Biden Calls for Voters to Elect Pro-Abortion Legislators to "Codify Roe"

photo credit: Gage Skidmore

On Oct. 4, President Biden held the second meeting for the White House Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access. Biden reiterated that "codifying Roe" is one of his top priorities and emphasized that his party might be able to do so if it wins seats in the Senate this November.

According to Biden, the US Supreme Court “got Roe right 50 years ago, and the Congress should codify the protections of Roe and do it once and for all,” Biden added. “But right now, we’re short a handful of votes. The only way it’s going to happen is if the American people make it happen.”

The bill in congress that pro-abortion politicians claim would "codify Roe" is the Women's Health Protection Act. As written, the bill would go much farther than the standard established in the now-defunct decision. The law would legalize abortion at all stages of development and prevent states from enforcing most (if not all) pro-life protections. Even pro-life laws that were upheld by the Supreme Court during the 49-year reign of Roe v. Wade would be rendered unenforceable.

According to a report from the Heritage Foundation, the bill would prevent states from enforcing laws that:

• restrict discriminatory abortions based on race, sex, or genetic abnormality
• ban post-viability abortions
• introduce safety requirements for abortions
• restrict taxpayer funding of abortion
• create informed consent requirements 
• protect the conscience rights of healthcare workers

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Planned Parenthood Opening "RV Clinic" on Southern Illinois Border

On Monday, Planned Parenthood announced its plan to open a "mobile clinic" in an RV near the Missouri and Kentucky borders.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court in June, the power to decide the legality of abortion fell to states and the democratic process. As a result, pro-life laws ban most abortions in Missouri and Kentucky. Unfortunately, Illinois has become a prime abortion destination for women throughout the midwest. Abortion businesses throughout the country have taken notice, and they are popping up near state borders frequently.

Planned Parenthood's "mobile clinic" will be set up inside a retrofitted RV with a lab, a waiting area, and two exam rooms. To start, the Planned Parenthood RV will offer chemical abortions (the abortion pill) up to 11 weeks gestation. Planned Parenthood hopes to offer surgical abortions in the RV by the first quarter of next year.

A Planned Parenthood spokesperson told Axios that the RV will start seeing patients at the end of October or early November.

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Biden Department of Veterans Affairs Commits First Abortion

VA Secretary Denis McDonough

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has officially committed its first abortion under a new rule created by the Biden administration.

During testimony before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville asked VA Secretary Denis McDonough how many abortions have taken place at VA facilities. McDonough admitted that one abortion has been committed since the policy took effect on Sept. 9.

The Biden administration's rule allows VA clinics to commit abortions for pregnant veterans and eligible dependents in cases of rape, incest, or if the health of the mother is threatened. The administration even argues that the VA can commit these abortions in states where abortion is illegal.

“States may not impose criminal or civil liability on VA employees—including doctors, nurses, and administrative staff—who provide or facilitate abortions or related services in a manner authorized by federal law, including VA’s rule,” a statement from the Department of Justice reads. “The Supremacy Clause bars state officials from penalizing VA employees for performing their federal functions, whether through criminal prosecution, license revocation proceedings, or civil litigation.”

Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He notes that the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 prohibits the VA from committing abortions. To this point, he demanded that McDonough provide answers to legal questions and challenged the new policy's legality. Bost's full letter to Secretary McDonough can be read here.

“The Biden Administration is violating the will of the American people who don’t want their tax dollars used to pay for abortion at VA,” Bost said in a statement. “VA is also clearly violating the law, which has prohibited abortion at VA for 30 years. By using unelected bureaucrats to make policy decisions better left to duly elected representatives, VA is undercutting our constitutional process and the sanctity of life at the same time. This executive overreach is frighteningly common under President Biden. It is illegal, wrong, and must stop.”

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Michigan Man Charged for Shooting Pro-Life Volunteer

Following an investigation, Michigan authorities have charged Richard Harvey, the man who shot 84-year-old Joan Jacobson who was going door-to-door asking voters to oppose a ballot proposal that would legalize abortion in the state.

According to a phone interview Jacobson had last week with the Daily Signal, Jacobson visited the Harvey household by herself while canvassing in opposition to Michigan Proposal 3. If successful, the proposal would legalize abortion in the state. Sharon Harvey, Richard's wife, answered the door. Sharon is an abortion supporter, and the two women argued.

Jacobson told the Daily Signal that Sharon refused to listen and told Jacobson to leave the property. Jacobson said that Sharon followed Jacobson down the porch and continued to yell as Jacobson left. At this point, Jacobson turned and told Sharon to stop following her, and Richard Harvey emerged carrying a rifle.

“When that registered in my mind, I heard a shot, I felt some pain, and I thought he had hit me in the back,” Jacobson said. She told the Daily Signal that she later learned the bullet went through her shoulder and out her back, narrowly missing her spine.

Richard claims that he fired a warning shot at a tree, after which Jacobson waved a clipboard. He said he interpreted this as a motion to strike his wife, and he waved the loaded gun toward Jacobson in an attempt to knock the clipboard out of her hand. Richard claims that he accidentally fired a shot in this process. Jacobson disagrees with this account and believes the shot was purposeful.

“I do think that he knew what he was doing,” she said. “I think it was intentional.” She said that she was not waving her clipboard, and she said that she did not yell except to tell Sharon to stop following her.

After the shot, Jacobson said that the Harveys did not express concern or offer assistance, even though Sharon reportedly was holding her phone. Fearing another shot, Jacobson fled to her car. She drove herself to a police station. From there, she was brought to an emergency room.

On Sept 30, Michigan charged Richard with one count each of felonious assault, careless discharge of a gun causing injury, and reckless use of a firearm. The felonious assault charge, the most significant of the three, can carry a four-year prison sentence. Harvey's bail was set at $10,000.

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Pro-Life Michigander Shot While Handing Out Pamphlets Opposing Abortion Rights Amendment

An 84-year-old pro-life volunteer (some reports say 83) was shot in Lake Odessa Michigan while handing out pamphlets. The woman was going door-to-door to speak with voters about Michigan's Proposal 3, a ballot item that would create a right to abortion in Michigan's constitution.

The pro-life volunteer got into a heated conversation with a pro-abortion woman at one of the homes she visited. Right to Life Michigan (RLM) told ABC13, “One of the ladies that lived at the house got upset and started screaming at her. This volunteer walked away, was walking back to her car, and a man from the house came out and shot her in the back.” Visser told ABC13 that the victim did not threaten the homeowner, and she was unarmed.

After being shot, the victim drove herself to the Lake Odessa Police Department. From there, she was taken to a hospital to receive treatment.

Chris Gast, the education coordinator for RLM, told CNA that the volunteer “is at home recovering and in good spirits. She should be OK.”

Michigan State Police are investigating the shooting. When the investigation concludes, detectives will report to the Ionia County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The county prosecutor will then decide whether to issue charges.

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Another 20-Year-Old Patient Hospitalized by Family Planning Associates in Chicago

Family Planning Associates in Chicago
photo credit: Operation Rescue

Prolife Action helped Operation Rescue obtain 911 records for yet another emergency at Family Planning Associates Medical Group on Washington Blvd in Chicago.

This event took place on May 14. Emergency medical personnel arrived at 3 pm.

Click here to listen to a recording of the 911 call.

The employee who called 911 told a dispatcher “She is syncopal and having shortness of breath. Her hemoglobin is four.” A syncopal patient is falling in and out of consciousness. The dangerously low hemoglobin level signifies that red blood cells are not sufficiently transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide between the tissues and lungs. The employee also told the dispatcher that the patient could only walk with assistance.

Operation Rescue has documented 16 emergencies at this clinic since 2018. The pro-life group's full list of documented malpractice claims, serious injuries, and deaths can be found at Abortiondocs.org.

Pennsylvania Pro-Life Catholic Pleads Not Guilty After Controversial FBI Arrest

On the morning of Sept 23, over a dozen FBI agents with guns drawn arrived at Catholic pro-life advocate Mark Houck's home in Pennsylvania. The agents arrested Mark in front of his wife and seven children, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged him with two violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Mark pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges levied by the DOJ, and his attorneys decried the Biden administration's method of executing a warrant.

Mark is 48 years old and is the co-founder of a ministry called The King's Men, a Catholic ministry aimed at mentoring young men.

The charges reference an altercation Mark had with a Planned Parenthood clinic escort on Oct. 13, 2021. Mark's wife, Ryan-Marie, told LifeSiteNews that Mark drives to Philadelphia every Wednesday to volunteer as a sidewalk counselor. On some of these trips, Mark would bring his 12-year-old son with him.

Ryan-Marie said that the 72-year-old escort would repeatedly approach Mark's son and say "crude... inappropriate and disgusting things," such as "you're dad's a fag," and other vulgar statements. Mark told the escort that he did not have permission to speak with Mark's son, but the escort would not relent. The escort kept coming into the son's personal space and shouting obscenities.

Eventually, Mark interposed himself between the escort and his son. As Mark shoved the escort away, the man fell back. DOJ prosecutors allege that Mark shoved the escort to the ground two times during this altercation, which is why it charged Mark with two violations of the FACE Act.

The FACE Act creates criminal penalties for obstructing access to abortion businesses through violence, physical obstruction, or threats. The law also creates penalties for acts of violence targeting abortion businesses, pregnancy centers, or their employees because of the services they provide.

The Thomas More Society, which announced Monday that it will represent Mark in court, argues that Mark's actions don't violate the FACE Act. Mark's actions did not target the escort due to his affiliation to the abortion clinic. They were in defense of Mark's son. Additionally, Thomas More Society attorneys won a case in June of 2019 establishing that one-off altercations cannot form the basis for FACE Act violations.

Brian Middleton, a spokesperson for the family, told CNA that both the city police and the district attorney declined to file charges after the incident occurred last year. The escort filed a private criminal complaint in Philadelphia municipal court, but the case was dismissed in July after the escort repeatedly failed to appear in court.

Peter Breen, Mark's attorney, criticized the Biden administration for the way that it handled charges. Breen told Fox News on Tuesday that his team contacted the DOJ and the US Attorney's Office back in June to inform them they had no case based on controlling precedent. Breen's team told the DOJ that if the DOJ decided to indict, Mark would willingly respond to summons. Rather than send a court summons, however, the Biden administration made a show of force.

"This is a political prosecution," Breen told Fox News. "And what’s clear from the Department of Justice at its highest levels, which is directing this case, [is] that they are trying to send a message to pro-life and people of faith: ‘Don’t mess with us.’ They want to intimidate — they want to cause good people like Mark to stop praying and counseling at the abortion clinics of our country. And that’s not going to happen."

If convicted, Mark could face up to 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $350,000. As of Tuesday evening, a GiveSendGo fundraiser raised over $284,000 to help the Houck family with expenses.

20-Year-Old Suicidal Woman Transported to ER after Chicago Abortion

911 records obtained by Operation Rescue show that a 20-year-old woman experiencing suicidal thoughts was rushed to the emergency room immediately after having an abortion at Family Planning Associates Medical Group in Chicago on April 6, 2022.

An employee of the abortion clinic called 911 and told a dispatcher that the woman was "having a mental health crisis," was threatening suicide," and was actually "trying to harm herself."

A redacted recording of the call can be heard here.

While women are often motivated to pursue abortion for financial and career-related reasons (reasons that pregnancy resource centers are willing to help mothers overcome), many women experience regret, depression, and suicidal thoughts after having abortions.

In 2019, the Charlotte Lozier Institute compiled information from three studies showing increased suicide rates for women who had abortions. Each study showed that women who had abortions within the last year commit suicide at significantly increased rates. The Charlotte Lozier Institute's report can be accessed here.

Arizona Judge Lifts 1973 Injunction Against State Abortion Ban

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R)

On Sept 24, an Arizona Judge lifted a 1973 injunction that blocked the state from enforcing its 1901 abortion law. Under the now-restored law, abortion is only legal when "it is necessary to save" the mother's life.

Prima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson ruled that the 50-year-old injunction blocking the law's enforcement "no longer has any prospective application" after the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who asked the court to vacate the old injunction, praised Johnson's decision:

“We applaud the court for upholding the will of the legislature and providing clarity and uniformity on this important issue. I have and will continue to protect the most vulnerable Arizonans,” he wrote on Twitter.

Planned Parenthood argued that Johnson's ruling needed to reconcile the 1901 law with Arizona's new law that will ban abortion only after 15 weeks gestation. Johnson disagreed, stating that her only role was to decide on the 1973 injunction, not to reconcile laws passed since then.

Arizona's 15-week abortion ban was set to take effect on Sept 24. While it is assumed by most that the 1901 law is in effect, further court rulings are expected to determine which law should take precedence.

Click here to read more.

UN Resolution Declares Abortion is a "Human Right"

On Sept 2, the United Nations adopted a resolution stating that abortion is a human right.

The "International cooperation for access to justice, remedies and assistance for survivors of sexual violence," condemns "all forms of sexual and gender-based violence" and urges countries "to provide victims and survivors access to justice, reparations and assistance."

80 member countries, including the US and many members of the EU, co-sponsored language defining abortion as a human right. 33 nations, many of which are African, opposed the resolution.

“Each country should decide its abortion laws at the national level without external interference,” said a Nigerian delegate during a debate. “Countries should help women avoid abortion and provide mothers and their children with health-care and social support.” Nigeria went on to argue that defining abortion as a human right "creates the danger that women will be pressured to abort their babies."

Nigeria proposed several amendments to change the resolution, but they did not gain enough support to pass.

UN resolutions are nonbinding for member nations, but there is still reason for pro-lifers to be concerned. C-Fam vice president for legal studies Stefano Gennarini told CNA that resolutions are binding “both in terms of the programs and norms the U.N. system promotes globally.” He also expressed concern that activist judges in domestic and international courts might use the resolution as evidence for a human right to abortion.

Click here to read more.

Chicago Approves Abortion Sanctuary City Ordinance

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D)

On Sept 21, the Chicago City Council approved the “Bodily Autonomy Sanctuary City Ordinance,” preventing Chicago city employees from cooperating with other states with investigations involving laws against abortion or "gender-affirming care."

This ordinance protects abortionists who flee to Chicago after committing an illegal abortion in another state. Chicago employees are barred from “provid[ing] information related to, or in furtherance of, any investigation or proceeding initiated in or by another state or jurisdiction that seeks to impose civil or criminal liability or professional sanctions upon a person for the provision or receipt of, or any inquiry concerning, reproductive health care or gender-affirming care that is legal in the State of Illinois.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order to the same effect earlier this year, but now the city council has a written ordinance on the books that will continue the policy until it is amended or repealed.

Click here to read more.

Pro-Life Representatives Introduce Legislation to Protect Pregnancy Centers from Pro-Abortion Extremists

On Sept 20, Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced the Protect Pregnancy Care Centers Act of 2022. The bill is a response to almost 70 acts of violence toward pregnancy centers since the Dobbs decision at the end of June.

The Biden administration has not indicated any progress in its investigation and prosecution of pro-abortion extremists since the wave of attacks began.

This legislation would require the Biden administration to let the public know how it is handling its investigation and prosecution of pro-abortion extremists who attack pro-life pregnancy centers. Additionally, the bill would require the administration to report on how pregnancy centers can receive funding for security measures. It provides recommendations for additional grants for security purposes.

“Pregnancy care centers across the country have suffered a surge of violent attacks, firebombing and vandalism by pro-abortion activists in a coordinated effort to intimidate front-line volunteers and licensed medical professionals providing critical support to mothers in need and their unborn baby boys and girls,” said Smith.

“The violent attacks on pregnancy centers in Washington state and across the country are reprehensible and only endanger and intimidate the women who depend on them for critical medical care, education, and other resources,” said Rodgers. “I believe all extreme and hateful acts of violence should be condemned, which is why I’m helping lead this legislation to hold President Biden accountable for his failure to respond to this threat with the urgency it deserves.”

According to a study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, pregnancy centers have saved the lives of over 828,130 babies and have provided (generally free) services to almost 2,000,000 mothers.

Click here to read more.

New Mexico Gov. Signs Order Designating $10 Million to Build a State-Funded Abortion Facility

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)

On August 31, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order designating $10 million for the construction of a state-funded abortion facility on the Texas border.

“As more states move to restrict and prohibit access to reproductive care, New Mexico will continue to not only protect access to abortion, but to expand and strengthen reproductive health care throughout the state,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “Today, I reaffirm my resolve to make sure that women and families in New Mexico – and beyond – are supported at every step of the way.”

The funding would come from the governor's discretionary spending from appropriations voted on by legislators in New Mexico's 2023 legislative session. That session will open on January 17; after the November midterm elections.

Pro-lifers in Texas and New Mexico say that the facility would likely be using New Mexico tax dollars to fund abortions for Texans trying to get around Texas's Heartbeat Act.

New Mexico State Sen. David Gallegos expressed similar frustrations. “You know we have veterans’ needs; we have homeless needs; we have mental health needs in this area in our state. But if you want to put something somewhere and you say you care, then why not put this toward the pregnancy centers and the maternity homes?” He later added, “...it's for Texas residents. We aren’t Texas, and why are our tax monies funding something that they want?”

Click here to read more.

Driver who Attempted to Run Over Pro-Life Advocates Accepts Unique Plea Deal

Hope Beyond Abortion advocating for women and their
unborn children outside an abortion business

A disgruntled pro-abortion driver attempted to run down pro-life advocates from Hope Beyond Abortion outside an abortion business in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee on April 27, 2022. After she was arrested, the woman faced four felony counts of aggravated assault. Due to an unusual plea deal offered by Hope Beyond Abortion, the driver will not face jail time.

Bo Linam, the founder of Hope Beyond Abortion, spoke with Live Action News about the case. When the Assistant District Attorney asked the pro-life group how they felt about possible sentences, Bo wanted to do something different. “I told [the Assistant DA], ‘I don’t think ruining this girl’s life is the right call. That’s not gonna change her heart.’”

After praying, Linam asked the Assistant DA if the woman could instead choose to help Hope Beyond Abortion with three upcoming baby showers for children who were saved from abortion. The Assistant DA liked the idea, and all parties agreed.

The first of the three baby showers will be held on October 8th.

Click here to read more.

Pro-Life Legislators Introduce Federal 15-Week Abortion Ban

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias speaking alongside
other pro-life leaders at Sen. Lindsey Graham's press conference

On Sept. 13, US Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Chris Smith introduced legislation that would ban abortion after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and when the mother's life is in danger.

At a press conference, Sen. Graham spoke about the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act alongside leaders from several national pro-life groups. Graham emphasized that this legislation would “get America in a position at the federal level that’s fairly consistent with the rest of the world.”

Notably, 47 out of the 50 countries in Europe have laws limiting abortion before 15 weeks.

Abortionists who violate the bill could receive fines and/or up to 5 years in prison. The bill expressly forbids the prosecution of the mother whose child is aborted.

Graham argued that a 15-week limit is reasonable because unborn children can feel pain at that stage. Much of the text in the bill's introduction outlines its scientific reasoning. For example:

"In considering the use of anesthesia for invasive medical procedures performed on the fetus, doctors have concluded, based on the evidence, that from as early as 12 weeks gestational age, and certainly by 15 weeks gestational age, the fetus is extremely sensitive to painful stimuli, making it necessary to apply adequate analgesia and anesthesia to prevent fetal suffering."

The bill later goes on to say,

"The assertion of some medical experts that an unborn child remains in a coma-like sleep state that precludes an unborn child from experiencing pain is inconsistent with the documented reaction of unborn children to painful stimuli and with the experience of fetal surgeons who have found it necessary to sedate an unborn child with anesthesia and provide analgesia to prevent an unborn child from engaging in vigorous movement in reaction to invasive surgery."

While this legislation is unlikely to pass given the current makeup of the US Congress, it will likely motivate voters and reignite national discussions about abortion and the right to life.

Click here to read more.

Ohio Heartbeat Law Temporarily Blocked

On Sept. 14, a judge in Hamilton County, Ohio issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking Ohio from enforcing its law banning abortion after the unborn child's heartbeat is detectable (six weeks).

When issuing the order, Hamilton County Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins suggested that he might interpret the state constitution as creating a right to abortion. "No great stretch is required to find that Ohio law recognizes a fundamental right to privacy, procreation, bodily integrity and freedom of choice in health care decision making," Jenkins wrote.

While the restraining order remains in effect, abortion will become legal until 20 weeks gestation. Women's Med, the only abortion business in the Dayton area, has paused its plans to close due to Jenkins's ruling. It now plans to return to business-as-usual while the law is blocked.

The heartbeat law took effect almost immediately after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June and has been enforced for two months. Abortion businesses in Ohio sued, but courts did not immediately block the law. 

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis accused abortion businesses of shopping for a friendly judge to get the decision they wanted. He also told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "We are more than confident that the heartbeat law will go back into effect relatively soon. Further, we can assure pro-life Ohio that in the near future Ohio will become abortion-free, regardless what this local judge ruled today. We will prevail."

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New Planned Parenthood Fiscal Report Shows More Abortions, Fewer Clients

Planned Parenthood's new 2020-2021 report shows that the abortion business committed nearly 30,000 more abortions than its 2019 fiscal year. At the same time, the number of prenatal services it offered remained stagnant.

Interestingly, Planned Parenthood's total number of clients dropped by 10%, while abortions increased by over 8%.

The report shows that Planned Parenthood committed an all-time-high 383,460 abortions in its 2020 fiscal year. That is up from its previous record of 354,871 in its 2019 fiscal year.

Planned Parenthood no commits over 41% of the world's abortions.

By comparison, Planned Parenthood only offered 8,775 prenatal services in the 2020 fiscal year. That is up slightly from 8,626 in 2019, but generally trending downward from its 2010 peak of 31,098. On a similar note, Planned Parenthood aborts 200 children for every adoption referral.

The number of abortions Planned Parenthood commits each year is about the same as the number of prenatal services the corporation has provided in the last 20 years combined.

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Chicago High School Dean Charged for Raping Student and Forcing her to Have Abortions

Former Chicago Public School Dean Brian Crowder
Photo credit: Cook County Sheriff's Office

Chicago prosecutors charged Brian Crowder, the former dean at Greater Lawndale High School for Social Justice, with raping a female student and then forcing her to get at least two abortions. At each abortion, Crowder posed as the student's stepfather to sign consent forms.

Court documents state that Crowder began messaging a 15-year-old student over Snapchat in 2013. Prosecutors say that Crowder soon afterward raped the student five to six times per month. Documents allege that this continued for two years. On at least one occasion, Crowder gave the student alcohol. They conceived two children, which were aborted in 2014 and 2015. 

Prosecutors allege that the relationship ended in 2015 when the student was in high school. She reported the abuse to a teacher. The teacher recommended that the student report her abuse to the police, but the teacher, who is required by law to report them, did not do so. In 2019, the student filed a police report after Crowder tried to contact her at her workplace.

Crowder was finally fired from Greater Lawndale High School for Social Justice in November of 2021 after the school was made aware of the charges.

Crowder was arrested on Wednesday, August 31 on a $75,000 bond. He is due back in court for a hearing on September 20.

Click here to read more.

ACLU Lawsuit Argues Indiana Pro-Life Law Violates Religious Freedom

The ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit against Indiana's new law protecting unborn children from abortion. In this case, the group uses a notably odd argument. On behalf of the Hoosier Jews for Choice and five anonymous residents, the ACLU will argue that the law violates their religious freedom.

The lawsuit argues that the pro-life law violates Indiana's 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. According to the IndyStar, this law "prevents the government from impeding someone's religious exercise unless there's a strong argument in favor of the state's interest."

It goes on to say that the pro-life law violates the religious freedom of those who don't believe life begins at fertilization. "For example, under Jewish law, a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth," the lawsuit states. "Jewish law recognizes that abortions may occur, and should occur as a religious matter, under circumstances not allowed by (the near-total abortion ban) or existing Indiana law."

Not only do many Jews believe life begins and conception and consider abortion to be murder, but the text of this lawsuit implies that abortion is a religious rite. The Satanic Temple tried and failed to make this argument in an attempt to block Texas's Heartbeat Act last year.

Furthermore, it is a matter of scientific fact that a unique living human being is created at fertilization. From that moment, the child has unique DNA separate from both the mother and father.

The new Indiana law bans abortion except to protect the health of the mother, when the child is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly, or in cases of rape or incest. In the latter case, there is still a ten-week limit.

Click here to read more.

Fairview Heights Planned Parenthood Hospitalizes Three Women in Four Days

A patient being loaded into an ambulance outside the
Fairview Heights Planned Parenthood Clinic on Aug. 9, 2022.
Photo by pro-life onlookers and provided to Operation Rescue

Photos and 911 records obtained by Operation Rescue reveal that the Planned Parenthood "mega-clinic" in Fairview Heights hospitalized three women within a four-day timespan last month. The incidents occurred between August 6 and August 9, 2022.

Pro-life onlookers took photos of incidents on August 6 and August 9. When Operation Rescue requested 911 records for incidents at the Fairview Heights Clinic between those dates, the records revealed that another separate emergency occurred on August 6.

At 12:40pm on August 6, 2022, Medstar Emergency Medical Services arrived to transport a 26-year-old woman suffering from a "sharp stabbing pain." No other information is available about this incident.

911 call recordings are available for the other two incidents.

At 9:10 pm on August 6, a Planned Parenthood employee called to request an ambulance for a 36-year-old woman who had just had a "procedure." She was suffering from low blood pressure and repeatedly passing out. The employee specifically requested that the patient be transported to Belleville Memorial Hospital, but emergency personnel instead transported her to St. Elizabeth Hospital. It would have taken about twice as long for an ambulance to drive to Belleview Memorial.

The third call took place at 3:49 pm on August 9. A woman in her early twenties had severe cervical bleeding and required hospitalization. This time, the Planned Parenthood employee requested that the patient be transferred to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis Missouri rather than St. Elizabeth Hospital (which is only eight minutes away). 911 records show that the patient was transported to Belleview memorial Hospital instead.

Operation Rescue hypothesizes that the clinic rotates hospitals to try and conceal the number of emergencies it causes.

Click here to read more.

Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Abortion Placed on Michigan Ballot

Following a directive from the Michigan Supreme Court, the state's Board of State Canvassers placed a constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy on Michigan's fall ballot.

The amendment would also allow anyone, including those who don't have any medical training, to "assist" with abortions.

Michigan's Supreme Court voted 5-2 to override the deadlocked party-line vote by the Board of State Canvassers. The proposed amendment gathered far more than the 425,000 signatures required to place it on the ballot. Republicans on the board argued that formatting errors made the language of the petition unreadable. They argued that the signees could not have known what they were signing, and the petition was therefore invalid. The Michigan Supreme Court overrode them.

Just days before, Court Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ruled that Michigan's 1931 law banning abortion violated the state Constitution. Gleicher notably argued against this law as a lawyer for Planned Parenthood in 1997. The Court of Appeals denied her request to create a state right to abortion at the time, but now she has the power to make the ruling herself (despite her conflict of interest as a Planned Parenthood contributor).

Click here to read more.

California Judge Rules Doctors Cannot be Compelled to Document Assisted Suicide Requests

On Sept. 2, US District Judge Fernando Aenlle-Rocha ruled that California cannot compel doctors to participate in assisted suicide by requiring them to document requests for assisted suicide. The ruling granted a preliminary injunction blocking the state from requiring doctors to participate in this way.

A 2021 amendment to California's 2015 assisted suicide law made it easier for patients to have doctors kill them. The original law required that two doctors verify that the patient had less than six months to live and is mentally competent to make the decision. It further required the patient to verbally request the drugs on two occasions at least 15 days apart, provide a written request, and sign a form 48 hours beforehand.

The 2021 amendment allows assisted suicide if the patient makes two verbal requests at least 48 hours apart. There are no further requirements. Therefore, a pro-life doctor who documents one of these two requests is participating in the patient's death in a significant way.

Judge Aenlle-Rocha said as much in his ruling, "The ultimate outcome of this requirement is that non-participating providers are compelled to participate in the Act through this documentation requirement, despite their objections to assisted suicide." He later continued that doctors who oppose assisted suicide "are likely to succeed on their Free Speech claim" on the basis that California's law "exceeds merely managing medical records—it imposes an affirmative documentation requirement."

Click here to read more.

Sept. 10 is the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children

The second Saturday in September (September 10 this year) marks the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children.

Every year on this day, pro-life advocates visit burial places and memorial sites for victims of abortion to hold funeral-like services in remembrance and respect for their lives. Doing so helps pro-lifers remember that aborted children are real human lives that have been ended. They are not simply pictures or sub-human "pregnancies" without value. Abortion victims can be respected and remembered like any other life can.

Memorials will be held at places across the country, but three are scheduled to take place in Illinois. Click on the name to read more information about parking, speakers, and locations.

• Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, IL

• Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville, IL

• St. Mary Cemetery in Evergreen Park, IL

Click here if you would like to read more about the National Day of Remembrance for Abortion Children.

Chicago Police Investigating After Dead Infant Found on Sidewalk

Chicago police are investigating the death of a baby that was discovered on a neighborhood sidewalk.

Police were called to the 6400 block of West Bloomingdale Ave in Chicago at around 1:35 p.m. on Sept. 3, where the body was found. While police have said that they are investigating the incident, no further information is available at the time of writing.

It should be noted that Illinois's Safe Haven Law allows parents to surrender babies up to 30 days post-birth at hospitals, emergency care facilities, police stations, and staffed fire stations. Women in difficult situations who don't feel like they can provide for their newborn children can ensure their safety by surrendering them at these designated locations.

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California Legislators Pass Block of Pro-Abortion Bills

photo credit: Wayne Hsieh / Flickr

Legislators in California passed a group of over a dozen bills last week as part of a "Reproductive Justice Policy Package" aiming to make the state an abortion sanctuary.

Among other things, the legislation:

• prevents California law enforcement from cooperating with abortion investigations from other states

• blocks abortion-related medical information from being shared with other states

• prohibits a coroner's statements from being used to convict a mother of infanticide

• allows non-doctors to commit abortions without oversight

• creates a $20 million fund to pay the abortion costs of women who come to California from other states

Pro-abortion California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has until Sept. 30 to sign the bills.

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Appeals Court Ends Injunction Against Florida's 15-Week Abortion Law

On August 24, the First District Court of Appeal in Florida ruled to throw out the injunction blocking the state from enforcing its 15-week abortion limit.

The law was set to take effect on July 1, but Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper issued a temporary injunction blocking Florida from enforcing the law while a challenge was considered. It then advanced to the First District Court of Appeal, where that injunction was overturned in a 2-1 ruling.

This ruling allows Florida to enforce the 15-week abortion limit as the legal challenge progresses.

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Court Rules California Cannot Force Church Health Plans to Cover Abortion

A group of churches in California won a legal challenge against the State of California last month. In 2014, the state mandated that all employers include abortion coverage in their health plans. The group of churches objects to abortion due to their religious beliefs, but California would not honor that objection. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on their behalf in 2015, and they finally won their challenge seven years later.

US District Chief Judge Kimberly Mueller wrote in his ruling that California violated the churches' First Amendment rights. California said that it only considered exemptions that came directly from health plans, not individual employers. It argued that it would be impossible to consider exemption requests from so many employers, so it had a compelling interest to ignore them.

Mueller disagreed, writing that the “denial of the Churches’ request for exceptions to accommodate their religious beliefs, based solely on the fact that those requests did not originate with a plan, was not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest.” She later continued, “Even assuming similar religious challenges materialized in California in large numbers, [California] has not offered evidence showing that entertaining these religious objections would be so difficult and time-consuming that ‘DMHC’s operations would grind to a halt.'”

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Veterans Affairs Announces Legally Dubious Plan to Offer Abortions

On Sept. 2, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced plans to offer abortion counseling and abortions to pregnant veterans and eligible dependents. According to the VA, these abortions may be offered regardless of state laws prohibiting them.

According to the interim final rule published by the VA, these abortions would be offered in cases of rape, incest, or when “the life or the health of the pregnant veteran would be endangered if the pregnancy were carried to term.” There is no police report requirement for cases of rape or incest.

Pro-abortion legislators pushed for the change in letters to the VA. In the past, they argued that the VA would legally be allowed to offer abortion because the Hyde Amendment does not apply to the VA.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) argued in August and reiterated on Sept. 2 that abortion coverage is explicitly excluded from reproductive healthcare services the VA can provide.

The Epoch Times writes, "Section 106 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 says that the VA may provide women with 'general reproductive healthcare, including the management of menopause, but not including under this section infertility services, abortions, or pregnancy care,' except relating to a pregnancy 'that is complicated or in which the risks of complications are increased by a service-connected condition.'"

The Biden VA argues that the new rule is legal under 38 U.S.C. 1710, which provides limited authority for the VA secretary to provide medical services "which the Secretary determines to be needed."

The interim rule will take effect when it is published in the federal register. After that, there will be a 30-day period for public comments. The VA plans to prepare abortion services immediately after the rule is published.

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Happy Labor Day!

 

Nurse Sues after Being Fired By CVS for Refusal to Prescribe Abortion Drugs

Paige Casey
photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom

Paige Casey, a nurse practitioner who was fired by MinuteClinic (a division of CVS) for refusing to provide abortion-inducing drugs, filed a lawsuit against her former employer on August 31.

Casey is a Catholic whose faith prohibits her from facilitating abortions. She worked at MinuteClinic for three and a half years, but she was informed January of 2022 that CVS would no longer honor her religious objection to abortion. She was fired just a few months later. Ironically, she was given a merit-based pay increase just two days before she was fired.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing Casey in her case against CVS.

“Corporations like CVS cannot defy the law by firing professionals who want to work consistently with their faith,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Paige had a spotless record of caring for patients, yet CVS decided to abruptly fire her solely because of her religious belief that life begins at conception. Virginia law protects the freedom of everyone to work without fear of being fired for their religious beliefs prohibiting participation in abortion.”

ADF's press release notes that Virginia's Conscience Clause prohibits employers from discriminating against employees to refuse to participate in abortion due to their pro-life beliefs. The organization hopes to prevent CVS from forcing other pro-life employees to either participate in abortion or lose their jobs.

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