Source Of "Infanticide" Smear Says America Elected "A Barbarian"

Though some conservatives are making conciliatory noises about Barack Obama now that the election is over, Jill Stanek is not among them. The former Illinois nurse, whose claims about a supposed rash of abortions of "born alive" babies at a Chicago hospital snowballed into the election-season charge that Obama supported "infanticide," wrote Thursday:

"Barack Obama was elected president despite the fact he supports abortion into the fourth trimester. [Ed. Note: Stanek uses "fourth trimester" deliberately to indicate abortions of children who are nevertheless "born alive."] Either the 63 million people voting for him didn't know about his radical record, which includes abandoning abortion survivors to die, didn't care, or didn't believe it."

Because several "anti-life" ballot initiatives also passed on Tuesday, Stanek said to her World Net Daily audience that "we are fooling ourselves if we think the United States is still a Christian nation," adding: "Its people just elected a barbarian as president."

The notion, pushed hard by Stanek and others, that Obama favored infanticide because he once voted "present" on a number of Illinois state senate bills was one that the Obama campaign pushed back against during the campaign. Obama's "Fight the Smears" website (apparently now offline) said the president-elect had voted against a bill containing language designed to protect infants who were 'born alive,' because such protections were already part of Illinois state law, and because the Stanek-supported bill was, at the time, opposed by the Illinois Medical Society.

Rick Winkel, the Illinois Republican who introduced the bill in the state Senate, even wrote in September that "none of those who voted against SB-1082 favored infanticide," despite his disagreement with them.

Nevertheless, Stanek is not giving up the ghost, calling on churches across America to take up a more explicit fight in the public policy arena of abortion. "It is your responsibility, pastor and church leaders, to teach your people that abortion is abominable, and before that to teach chaste living," she wrote. "And before that, at the risk of making my Protestant friends flip, to teach that the contraceptive/sterilization mentality, which considers children bad, not blessings, is also a component of the sexual demise of our country."

Comments

[2351]

I'm tired of people who have turned religion into such a negative thing. These people make you not want to even go to church. They are such hypocrits. Look at the religious Zealots such as Dobson who have basically been holding this country hostage with this religious bs. The religious right has taken this country hostage to a bunch of crap. We all need to know what the bible says, so that we can make our own informed decisions. If you just listen to other people, you can never make an informed spiritual decision, therefore, you have zealots leading you around as if you have no sense. Let's call the zealots out and put them in their place.

[Scarllatti]

These characters have a special place in Hell. They will be surprised on the "last day"

[StrengthNWisdom]

I have grown tired of people who desire to convert others because they are "right" and the other people are "wrong". I long for those who like to "promote" their faith to stop undermining their own religion and/or god(s) by their overblown need to control. Doesn't make a God sound all-powerful, if he/she is in need of human "promotion". Those who shout religious words loudest about "following" and need to convert others simply to do it, seem to have the most fear and the largest lack of faith. It is the earnestly faithful and honestly practicing who attract and nurture a intimate relationship with any god and inspire others to do the same. People who observe such a person may find they want what that person has and then ask about it. That to me is such a powerful act of man and god. Being ready to receive.

Anyone can cram a book down someone else's throat if you push hard enough. What I find brave and daring is being willing to leave that book on the coffee table of your life and simply being ready should someone pick it up and ask questions about it. Letting go of needing to convert/control and rather simply celebrating the individual's personal relationship with god. For it truly is their own journey/relationship and will develop on whatever timeline is between them and their god. It's a gift to be part of, if even for a second.

[kinnycut]

As long as churches are going to keep putting their selves in the middle of political discourse, and pushing political agendas, now matter how rightous, or christian some think the cause, they should have their exempt tax status pulled from them. Moral questions can't be answered through legislation because everyone has their own moral reality based on their faith and individual beliefs.

[rdiaz921]

"Moral questions can't be answered through legislation because everyone has their own moral reality based on their faith and individual beliefs."

Agreed.

[sonoffestus]

WHACKJOB !............................I must be one of those barbarians. I would like to bring back the good old days when we fed Christians to Lions. I mean they're all for traditional values. This would be a tradition I could support. And now that our Christian president bush promotes the use of torture we could do a little of that as well.

Christians do us all a BIG favor..................please practice your hate, bigotry and discrimination in your heart, home or place of worship. We do not want to your poison in our public space. Nor in our pubic space!

[shelsay]

Would that include taking away your first amendment rights too? maybe you should reread your own politics of hate.

[sonoffestus]

My first amendment rights have already been put at risk, but you are right. I would still like to feed the lions.

[Bafun]

I will never understand, that these people are against abortion and not against war. Don't kill at the conception but 20 years latter! I think the probleme here is "abstinence" as contraception. Sex education and birth control are the answer to abortion. But if everything fails you have still the right to choose, what is the best in an extrem unfavorable situation. A desired child is a joy an undesired child not. May be a solution would be also to put a limit, like we have in Europe: abortion before the 12th week of pregnancy, as embryon and not as fetus, would be also "better".
Abstinence is a dream!
These religious people came from Europe because they were oppressed by religious radicalism and now they want to oppress an entire Nation with their religious bigotry! Religious fanatism here is not far away from there.

[shelsay]

I agree with you. They believe in the right to life up until it is born. Hence pre-emptive war, death penalty, and lax gun control...Their policies have little concern for the lives that are already living.

[harriettubman]

Yeah, right. Obama has two cute little girls yet he would vote to have a baby die alive. I don't believe that garbage for nothing. He answered that vote in the debate; it had a rider with it.

[sloreader]

Does anyone know why churches who support particular candidates and ballot measures are allowed to retain their tax exempt status? I strongly suspect there are unenforced laws on the books to protect us from the type of unrepentant abuse this column brings to light. Time for a change folks.

[kittyonice]

4th trimester? Hmm, according to my understanding, that would put a pregnancy beyond the nine month gestation period, well after the baby is due to be "born alive". Inanity!! This women is clearly a nut case and not worth the attention or energy it takes to prove her wrong. If she is really saying these sorts of things, I would let her go into the world and say whatever she wants (except for the part about this being a "Christian nation" - because we all know that it never has been); she will surely bring herself down in no time without our help!

[gisellestwocents]

That's right, keep on spewing vacuous insults without realizing who you're really insulting.

BO never had nor has he ever performed an abortion.

I would bet my meager savings on that !!!!

CLUELESS !!!!

[mrsgm]

I am so tired of Pro-Lifers misquoting the bible. In Genesis it says that man was given life by taking a breath. If you can't breathe, YOU ARE NOT ALIVE! If you have never taken "the breath of life" you have never been alive. Simple as that. Stop just quoting what the priest or reverend says on Sunday and try actually reading the book!

[RationalDubSteppa]

How about throwing away "The Book" and picking up a science book.

[Schnides]

A science book? Yah, they are intersting to learn about science, but it's just another theory of the creation of life. Bottom line...........no one can prove how man was created. One book calls another book a liar. Then another book calls those books liars. Then another, then another....etc etc. The Bible is a book of Faith. Read it....then believe or not believe. Your choice. Which brings up a point: God gives us choices to follow His Word or not. As a Christian, shouldn't 'WE" allow people to do what they want and if there are consequences in the after life, then bummer for them? Not just gays or anyone particular.....but all humans. We all have the option to choose God (at least that's my belief) and He will decide if we were loyal to His name.

[Schnides]

That's a good point! Keep in mind there is more than religion though who vote against this. There are many anti-abortionists that I know and they are not religious at all. They are simply pro-life.

[studioh!]

I have never understood why the 'pro-life' faction is the most eager to put people on death row to death. Pro-life should mean ALL life, not just selected embryos. Spend more time figuring out how to keep gang killings down and less time worrying about something which isn't even alive yet. Anyone can conceive; it's more difficult to get through LIFE.

[RegLib]

""It is your responsibility, pastor and church leaders, to teach your people that abortion is abominable..."

She needs to be sure to also supply those pastors and church leaders with the specific verse in the Bible that says abortion is a sin. The rest of us are having a little trouble finding it.

If those pastors and church leaders want to eliminate abortions, they need to encourage their congregations to vote Democratic. That's the party that believes in creating the social programs that will prevent unwanted pregnancies.

[Nishnabe]

nrsgm, Actually the Jewish idea of the beginning of life is eight days after birth. Complicated, but cultures throughout the world did not name newborns for eight days. Two main reasons. At eight days approximate, babies develop three dimensional sight, you can tell that as their eyes 'uncloud' and it has to do with development of an awareness that they are distinct from their mothers. Second reason is those days give them a few days to move beyond the trauma of birth. In the gospels you read that Jesus was circumcised and named eight days after his birth (Luke 2:21). Essentially until then with no name he was not a "being" in the sense as it was understood at the time. With high death rates and the idea of a "wind soul" or the first breath, and the idea of an understanding of self as evidenced by the eyes/sight notion, one could argue that cultures throughout the world believed life began outside the womb.

[respectingothers]

how does anyone know when newborns develop three dimensional sight?

[johnnynyc]

"Either the 63 million people voting for him didn't know about his radical record, which includes abandoning abortion survivors to die, didn't care, or didn't believe it."

I didn't believe it.

It's as simple as that.

Obama is no radical.

[Georgiapundit]

I'm just happy to see the lunatic right get back to the regular stuff.

I have been getting joy lately, thinking of the agony some feel right now because they ignorantly believe America elected a Muslim. The blacks will take over! I will move to Australia, some have said. I have heard these statements with my own ears.

Their numbers dwindle and their voices are becoming forever ignored.

[DBtv]

I support immediately levying a business tax on all churches.

[RationalDubSteppa]

So do I! Churches are lying to the american tax payer and they need to be taxed(the churches that is) because they do engage in overt political pandering(mainly to the right but some to the left) And that has to stop!!

[MarryAnn]

I agree. If they put their nose in it, revoke their tax exempt status.

[sloreader]

Start yanking some exemptions for failing to abide by a Constitutional amendment which was put in place to protect their right to act like lunatics and you'll get their attention, that's for certain.

[Schnides]

What about the Native Americans then raking in money from Casinos? And they were involved in voting yes on gaming.

[Ourrias]

Why, oh why, does the media give air time to freaks like this Jill Stanek?

[CarmanK]

That was my first reaction when I saw the headline. Why would Huffpo bother giving this story the light of day. The woman is obviously uninformed and churches that promote a particular candidate should loose their tax exemption. Weeding out those who promoted election day hoaxes are the ones I want found and prosecuted!! Who do we write to demand that these crimes against our basic rights as citizens be prosecuted to the full extension of the law. It would only take a few examples to send the message.

[Lapisvision]

I agree. Energy, positive or negative, only feeds the cause of someone like this, or anyone. A nurse huh? Me thinks she's been exposed to too many chemicals on-the-job over the years. I hope the real truth touches her heart before she gains too much momentum and others like her with other issues to pick at. What unhappy people.
I'm done paying attention to her and others like her, would that the media could do the same. They are a big part of the problem of this continuance of high drama.

[ladycubsfan]

The only thing you are nursing is hate and ignorance. Go back under your rock now.

[DBtv]

Another excellent example of the radical right wing republic party moving further to the fringes of irrelevance. The politricks of demegoguery are no longer socially acceptable, so keep it up morans (sic).

The republic party is a disappearing speck in the rear view mirror of the New American Renaissance.