Huckabee Wins Tennessee

Governor Mike Huckabee won the Tennessee Republican Presidential primary on Tuesday on the support of pro-life voters across the state. According to the exit polls, Huckabee won 39% among those who believe that abortion should be illegal.

“Pro-life voters supported three strong candidates but ultimately the victory went to Governor Huckabee who has an unparalleled record of direct, measurable actions resulting in laws passed and lives saved,” said Brian Harris, president of Tennessee Right to Life. “Tennessee Right to Life expresses great appreciation to the many chapter leaders, donors, and volunteers who went the extra mile for tonight’s win.”

Tennessee Right to Life endorsed Huckabee last Monday citing his strong pro-life credentials.

"We encourage our friends, families and neighbors in other states to have the courage of their convictions and to stand with Governor Huckabee who has a demonstrated record of acting on behalf of those who have no other advocates.”

Seventy-six percent of the Tennessee Republicans identified themselves as pro-life.

Huckabee In Nashville

Mike Huckabee visited Nashville yesterday holding a campaign rally at the airport before visiting Legislative Plaza. More from First Read:

As the Florida GOP race crescendos into tomorrow's primary, Mike Huckabee is in Music City hoping to drum up support for a strong showing on Super Tuesday. Former Fred Thompson territory, Tennessee could be fertile ground for the governor, who picked up the endorsement of the state's Right to Life group and met with legislators in Nashville today.

Florida, says the Southern son, ain't no thang.

"I don't think that tomorrow is the turning point in the road," Huckabee told reporters today. The Huckabee campaign has tried to downplay the Florida results, saying that focus on the Sunshine State is largely a creation of the media.

In Music City, where he will twang his own bass guitar later this afternoon, Huckabee has stayed away from the noisy feud playing out between John McCain and Mitt Romney in Florida. Asked if the back-and-forth between the two frontrunners helps or hurts him, Huckabee gave a typically mischevious response. " If it hurts them, tell them to mix up some more mud and get it going," he said. " If it hurts me, tell them to stop that nonsense and start behaving like adults today."

Tennessee Right to Life Endorses Mike Huckabee

Excitement Among Grassroots, Unparalleled Record of Pro-Life Leadership Chief Factors in Decision Tennessee Right to Life announces today, Jan. 28, 2008, the group's endorsement of Governor Mike Huckabee for the February 5 Presidential primary. The strength of Governor Huckabee's public record on matters concerning the protection of human life and strong support among the organization's grassroots members were key to making the decision.

"The beauty of a grassroots organization is that your members set the priorities," said Brian Harris, president of the state's oldest and largest pro-life organization. "For pro-life Tennesseans, the election of a sincere, proven pro-life president is paramount," said Harris. "Our members recognize Mike Huckabee as 'one of us' and that enthusiasm is driven by his demonstrated record of leadership and sacrifice toward the shared cause of protecting life," said Harris.
In particular, Governor Huckabee's pro-life leadership as Lt. Governor and Governor in Arkansas resulted in the following protective polices:

• Passage of the Arkansas Unborn Child Amendment
• Ban of Partial Birth Abortion
• Parental Notification for minor daughters seeking abortion
• Informed Consent for Women considering abortion
• Unborn Child Pain Awareness provision
• Unborn Victims of Violence Act

Governor Huckabee also supports ethical stem cell research but opposes destructive embryonic stem cell research. He was the second governor in the country to sign into law a ban on Human Cloning.

"What I accomplished as Governor proves that there is a lot more that a pro-life President can do than wait for a Supreme Court vacancy, and I will do everything I can to promote a pro-life agenda and pass pro-life legislation," said Huckabee. " If I am saddled with a Democrat Congress, I'll veto any pro-abortion legislation they pass. I will staff all relevant positions with pro-life appointees. I will use the Bully Pulpit to change hearts and minds, to move this country from a culture of death to a culture of life.

Tennessee Right to Life urges concerned pro-life Tennesseans of every political background to actively support the election of a demonstrated pro-life leader who will make pro-life protections a priority. For more information, contact Tennessee Right to Life toll free 1-877 Choose Life or www.tnrtl.org.

Post Abortion Syndrome

An article at LifeScript looks at Post Abortion Syndrome from a personal perspective:

Post abortion syndrome (PAS) is a relatively new term that describes certain characteristics women have after an elective abortion. The symptoms are very similar to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as seen in war veterans or anyone who has gone through a traumatic experience. These reactions can include symptoms linked to intrusion, hyper-arousal, avoidance and disassociation. All of these stem from either the abortion itself, the decision to have an abortion or the numerous circumstances surrounding the final decision to have the procedure done.

Now, PAS is not an official disorder, but experts have recognized it as a "psychological stressor" very closely linked to PTSD. In 1981, Vincent Rue, a psychotherapist, was the first to recognize the similarities between the post abortion women he treated and some Viet Nam Veterans he also had in his care. Of course, this raised a huge controversy and Rue was warned he'd be subject to legal action if he didn't include a disclaimer that there wasn't clinical evidence that PAS actually existed.

The real kicker is that some mental health experts will say abortion is a harmless experience and that PAS is a myth started by the groups opposing abortion. From what I've seen in my friend and other women who have chosen to terminate a pregnancy, coping with abortion can have long-term mental consequences that might not show up immediately. Regardless of whether you see abortion as a personal choice or a mortal sin, the fact is that it does have an emotional impact on the women who experience them and can be as debilitating as depression or any other mental disorder.

The full article describes her personal experience with a friend who had an abortion.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from everyone here at TRL!

See BB Angelo and 'B'Attitudes

Don't get bit by the "Bah-Hum-Bug" this Christmas! Start the season off right...at Breakfast With An Angel on Saturday December 1st at 9:00am at Cofer's Chapel, 3915 Franklin Road in Nashville.

Breakfast With an Angel is sponsored by Nashville Right to Life and features BB Angelo and the "B"Attitudes in a Christmas program that reminds us that Jesus is the Reason for the season! Tickets are $5 per person with a maximum of $20 per household; all proceeds benefit Nashville Right to Life.

To order tickets or for more information, call 615-406-0713 or click here. Bring the whole family to Breakfast With an Angel Saturday December 1st at 9:00 am at Cofer's Chapel-or get that fly swatter ready! Food provided by Cracker Barrel and Krispy Kreme. Tickets will be available at the door.

Can't attend? Click Here to Make An Online Donation to Nashville Right to Life.

Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough

Researchers announced Tuesday that they created stem cells without destroying an embryo:

Both teams call the new cells induced pluripotent stem cells and say they look and act like embryonic stem cells -- the master cells that give rise to every cell and tissue in the body.

"We can now envisage a time when a simple approach can be used to produce stem cells that are able to form any tissue from a small sample taken from any of us," Ian Wilmut of the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said in a statement.

Both teams used just four genes to transform ordinary skin cells called fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells -- iPS cells for short.

"We are now in a position to be able to generate patient- and disease- specific stem cells, without using human eggs or embryos," Yamanaka said in a statement.

"These cells should be useful in understanding disease mechanisms, searching for effective and safe drugs, and treating patients with cell therapy," he added.
"Similar to human embryonic cells, human iPS cells should prove useful for studying the development and function of human tissues, for discovering and testing new drugs, and for transplantation medicine," added Thomson, whose team first discovered human embryonic stem cells in 1998.

RELATED STORY:How it could benefit the GOP

Breaking Down An Endorsement

Dave Andrusko at National Right to Life pens a column looking at the endorsement of Fred Thompson in more detail:

Not only was the NRLC board’s decision in favor of Thompson overwhelming, because those board members come directly from grassroots state and local organizations, it means the endorsement reflected the cumulative judgment of a wide swathe of our Movement, not Washington “insiders.”

In the judgment of our board Thompson best met the three criteria it established for endorsement: (1) the position of candidates on the life issues, (2) their records on the life issues, and (3) and their ability to win. The board of NRLC believes Thompson has the best chance of thwarting pro-abortion Rudy Giuliani in the GOP presidential primary and would be the strongest opponent for whichever militant pro-abortion emerges from the Democratic Party.

In the past 24 hours some have unfortunately suggested there are other considerations, but, in fact, there were none. The decision was straightforward and in harmony with NRLC’s guiding light-- we don't just want to make a statement; we want to make a difference in advancing the cause of life.

Legal Definitions

Colorado for Equal Rights can now move forward with its efforts to redefine the term "person" in the Colorado state constitution to include unborn individuals. Once they get the requisite number of signatures, the initiative will appear on the 2008 general election ballot.

From the story:

[The law] would grant personhood to the unborn from the moment of fertilization, meaning state and local laws protecting any individual life would be applied to the unborn. It targets a loophole U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun created when he wrote the original abortion opinion.

He concluded: "(If the) suggestion of personhood [of the preborn] is established, the [abortion rights] case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life is then guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment."

"Colorado, which regrettably was in the forefront of the movement to deny the right to life to millions of the unborn, has now taken the first step to restore the right to life to all Americans, regardless of age, dependency, national origin or condition," said John Archibold, a founder of Colorado Right to Life as well as National Right to Life.

NRLC Endorses Fred Thompson

The National Right to Life Committee has endorsed our fellow Tennessean, Fred Thompson, for the Republican presidential nomination:

“As the first major grassroots organization to enter the Republican presidential race, National Right to Life is proud to endorse Fred Thompson,” stated Wanda Franz, Ph.D., president of National Right to Life. “Our endorsement is a testament to Senator Thompson’s long-standing pro-life record, his commitment to unborn children, and our belief in his ability to win.”

Fred Thompson has had a strong, consistent pro-life record throughout his political career. Thompson opposes abortion and believes the 1973 abortion on demand Supreme Court decision was wrongly decided and must be reversed. During his eight years in the United States Senate, he always opposed using tax dollars to promote or pay for abortion and supported the many pro-life measures such as parental notice and consent.

Thompson has also stated his opposition to the kind of stem cell research that requires killing human embryos, while supporting the kind of stem cell research that harms no one and is the only kind producing cures.

"I'm deeply appreciative for the past support by the National Right to Life Committee-PAC in my Senate campaigns, and today I am blessed and grateful to have received their endorsement for President of the United States," Thompson said in a statement. "In supporting me, those who have worked tirelessly to defend life are supporting a consistent conservative who has stood with them yesterday, who stands with them today, and will stand with them tomorrow."