St. Paul Pro-Lifers Free to Protest

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 12—The city of St. Paul, Minn., has agreed not to issue citations or arrest people who assert their right to free speech by legally protesting abortion facilities.

The agreement was made as part of a settlement between St. Paul and a group of pro-life advocates who filed a civil-rights lawsuit against the city.

The federal lawsuit was filed this summer, when two pro-life activists were asked to leave a sidewalk in front of a St. Paul abortion facility. The lawsuit said the city rule that required a permit for such activity was unconstitutional.

The proposed settlement requires the city attorney to review the ordinance and recommend changes to the city council to ensure it complies with the requirements of the First Amendment.

Feeding Tube Stays Put

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 13—Florida Circuit Judge George Greer has stayed his Nov. 22 ruling that the husband of Terri Schiavo, who is being kept alive by life support, could have her feeding tube removed.

Judge Greer ruled that she must be allowed to remain alive until the 2nd District Court of Appeal reviews the case.

Schiavo's husband and guardian, Michael, says his wife has been in an irreversible vegetative state for more than a decade and would not want to be kept on life support.

But her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, want the feeding tube kept in place. They say their daughter reacts to them with tears and smiles and moves her head, and they believe she could be rehabilitated with new and aggressive therapy.

Medical Care for the Unborn

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Dec. 14—Michigan lawmakers have voted to require doctors to care for babies who survive botched abortions. The bill passed the House 70 to 27; the Senate had already approved it, 21 to 12.

If an abortion fails and the woman then refuses custody of the baby by failing to authorize medical care or to release it for adoption, the child will be surrendered to the state and placed in the care of doctors.

Unborn Health Insurance

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 18—Idaho Chooses Life, a statewide pro-life group, wants lawmakers to adopt the Bush administration's declaration that unborn children are persons under the government-financed Children's Health Insurance Program .

David Ripley, director of Idaho Chooses, argued that lawmakers who qualify unborn children for CHIP will see it as “one of the smartest ways to save taxpayer dollars” because more pregnant women will receive preventive care that keeps them out of expensive emergency rooms.

Health and Welfare Department spokesman Ross Mason estimated the cost of covering unborn children during pregnancy at $1 million.