Jennifer Thurman

SANDWICH, Mass. (BP)--When Laura Hope Smith requested extra spending money, her mother Eileen had no idea she planned to use it for an abortion –- nor that it would be their last conversation.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Planned Parenthood may be a household name in this country but for none of the right reasons in the eyes of knowledgeable pro-lifers.       The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) describes itself as "the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider." Planned Parenthood promotes itself as the protector of women and their rights. It says it desires for every child to be a wanted child. Hollywood celebrities and leading politicians laud its services, which are underwritten by more than $300 million in government funds annually.

WASHINGTON (BP)--A new law has made Missouri the first state to ban Planned Parenthood from teaching sex education classes in public schools.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Planned Parenthood has long denounced rumors that the organization fails to report the sexual abuse and statutory rape of underage girls, despite compelling evidence that tells a different story.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Countries with Christian roots are the most religiously free domains in the world, according to the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in a forthcoming report.

WASHINGTON (BP)--The House of Representatives has struck down an amendment that would have reinstated funding for abstinence education programs to fight AIDS in Africa.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Sen. Barack Obama, D.-Ill., spoke openly about his religious views at a United Church of Christ meeting June 23 in Hartford, Conn., saying the religious right had played a role in "hijacking faith."

WASHINGTON (BP)--Incessant persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan, a country perpetually recognized for its poor track record in upholding religious autonomy, is generating increased concern from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.