City of Houston Trying to Seize Church Property

Religious Freedom, ,

The Housing Authority for the City of Houston is trying to use eminent domain to seize the property of two churches.

According various news sources and a lawsuit filed by two Houston area churches, the city is trying to implement an urban renewal program that involves the construction of a library and a 63-unit housing project. In order to complete the project, the city says it must obtain property owned by the Latter Day Deliverance Revival Church, a predominantly African-American congregation located in the neighborhood.

Eminent domain prevents the government from taking personal property without compensation. Traditionally, the government would work with property owners to negotiate a fair price for any property the government wishes to acquire.

In recent years, however, eminent domain powers have been applied more broadly in many contexts, forcing citizens and groups who do not necessarily wish to part with their property to do so in exchange for whatever compensation the courts deem fair. (more…)

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What Do the Undercover Videos of Planned Parenthood Officials Tell Us?

1 CommentAbortion, , , ,

The Center for Medical Progress has released five undercover videos as part of an investigation into the procedures Planned Parenthood affiliates use when performing abortions and delivering aborted fetal remains to researchers.

The videos have raised several allegations, including,

  • The allegation that abortion doctors may be using a procedure similar to illegal, partial-birth abortion techniques in order to maximize the amount of tissue available for researchers;
  • The allegation that abortion doctors are violating federal law by changing the abortion procedure in order to maximize the amount of tissue available for researchers;
  • The allegation Planned Parenthood is selling aborted babies in violation of federal law;

With so much information surfacing so quickly because of these videos, it can be difficult to keep track of how many videos have been released and what is contained in each one. Below is a brief synopsis of each video. (more…)

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Updated: Grisly, Undercover Video Shows Aborted Fetal Remains, Describes Abortion as Painful

Abortion, , , ,

The Center for Medical Progress has released yet another video in its series documenting meetings with Planned Parenthood officials from around the country.

The latest video covers a meeting with a representatives of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Undercover investigators met with Melissa Farrell, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast’s Director of Research, to discuss the “specimens” (i.e. organs and tissue from aborted babies) Planned Parenthood has to offer researchers.

Over the course of the meeting, Ms. Farrell describes the “diversification of revenue” she offers Planned Parenthood–apparently through the “reimbursements” Planned Parenthood receives in exchange for the fetal remains it “donates” to researchers.

Conversation also touched on the availability of “intact fetal cadavers” from abortions–that is, aborted babies that have not been dismembered by the abortion process. When asked if doctors could change the abortion procedure to maximize the number of “specimens” available for research, Ms. Farrell replied,

“Yeah, so if we alter our process, and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget, that any dissections are this [much money], and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this [much money]. I mean that’s–it’s all just a matter of line items.”

Federal law prohibits “alteration of the timing, method, or procedures used to terminate the pregnancy” in order to procure fetal tissue for research. In other words, it arguably is illegal to change an abortion procedure in order to maximize the likelihood of procuring an intact liver or other organ for researchers.

(more…)

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