.org
http://www.lifenews.com/state5226.html
White House Announces New Pregnancy Assistance Fund, Pro-Lifers Skeptical-(And so am I!)
White House Announces New Pregnancy Assistance Fund, Pro-Lifers Skeptical
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 2, 2010
Is this just another way to push CPS/DCYF into families lives? Another way to steal more newborn babies?
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The White House has announced an effort it hopes will mute some of the extensive criticism President Barack Obama has endured because of his aggressive pro-abortion agenda. Officials announced late today the creation of the Pregnancy Assistance Fund, but pro-life groups are skeptical.
According to a press statement LifeNews.com received from the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Health and Human Services Department is behind the new $25 million program, which was part of the abortion funding health care bill.
The funds will be made available to states to support pregnant women and teen parents in what the White House calls an attempt to "build common ground" on abortion.
The grants are designed to do what many in the pro-life movement have done for a long time: provide scholastic assistance for pregnant and parenting teens, assistance for child care and housing, and other programs designed to help prospective young mothers. HHS will award $25 million annually through 2019.
"It was only a year ago that President Obama gave a seminal speech at Notre Dame urging our nation to find common ground on the issue of abortion and unintended pregnancies," the White House statement said.
"The Pregnancy Assistance Fund is a competitive grant program established by the Affordable Care Act to assist women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and those who are parenting," it read. "This funding is another critical step in the President's vision for common ground."
"The opportunity created by the Affordable Care Act will provide States and Tribes needed assistance to support vulnerable teens and women who are pregnant and parenting," pro-abortion HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is quoted as saying in the statement. "The Pregnancy Assistance Fund provides States the opportunity to link these families to health, education, child care, and other supports that can help brighten the futures of parents and their children."
The press statement never mentions reducing abortions as a thrust of the programs or grants, which Carrie Gordon Earll, a spokeswoman for CitizenLink, a legislative arm of Focus on the Family, noticed.
She told CNN, "This money is mandated for services for pregnant teens and women - violence prevention, vocational training. It would be inaccurate to characterize it as 'abortion common ground' since it doesn't specifically address abortion."
But Kristen Day, the head of Democrats for Life, which has come under heavy criticism from the rest of the pro-life movement for supporting the pro-abortion health care bill, told CNN the new program comes as a result of her networking with Obama officials.
"Pro-life and pro-choice people have gotten behind it so it's a good first step at reducing abortion and providing support for healthier babes and mothers," she said. "Once we show how effective this is we can go back and expand this program."
The measure has no limits on abortion, which is why CNN indicates Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, has signed off on it.
The press statement LifeNews.com obtained indicates the grants will likely wind up tine hands of "key stakeholders" such as "institutions of higher education, high schools, community organizations, and State Attorneys General offices."
It is anticipated that up to 25 grants in the amounts of $500,000 - $2,000,000 per year will be awarded and the application deadline is August 2, 2010.
Potential grant recipients can learn more about the program at http://www.hhs.gov/ophs/oah/prevention/grants/announcements/index.html
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6497.html
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 2, 2010
Is this just another way to push CPS/DCYF into families lives? Another way to steal more newborn babies?
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The White House has announced an effort it hopes will mute some of the extensive criticism President Barack Obama has endured because of his aggressive pro-abortion agenda. Officials announced late today the creation of the Pregnancy Assistance Fund, but pro-life groups are skeptical.
According to a press statement LifeNews.com received from the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Health and Human Services Department is behind the new $25 million program, which was part of the abortion funding health care bill.
The funds will be made available to states to support pregnant women and teen parents in what the White House calls an attempt to "build common ground" on abortion.
The grants are designed to do what many in the pro-life movement have done for a long time: provide scholastic assistance for pregnant and parenting teens, assistance for child care and housing, and other programs designed to help prospective young mothers. HHS will award $25 million annually through 2019.
"It was only a year ago that President Obama gave a seminal speech at Notre Dame urging our nation to find common ground on the issue of abortion and unintended pregnancies," the White House statement said.
"The Pregnancy Assistance Fund is a competitive grant program established by the Affordable Care Act to assist women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and those who are parenting," it read. "This funding is another critical step in the President's vision for common ground."
"The opportunity created by the Affordable Care Act will provide States and Tribes needed assistance to support vulnerable teens and women who are pregnant and parenting," pro-abortion HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is quoted as saying in the statement. "The Pregnancy Assistance Fund provides States the opportunity to link these families to health, education, child care, and other supports that can help brighten the futures of parents and their children."
The press statement never mentions reducing abortions as a thrust of the programs or grants, which Carrie Gordon Earll, a spokeswoman for CitizenLink, a legislative arm of Focus on the Family, noticed.
She told CNN, "This money is mandated for services for pregnant teens and women - violence prevention, vocational training. It would be inaccurate to characterize it as 'abortion common ground' since it doesn't specifically address abortion."
But Kristen Day, the head of Democrats for Life, which has come under heavy criticism from the rest of the pro-life movement for supporting the pro-abortion health care bill, told CNN the new program comes as a result of her networking with Obama officials.
"Pro-life and pro-choice people have gotten behind it so it's a good first step at reducing abortion and providing support for healthier babes and mothers," she said. "Once we show how effective this is we can go back and expand this program."
The measure has no limits on abortion, which is why CNN indicates Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, has signed off on it.
The press statement LifeNews.com obtained indicates the grants will likely wind up tine hands of "key stakeholders" such as "institutions of higher education, high schools, community organizations, and State Attorneys General offices."
It is anticipated that up to 25 grants in the amounts of $500,000 - $2,000,000 per year will be awarded and the application deadline is August 2, 2010.
Potential grant recipients can learn more about the program at http://www.hhs.gov/ophs/oah/prevention/grants/announcements/index.html
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6497.html
Progress Documented on Child Protection and Family Services Reforms
Lin Thorp, MLC
Minister for Children
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Progress Documented on Child Protection and Family Services Reforms
At risk families are receiving the support they need earlier and fewer children are being unnecessarily referred to the Child Protection system under the Government’s reforms of child and family services.
The Minister for Children, Lin Thorp, today updated Parliament on the results of the reform program which was recommended in a 2006 report.
Ms Thorp said that 180 of the 208 or 87 per cent of the recommendations have been completed with work on the remaining recommendations well underway.
“This change represented one of the most fundamental transformations of our service system in years and it is starting to show positive results,” Ms Thorp said.
“The primary aim was to tackle our ever increasing unallocated case list by targeting families early with support before they required child protection intervention.
“Four new Gateway Services were established in regions across Tasmania to act as a one stop shop for families needing help and support.”
In the March 2010 quarter, the Gateway Service received a total of 1250 referrals. Of those:
275 families with 654 children were referred for family support services
720 families required low level support such as information advice or referral to another service and
The remainder did not require a service.
“Importantly, only 22 families were referred to the acute end of the Child Protection service from the Gateways.
“A further 108 families were referred for family support services from the Child Protection system after notifications had been made.”
Ms Thorp said the figures showed early intervention in action which is the hallmark of a best practise and contemporary family services system.
“The unallocated child protection list has been reduced by 99 per cent since its peak in December 2006. As at May this year, the number of unallocated cases stood at just five,” Ms Thorp said.
“It is acknowledged that there has been an increase in the number of youths in care. Above all, we believe that this shows that the Child Protection is targeting its services in the right direction to the most vulnerable clients.
“So instead of diluting its service, the Child Protection system is now more successfully catching children at serious risk."
Key milestones in the reform agenda to date include;
Gateway Services were established in each of the four regions in August 2009, supported by an Intensive Family Support Service to intervene earlier with vulnerable families.
A therapeutic Early Years Parenting Support Service was established in January 2010 focusing on parents with children aged between 0 – 5 years, including unborn children.
A Strategic Out of Home Care framework has been finalised with the first step being the transitioning of therapeutic Residential Care to the non-government sector by the beginning of September this year.
A Residential Care practice consultant has been appointed to oversee the transition process and support the clients.
The Australian Childhood Foundation has been appointed to deliver therapeutic support for children in care.
A successful foster carer recruitment campaign was conducted and the focus is on maintaining the momentum. 61 new foster carers have been approved since the launch of the Real Carers Really Needed recruitment program, compared to 42 last year.
DHHS has worked with the Commissioner for Children to develop a pilot Children’s Visitor program which is currently underway.
DHHS has supported to Commissioner for Children in the development of a Charter of Rights for children in Out of Home care.
A Community Paediatrician position, jointly funded by Disability Child, Youth and Family Services (DCYFS) and the Royal Hobart Hospital, has been established to coordinate and deliver a state-wide clinical service for children and young people when physical, sexual abuse and/or neglect is suspected. The position is in the process of being filled.
Legislative amendments were made to the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act which allowed for improved information sharing, the establishment of community based intake services, an improved response to pre-natal concerns for children and the formal establishment of an Ashley Youth Detention Centre Residents’ Advocate position.
Further information: Tasmanian Government Communications Unit
Phone: (03) 6233 6573
http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=29923
Minister for Children
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Progress Documented on Child Protection and Family Services Reforms
At risk families are receiving the support they need earlier and fewer children are being unnecessarily referred to the Child Protection system under the Government’s reforms of child and family services.
The Minister for Children, Lin Thorp, today updated Parliament on the results of the reform program which was recommended in a 2006 report.
Ms Thorp said that 180 of the 208 or 87 per cent of the recommendations have been completed with work on the remaining recommendations well underway.
“This change represented one of the most fundamental transformations of our service system in years and it is starting to show positive results,” Ms Thorp said.
“The primary aim was to tackle our ever increasing unallocated case list by targeting families early with support before they required child protection intervention.
“Four new Gateway Services were established in regions across Tasmania to act as a one stop shop for families needing help and support.”
In the March 2010 quarter, the Gateway Service received a total of 1250 referrals. Of those:
275 families with 654 children were referred for family support services
720 families required low level support such as information advice or referral to another service and
The remainder did not require a service.
“Importantly, only 22 families were referred to the acute end of the Child Protection service from the Gateways.
“A further 108 families were referred for family support services from the Child Protection system after notifications had been made.”
Ms Thorp said the figures showed early intervention in action which is the hallmark of a best practise and contemporary family services system.
“The unallocated child protection list has been reduced by 99 per cent since its peak in December 2006. As at May this year, the number of unallocated cases stood at just five,” Ms Thorp said.
“It is acknowledged that there has been an increase in the number of youths in care. Above all, we believe that this shows that the Child Protection is targeting its services in the right direction to the most vulnerable clients.
“So instead of diluting its service, the Child Protection system is now more successfully catching children at serious risk."
Key milestones in the reform agenda to date include;
Gateway Services were established in each of the four regions in August 2009, supported by an Intensive Family Support Service to intervene earlier with vulnerable families.
A therapeutic Early Years Parenting Support Service was established in January 2010 focusing on parents with children aged between 0 – 5 years, including unborn children.
A Strategic Out of Home Care framework has been finalised with the first step being the transitioning of therapeutic Residential Care to the non-government sector by the beginning of September this year.
A Residential Care practice consultant has been appointed to oversee the transition process and support the clients.
The Australian Childhood Foundation has been appointed to deliver therapeutic support for children in care.
A successful foster carer recruitment campaign was conducted and the focus is on maintaining the momentum. 61 new foster carers have been approved since the launch of the Real Carers Really Needed recruitment program, compared to 42 last year.
DHHS has worked with the Commissioner for Children to develop a pilot Children’s Visitor program which is currently underway.
DHHS has supported to Commissioner for Children in the development of a Charter of Rights for children in Out of Home care.
A Community Paediatrician position, jointly funded by Disability Child, Youth and Family Services (DCYFS) and the Royal Hobart Hospital, has been established to coordinate and deliver a state-wide clinical service for children and young people when physical, sexual abuse and/or neglect is suspected. The position is in the process of being filled.
Legislative amendments were made to the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act which allowed for improved information sharing, the establishment of community based intake services, an improved response to pre-natal concerns for children and the formal establishment of an Ashley Youth Detention Centre Residents’ Advocate position.
Further information: Tasmanian Government Communications Unit
Phone: (03) 6233 6573
http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=29923
Pro-Life Women's Group SBA List Makes More 2010 Election Endorsements
Pro-Life Women's Group SBA List Makes More 2010 Election Endorsements
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 6, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Susan B. Anthony List has released another round of endorsements of candidates in 2010 primary and general elections. The national pro-life political action committee says the women are adding to what is becoming the "year of the pro-life women" adding to primary election victories in other states.
SBA List is behind other women, such as pro-life Senate candidates Carly Fiorina in California and Sharron Angle in Nevada.
Now, SBA is backing congressional candidates Anne Marie Buerkle in New York, Renee Ellmers in North Carolina, Kristi Noem in South Dakota, Star Parker in California, Jaime Herrera in Washington and Diane Black in Tennessee.
The latest endorsements also include Nikki Haley, candidate for governor in the general election in South Carolina, and Rita Myer, candidate for governor in the Wyoming primary slated for August.
SBA List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com of the endorsements: "The emerging Year of the Pro-Life Woman is the most resounding affirmation of the SBA List's mission since our founding."
"America is embracing authentic feminism -- one which returns to its suffragist, pro-life roots. These women are the brightest stars of a populist, pro-woman, pro-life grassroots movement that is determined to return the strength of femininity to feminism," she added.
Referencing the diverse qualifications of pro-life legislators like Kristi Noem and pre-political successes of women like former nurse Rennee Ellmers, Dannenfelser said, "These women are leading the fight to reclaim an authentic feminism that embraces protections for unborn children."
"They are laying the groundwork for the coming generation of women leaders. All successful in their respective fields, these women are poised to shape the Congress and state governments hungry for authentic pro-life feminist leadership," Dannenfelser continued. "They have shed the grievance-driven style of feminist leadership, opting for a positive, inclusive agenda which accommodates mother and child."
These eight women join a team of 22 other pro-life women candidates already endorsed this election cycle.
In the November general election, Anne Marie Buerkle will face pro-abortion incumbent Dan Maffei in New York. Ellmers will challenge seven-term pro-abortion incumbent Bob Etheridge and Kristi Noem will challenge EMILY's List-endorsed pro-abortion incumbent Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
On August 5, Diane Black will face Lou Ann Zelnick and Jim Tracey in the primary in Tennessee while former state representative Jaime Herrera will face four other candidates in the August 14 primary in Washington.
Myer will face four other candidates in the Wyoming gubernatorial primary on August 17, including pro-life advocate Ron Micheli and pro-abortion candidate Colin Simpson.
The Susan B. Anthony List plans to spend $6 million on voter education in the midterm elections, including $3 million on key Senate races.
Related web sites:
SBA List - http://www.sba-list.org
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6504.html
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 6, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Susan B. Anthony List has released another round of endorsements of candidates in 2010 primary and general elections. The national pro-life political action committee says the women are adding to what is becoming the "year of the pro-life women" adding to primary election victories in other states.
SBA List is behind other women, such as pro-life Senate candidates Carly Fiorina in California and Sharron Angle in Nevada.
Now, SBA is backing congressional candidates Anne Marie Buerkle in New York, Renee Ellmers in North Carolina, Kristi Noem in South Dakota, Star Parker in California, Jaime Herrera in Washington and Diane Black in Tennessee.
The latest endorsements also include Nikki Haley, candidate for governor in the general election in South Carolina, and Rita Myer, candidate for governor in the Wyoming primary slated for August.
SBA List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com of the endorsements: "The emerging Year of the Pro-Life Woman is the most resounding affirmation of the SBA List's mission since our founding."
"America is embracing authentic feminism -- one which returns to its suffragist, pro-life roots. These women are the brightest stars of a populist, pro-woman, pro-life grassroots movement that is determined to return the strength of femininity to feminism," she added.
Referencing the diverse qualifications of pro-life legislators like Kristi Noem and pre-political successes of women like former nurse Rennee Ellmers, Dannenfelser said, "These women are leading the fight to reclaim an authentic feminism that embraces protections for unborn children."
"They are laying the groundwork for the coming generation of women leaders. All successful in their respective fields, these women are poised to shape the Congress and state governments hungry for authentic pro-life feminist leadership," Dannenfelser continued. "They have shed the grievance-driven style of feminist leadership, opting for a positive, inclusive agenda which accommodates mother and child."
These eight women join a team of 22 other pro-life women candidates already endorsed this election cycle.
In the November general election, Anne Marie Buerkle will face pro-abortion incumbent Dan Maffei in New York. Ellmers will challenge seven-term pro-abortion incumbent Bob Etheridge and Kristi Noem will challenge EMILY's List-endorsed pro-abortion incumbent Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
On August 5, Diane Black will face Lou Ann Zelnick and Jim Tracey in the primary in Tennessee while former state representative Jaime Herrera will face four other candidates in the August 14 primary in Washington.
Myer will face four other candidates in the Wyoming gubernatorial primary on August 17, including pro-life advocate Ron Micheli and pro-abortion candidate Colin Simpson.
The Susan B. Anthony List plans to spend $6 million on voter education in the midterm elections, including $3 million on key Senate races.
Related web sites:
SBA List - http://www.sba-list.org
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6504.html
Justice Anthony Kennedy Won't Retire Until Barack Obama No Longer President
Justice Anthony Kennedy Won't Retire Until Barack Obama No Longer President
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 6, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Justice Anthony Kennedy apparently has told close friends he will not retire from the Supreme Court until pro-abortion Barack Obama is no longer president. Although Kennedy is not supportive of overturning Roe v. Wade, pro-life advocates hope to replace him with a justice who will reverse it.
Kennedy is considered the swing vote on the high court when it comes to abortion as he went along with the four conservative jurists in upholding the national ban on partial-birth abortions.
However, Kennedy has sided with the four pro-abortion members of the court on the matter of Roe itself, the 1973 Supreme Court case that has resulted in more than 52 million abortions.
Today, the New York Daily News reports Kennedy has told friends, family and close associates he plans to stay on the Supreme Court through at least the end of Obama's term with the hopes he will be replaced by a Republican president
Kennedy turns 74 this month and he has spent 22 years on the Supreme Court, but reportedly doesn't want to see that legacy undone by a liberal justice.
Under Obama, the Supreme Court has already seen the addition of Sonia Sotomayor, an abortion advocate who is currently in the pro-abortion alliance of justices.
Now, the Senate is currently considering the nomination of Elena Kagan, Obama's pro-abortion Solicitor General who has been criticized for helping President Bill Clinton keep partial-birth abortions legal longer.
Kagan wrote memos and emails attempting to influence two medical organizations to say the abortions are somehow necessary to protect women's health, and the Supreme Court cited their opinion in declaring a partial-birth abortion ban unconstitutional until Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion with the four conservatives reversing that decision.
Pro-life groups have described Elena Kagan as the stereotypical judicial activist and abortion advocate.
She clerked for pro-abortion Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom she lauded, and her writings dating back to her college days are filled with accolades for judges who took the law into their hands and twisted it for a desired outcome rather than relying on the people through their elected officials.
Kagan helped Bill Clinton defend his veto of a partial-birth abortion ban -- the gruesome abortion procedure when a baby is birthed halfway and then jabbed in the head with medical scissors, killing him or her. She helped Clinton find political cover for his decision to keep those abortions legal.
Kagan went as far as advocating that the Clinton administration not only ignore but manipulate the opinion of a national medical group that said there was never any medical justification for killing unborn children halfway out of the birth canal.
Kagan has also lauded human cloning and assisted suicide and we can expect those gruesome practices to expand if she becomes the next Supreme Court justice.
Related web sites:
Petition Against Kagan - http://www.iopposekagan.com
Facebook: Stop Kagan
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6503.html
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 6, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Justice Anthony Kennedy apparently has told close friends he will not retire from the Supreme Court until pro-abortion Barack Obama is no longer president. Although Kennedy is not supportive of overturning Roe v. Wade, pro-life advocates hope to replace him with a justice who will reverse it.
Kennedy is considered the swing vote on the high court when it comes to abortion as he went along with the four conservative jurists in upholding the national ban on partial-birth abortions.
However, Kennedy has sided with the four pro-abortion members of the court on the matter of Roe itself, the 1973 Supreme Court case that has resulted in more than 52 million abortions.
Today, the New York Daily News reports Kennedy has told friends, family and close associates he plans to stay on the Supreme Court through at least the end of Obama's term with the hopes he will be replaced by a Republican president
Kennedy turns 74 this month and he has spent 22 years on the Supreme Court, but reportedly doesn't want to see that legacy undone by a liberal justice.
Under Obama, the Supreme Court has already seen the addition of Sonia Sotomayor, an abortion advocate who is currently in the pro-abortion alliance of justices.
Now, the Senate is currently considering the nomination of Elena Kagan, Obama's pro-abortion Solicitor General who has been criticized for helping President Bill Clinton keep partial-birth abortions legal longer.
Kagan wrote memos and emails attempting to influence two medical organizations to say the abortions are somehow necessary to protect women's health, and the Supreme Court cited their opinion in declaring a partial-birth abortion ban unconstitutional until Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion with the four conservatives reversing that decision.
Pro-life groups have described Elena Kagan as the stereotypical judicial activist and abortion advocate.
She clerked for pro-abortion Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom she lauded, and her writings dating back to her college days are filled with accolades for judges who took the law into their hands and twisted it for a desired outcome rather than relying on the people through their elected officials.
Kagan helped Bill Clinton defend his veto of a partial-birth abortion ban -- the gruesome abortion procedure when a baby is birthed halfway and then jabbed in the head with medical scissors, killing him or her. She helped Clinton find political cover for his decision to keep those abortions legal.
Kagan went as far as advocating that the Clinton administration not only ignore but manipulate the opinion of a national medical group that said there was never any medical justification for killing unborn children halfway out of the birth canal.
Kagan has also lauded human cloning and assisted suicide and we can expect those gruesome practices to expand if she becomes the next Supreme Court justice.
Related web sites:
Petition Against Kagan - http://www.iopposekagan.com
Facebook: Stop Kagan
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6503.html
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