Pennsylvania Hospital Refused to Care for Woman's Premature Twins and Let them Die

Credit: Katelyn McCauley and Ryan Erickson

Katelyn McCauley gave birth to twins in a Pennsylvania hospital in mid-August, but any hope at life was denied to them by doctors. McCauley recently wrote the horrific story of her experience giving birth to her now-deceased twins in an article published by Live Action News.

Her water broke one night with no warning whatsoever, and her husband rushed her to the nearest hospital. When she arrived, the doctors confirmed she was in labor and had her transferred to another hospital with the ability to care for her children's needs. Sadly, this care was not given to them. Instead, after each of her children were born, the doctor immediately left the room and offered no assistance whatsoever. After the first child was born, she pleaded with the doctor not to deliver the second because she didn't want to watch another one of her children die, but the doctor told her that she could develop an infection if the second baby wasn't delivered. The doctor prepared to induce labor.

"She said it could take three to six hours to deliver him once they administered Pitocin, so my fiancé ran home to grab clothes for both of us and let our dogs out. Not even 10 minutes later, I felt pressure and knew something happened. My second baby came out before they even started the induction.

I’ve tried to become a more spiritual person after all of these horrible events, and thought this was my baby saying he didn’t want me to be in pain anymore. Gregory was born at 5:47 p.m. — breathing — and he was just as perfect as Knox. He looked more like Ryan than me and was beautiful and perfectly formed. 

The doctor again immediately left the room and didn’t assist him at all."

McCauley sent an email to the hospital system and filed a Civil Rights complaint about the illegal and unethical treatment of children they were clearly equipped to assist.

"I am not God so I don’t know if Knox and Greg would be here today if given a chance. However, I know they should have been given that chance. I hope I can bring even more awareness and push for changes so no one else has to go through such a horrible loss. No one should have to bury their children."

Click here to read more.

Doctors Told her to Abort Every Week for 14 Weeks. She Refused and Now has a Healthy Daughter.

A UK woman named Kiera Meldrum who was interviewed for an article in The Scotsman said that she was told 14 times to abort her daughter due to her medical condition. She refused every time and now has a healthy girl.

Lillee Rose (the daughter) had fluid buildup in her stomach that eventually resulted in her bowels being split in half. Meldrum experienced pain and bloating as her pregnancy progressed. With these symptoms, she also dealt with increased pressure from doctors to abort her daughter.

She was told to visit doctors for an ultrasound every week after her daughter's condition was discovered. It was at these visits that she was repeatedly advised to abort. Meldrum says she heard this at every one of her 14 ultrasound appointments.

When Lillee was born 6 weeks early, doctors immediately rushed her to surgery and were able to repair her extremely damaged bowels. After eight weeks in an incubator, Lillee's only diagnosed medical problem is lactose intolerance.

Click here to read more.

New Jersey Senate Bill would Give Planned Parenthood 9.5 Million more Taxpayer Dollars

Credit: American Life League / Flickr

The New Jersey Senate budget committee passed a bill on Dec 11 that would allocate $9.5 million to fund Planned Parenthood.

The bill was created as a response to President Donald Trump's Title X rule, which required family planning organizations that received tax dollars to separate their abortion services from their family planning services. If Planned Parenthood wanted to receive federal tax dollars, it would have needed to stop providing abortions in the same locations that it provides other services, stop referring patients to locations where abortions are provided, separate their abortion finances from the rest of their family planning services, and report sexual abuse of minors to police. Rather than accept these terms, Planned Parenthood opted out of Title X funding.

In addition to undermining the president's goals of protecting unborn children and their mothers from taxpayer-funded abortion, the New Jersey bill requires health insurance providers to cover the cost of contraceptives even if they have religious objections.

Click here to read more.

Parental Consent Bill Passes Florida Senate Committee

Historic Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida
Credit: Artie White / Flickr

A senate committee in Florida voted on December 10th to advance a parental consent bill. Parental consent bills, which have been passed in multiple states, require minors to have permission from their parents to have an abortion.

Tampa Bay Times writer Elizabeth Koh reported:

A key Florida Senate committee voted Tuesday, along party lines, to advance a bill that would require parental consent for abortion, overcoming a procedural hurdle by Democrats last month to stall the legislation. The 6-3 vote also begins moving what is likely to be one of the legislative session’s most controversial bills through the more moderate Senate, which looks likelier this year to pass the proposal.

The committee heard testimony for the majority of their hearing on the bill, with comments from citizens like Joan Fowinkle, a retired high school teacher who supported the legislation. “The parents have a fundamental right to care for the child and make decisions for their healthcare,” she said. “The state must respect the rights of good parents to fulfill their duties toward their children as their conscience dictates.”

National Right to Life News further reports that a companion bill in the Florida House of Representatives is on a "fast track to passage."

Click here to read more.

Mother Speaks Out About Daughter's Death from NuvaRing Birth Control Side Effects

Alexzandria “Ally” Givens complained to her boyfriend one night in July that she was feeling pain in her neck and shoulder, but wasn't sure what caused the pain. The next morning, she got up to use the bathroom and collapsed to the floor. Her boyfriend sprang up and called 911 followed by Ally's parents, but nobody was able to save her. An autopsy found that Ally's death was caused by blood clots formed as a result of hormonal birth control.

Ally's parents recently spoke about their daughter's death in an interview, saying that while they believe her doctor informed her that blood clots could be a side effect of NuvaRing hormonal birth control, she may not have been told about the symptoms of blood clots. If she had been able to identify that her pains resulted from her birth control, she would have been able to get medical help much earlier.

The family will not sue Merck, the manufacturer of NuvaRing birth control, but they do want the company to stop selling the product.

“I just want it off the shelf,” said Carla Givens. “I don’t want another girl to die from it and have those parents feel like I do.”

Click here to read more.

University of California-Davis Cancels Study and Claims Abortion Pill Reversal is Dangerous After One Patient Experiences Bleeding

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

University of California-Davis has made public the results of its study on the effectiveness of the abortion reversal pill. The study was rocky, with only 12 volunteers (two of which dropped out). The group sought to find 40 participants but went ahead with only this small number. On top of this, the group canceled the study after a single patient who took progesterone (the abortion pill reversal medication) experienced heavy bleeding.

This dishonest action was clearly designed to make headlines and hurt the reputation of a completely safe procedure. It's only possible to understand this, however, if a person understands the abortion pill procedure. Mifepristone, the first pill in the two-part abortion pill regimen, is a drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone. Progesterone helps a mother provide nutrients to her unborn child. When it is blocked, the child is starved to death. The second abortion pill induces violent labor so that a mother can "complete their miscarriage". The only thing that the abortion pill reversal does is administer additional progesterone into a mother's body so that it correctly administers the necessary nutrients to the child again.

A total of three patients were hospitalized over the short course of the study. Only one of them had taken progesterone. All of them had taken the abortion pill mifepristone. Interestingly, one of the patients who dropped out did so because they were anxious about the bleeding they believed would be caused by the abortion pill, instead opting for a different abortion method.

Since 2 out of the 3 patients who were hospitalized were part of the control group and did not take progesterone, it seems far more likely that the study was canceled to hide the dangers of mifepristone rather than to protect women from abortion pill reversal.

It's disgusting that these "scientists" still contributed to news stories attacking abortion pill reversal as "pseudo-science" after canceling their sham study.

Click here to read more from liveaction.org

Click here to read more from catholicnewsagency.com

New York Bill Would Require State University of New York Schools to Provide Abortion Pills

Photo by Trey Gibson on Unsplash

A bill was introduced in the New York Assembly this November which would require all State University of New York campuses to provide abortion pills. It would also create a fund in which both public and private funds would be used to supply the medication.

This measure would not only increase the number of state-funded abortion procedures, but it would also further the stigma that women are incapable of earning their education while acting as a mother. It could even be harmful to women as they undergo medical abortion procedures without the oversight of a doctor.

CEO of CompassCare Jim Harden responded, “You’re not providing actual patient care in a student health environment with a doctor-patient relationship ongoing. There’s follow up that’s required, there’s monitoring that’s required, and all of this is extracted from the women’s experience on campus. It’s dangerous for her.”

Click here to read more.

The NRLC Writes Open Letter Telling Congress to Oppose “Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019”

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the “Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019” this week. In response, the National Right to Life Committee has written an open letter to legislators urging them to vote no on this bill.

The NRLC raises concerns that the legislation would ration drugs across the United States, effectively preventing many from receiving life-saving medication. It further argues that the bill stifles innovation and prevents new drugs from being able to help those who desperately need them.

In the letter, the NRLC says it is "concerned with protecting older people and people with disabilities from euthanasia as with protecting the unborn from abortion. We have recognized that involuntary denial of lifesaving medical treatment is a form of involuntary euthanasia."

Click here to read the full letter.

Supreme Court Upholds Kentucky Ultrasound Law

The Supreme Court upheld a Kentucky law that requires abortionists to present and describe ultrasound images alongside the audio of the unborn child's heartbeat to mothers considering abortion. The ACLU had challenged “The Ultrasound Informed Consent Act” and won in lower courts, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court Monday.

The law was originally blocked by District Court Judge David Hale, but the decision was overturned by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in April. By denying the ACLU's appeal to the Supreme Court, the federal courts confirmed that the law stood within constitutional bounds.

U.S. Circuit Court Judge John K. Bush wrote his reasoning for overturning the District Court decision in his ruling:

“[W]e hold that H.B. 2 provides relevant information. The information conveyed by an ultrasound image, its description, and the audible beating fetal heart gives a patient greater knowledge of the unborn life inside her. This also inherently provides the patient with more knowledge about the effect of an abortion procedure: it shows her what, or whom, she is consenting to terminate. That this information might persuade a woman to change her mind does not render it suspect under the First Amendment.”

Judge Bush further stated that informed consent laws do not violate doctors' first amendment rights as long as the information they are required to convey is “truthful, non-misleading, and relevant to an abortion.”

Click here to read more.

Researchers Find Correlation Between Contraceptive Pill Usage and Shrinking Brain Size

Credit: Doctor 4U

A new study presented by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) shows a link between taking contraceptive pills and reduced size in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus.

Dr. Michael Lipton, the professor who led this study by Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said:

“We found a dramatic difference in the size of the brain structures between women who were taking oral contraceptives and those who were not. We validated methods for assessing the volume of the hypothalamus and confirm, for the first time, that current oral contraceptive pill usage is associated with smaller hypothalamic volume.”

The press release further states “that smaller hypothalamic volume was also associated with greater anger and showed a strong correlation with depressive symptoms.”

Click here to read more.

Daleiden and Center for Medical Progress to Face Reduced Charges in San Francisco Superior Court

David Daleiden
Credit: American Life League / Flickr

The Thomas Moore Society confirmed on Twitter Dec. 6 that San Francisco Superior Court did not dismiss all criminal charges against David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). Six out of the 15 counts were dismissed when it was appealed to the higher court, but they will go to trial on the remaining nine counts.

The defendants had exposed Planned Parenthood for harvesting body parts from aborted children by using undercover journalists posing as an organization that would purchase those body parts. They recorded conversations that those journalists had with various employees of Planned Parenthood and showed the recordings to the world by uploading them to the internet.

The San Francisco Superior Court's decision to hear the case means that we will once again hear arguments from both sides about the intent of the undercover recordings and whether the defendants believed violent actions were taking place that needed to be exposed. The judge in the lower court blocked much of the evidence that the defense brought forth in that case. Hopefully, they will be allowed to present the necessary evidence to prove their case this time.

If the CMP continues to be found guilty, the organization has vowed that it will fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

Click here to read more.

Pro-Life Organizations Analyze CDC Abortion Statistics

Credit: LaDawna Howard / Flickr

The Family Research Council (FRC) and Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) have shared the results of their annual analysis of Obamacare-funded health insurance plans. The groups poured over exchanges to figure out just how many of these plans cover elective abortion.

Their analysis covers a lot of information, which can be read in a PDF report here or by using their interactive map at obamacareabortion.com.

It is important to note that 100% of plans in eight states and the District of Columbia, including Illinois, require all individual plans on Obamacare exchanges to cover elective abortion. Additionally, the number of plans on the exchanges that cover elective abortion has increased by 6% from 650 to 777.

FRC Director of Life, Culture, and Women's Advocacy Patrina Mosley commented:

"Obamacare allows health insurance plans purchased with federal subsidies to cover elective abortion. This violates the principle of the longstanding Hyde Amendment that taxpayer dollars should not be entangled with the abortion industry.  Many individuals seeking enrollment remain categorically opposed to elective abortion and do not want their tax dollars used for its coverage. As the current administration has taken a strong stance in proclaiming that abortion is not family planning through the strengthening of Title X regulations and expanding the Mexico City policy, Congress still has a lot of work to do to make sure abortion is never considered healthcare."

Click here to read more.

Two of Four Charges Dropped Against South African Doctor who Told a Pregnant Woman Abortion "kills a human being"

Jacques de Vos, center, flanked by attorney Martus de Wet, advocate
 Keith Matthee and father Phillip de Vos (cream jacket) at the
Health Professions Council of SA hearing on August 27, 2019.
Image: Sipokazi Fokazi

In 2017, South African doctor and member of Doctors for Life International Jacques De Vos told a woman seeking an abortion that what she was considering would kill a human being. As a result, he was charged four offenses and prevented from practicing medicine until the Health Professions Council of South Africa completes its hearings and makes a decision.

The two dropped charges accused De Vos “distributing pamphlets that imposed his religious beliefs at the hospital on colleagues, patients and members of the public, while also attempting to influence his colleagues to adopt his views by sending them text messages,” and “failing to remain objective when advocating for contraceptives and not having acted in a patient’s best interest.” De Vos's legal team argued that the charges were unlawful and vague, and they were dropped as a result.

The remaining charges include “dissuading a patient from terminating her pregnancy in 2016 when he was at 2 Military Hospital in Wynberg,” and “failing to respect the patient’s autonomy.”

Click here to read more.

March for Life Chicago Expands as Attendance Grows

The March for Life Chicago event has grown in scope as interest and attendance have increased. The upcoming Jan. 11 event is set to be the biggest yet with a rally, march, convention with pro-life organizations, a young adult event, and a fundraising banquet.

The event will be held in Daley Plaza and will feature an address from abortion survivor Claire Culwell. Claire was born two months premature during an abortion procedure that killed her twin sister.

To read more details of the event, click here or visit www.marchforlife-chicago.org.

Pro-Life Attorney Sarah Pitlyk Confirmed for Federal Judgeship

Sarah Pitlyk
Credit: Thomas More Society

On Wednesday, The senate voted 49-44 to confirm Sarah Pitlyk as a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. Pitlyk is well-known for her pro-life beliefs and as a result was a highly controversial nominee.

Donald Trump nominated Pitlyk for the judgeship in August due to her strong pro-life record. She worked in the Thomas More Society, fought various pro-abortion laws and even served as part of the defense team for David Daleiden in the recent case in which he was accused of breaking privacy law by recording undercover footage exposing Planned Parenthood for selling human body parts.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine was the only Republican who voted against Pitlyk's nomination. She argued that Pitlyk "does not have sufficient experience to receive a federal district court appointment." She further argued that her advocacy made her unfit because Pitlyk would be more likely to follow her pro-life beliefs than the "precedent" of Roe v. Wade.

Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser defended Pitlyk's nomination: “Pitlyk is a graduate of Boston College, summa cum laude. She earned two master’s degrees — one from Georgetown University, and another from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, where she studied under a prestigious Fulbright scholarship and graduated magna cum laude — before proceeding to Yale Law School...The idea Pitlyk is some callow amateur is ludicrous.”

Click here to read more.

Elizabeth Warren Promises to Wear Planned Parenthood Scarf to Inauguration

Image from Elizabeth Warren's Facebook page

To even further cement the idea that she is a pro-abortion candidate (along with the rest of the field), Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren promised in a speech that she would wear her Planned Parenthood scarf to her inauguration.

"I made the decision when Donald Trump was elected — I decided I would go to the inauguration...but it was important to me what I wore. I'll tell you what I wore: I wore my scarf that has in big letters on it embroidered, 'Planned Parenthood,'” she said in a speech at the University of Iowa campus according to Disrn.

“And then the next day I showed up at [the Women's March]; I spoke and I wore my pink Planned Parenthood scarf. Now that's two, so here's my plan for number three: I'm gonna be wearing that scarf when I'm sworn as president of the United States."

Click here to read more.

CDC Report Shows 2016 Abortion Statistics

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report with statistics on the abortions in 2016 last week. National Right to Life Director of Education and Research Randall K. O’Bannon wrote a helpful article analyzing the numbers and what they mean.

In his analysis, he points out several key figures:

• The 2016 abortion statistics are the lowest recorded since Roe vs. Wade.

• CDC statistics say there were 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in 2016.

• The statistics say there were 186 abortions for every 1,000 live births in 2016.

To read more about these statistics, including demographics of those receiving abortions, click here.

Daleiden and Center for Medical Progress Sue Abortionist for Claiming Undercover Videos were "fake"

David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) filed a defamation lawsuit against former Planned Parenthood abortionist Dr. Savita Ginde for claiming in a book and a TED talk that undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood's illegal sale of body parts were "fake"

The undercover videos that CMP released in 2015 include a video in which an undercover journalist has a discussion with Dr. Ginde about the pricing for fetal body parts. When the journalists posing as buyers asked about the frequency with which completely intact children were delivered during the abortion process, she admitted that there were three to seven each day in the area covered by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM).



Dr. Ginde wrote a book attacking the undercover reports titled The Real Cost of Fake News: The Hidden Truth Behind the Planned Parenthood Video Scandal in which she claims that the footage was "manipulated" to "make it look like I did something that I have actually never done and said things I actually never said." The book furthermore states that "[t]he words and actions are completely false." The most surprising statement, however, is that Dr. Ginde claims in her book that she never watched the entirety of the CMP footage and "had no intention of ever doing so."

As a result of Dr. Ginde's refusal to retract her lies about the honesty of the undercover footage, CMP hopes to clear its name and confirm the honesty of its footage by suing Dr. Ginde for defamation.

Click here to read more.

Georgia Nurse Adopts Autistic Homeless Man to Help him Get Treatment

Lori Wood and Jonathan Pinkard

27-year-old Jonathan Pinkard spent four months in the hospital as a result of medical difficulties related to his need for a heart transplant. Pinkard has autism, so his grandmother had recently served as his guardian. However, she passed away recently, and Pinkard's mother was in a rehab facility. As a result, Pinkard's nurse decided that she would help.

Lori Wood offered Pinkard a place to stay and serves as his guardian now, which was necessary for him to be able to undergo the heart transplant. Without a support system to make sure he was taking the necessary medication, the transplant would fail.

“At some point, God places people in situations in your life, and you have a choice to do something about it,” Wood said to the Washington Post. “For me, there was no choice. I’m a nurse; I had an extra room. It was not something I struggled with. He had to come home with me.”

Wood and the Georgia medical system did not devalue Pinkard because of his disability like so many medical systems in other countries might. We hope that Pinkard continues to be successful in his recovery and can eventually find the independence he deserves.

Click here to read more.

FOX Sports Announcer Shares Story of College Football Star's Mother on National Television. "...she was thinking about aborting the baby, but changed her mind."

Ohio Running Back J.K Dobbins (left)
Credit: Maize & Blue Nation / Flickr
License

On November 30, the Ohio State Buckeyes played the Michigan Wolves in a televised football game. The Buckeyes won 56-27 over the wolves, due in no small part to their running back, J.K. Dobbins. During the game, a sports commentator shared a short anecdote about Dobbins's family that surprised many.

After Dobbins crossed the goal line, making his career-high of 211 yards carried and 4 touchdowns,  FOX Sports commentator Gus Johnson shared a wonderful fact about Dobbins's upbringing on live television:

Wow! A @CFBONFOX football announcer just shared that the mother of star @OhioState player, @Jkdobbins22, walked out of an abortion facility & rejected abortion after becoming pregnant at 18.

"The baby turned out to be that young man... who she calls her 'miracle baby.'"

RT! pic.twitter.com/ShLyHgHw1E

— Live Action (@LiveAction) December 1, 2019

"J.K. Dobbins' mom Mya became pregnant when she was 18 years old," Johnson said. "She went to the doctor because she was thinking about aborting the baby, but changed her mind. That baby turned out to be that young man, J.K. Dobbins, who she calls her miracle baby."

It's wonderful that Dobbins's mother chose life for her child, and it's especially wonderful that Dobbins's story can be an inspiration to women anywhere that even if they don't think they are ready to be mothers, it is still possible for their children to thrive if they are willing to choose life.

Click here to read more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life hopes you travel safely and have a wonderful time celebrating life with your family this Thanksgiving!

Michael Bloomberg: Another Drop in the Sea of Pro-Abortion Candidates

Michael Bloomberg

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is yet another pro-abortion Democratic Presidential candidate whose record reflects a lack of respect for unborn life.

When he ran for the office of mayor in New York City, he promised that he would make every person training to become an obstetrician or a gynecologist in a New York City hospital learn how to perform an abortion. This was a complete violation of conscience for many, and Bloomberg's eventual executive order was walked back with room for moral or religious exemptions.

He personally donated $250,000 to Planned Parenthood in response to the Susan G. Komen Foundation's decision to stop funding the abortion corporation in 2012. He even appropriated city funds to help renovate a Planned Parenthood building in the same year.

This candidate does not differentiate himself from the other candidates on the issue of abortion in any way whatsoever. It is shameful that there isn't a single candidate who values life in the Democratic primary.

Click here to read more.

Planned Parenthood Asks Journalists to Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements When they Attend Events

Credit: airpix / Flickr

Vice reporter Carter Sherman recently wrote about Planned Parenthood's requirement that event attendees sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), even if they are a member of the press.

In perhaps the most surprising case, Planned Parenthood organized a media happy hour that will take place today, but the abortion business still sent an email stating that each journalist would be required to sign an NDA first. These agreements would limit the ability of journalists to legally share what was said at the event, and therefore limit their ability to perform their job.

After stating that she would write an article about Planned Parenthood's use of NDAs, Planned Parenthood sent an email to all invited journalists stating that the email including the NDA was sent in error by a new employee.

Erica Sackin, senior director of communications for Planned Parenthood Federation of America further responded to VICE in an email:

"Planned Parenthood is proud of the work we do to ensure that journalists and editors have access to the incredible staff, patients, services, and education that we provide. We pride ourselves on our transparency, and our support for freedom of the press as a pillar of our democracy.”

No doubt Planned Parenthood started this practice in response to undercover journalists like David Daleiden, who exposed the organization's practice of selling a child's body parts after aborting them.

Click here to read more.

Challengers File Opening Brief in Supreme Court Against Louisiana Law Requiring Abortionists to have Admitting Privileges at a Local Hospital

Opponents to Louisiana's Unsafe Abortion Protection Act have appealed to the Supreme Court and have now filed their opening brief. The law requires that abortionists maintain admitting privileges at a local hospital in order to continue practicing abortion legally. The legislation is designed to keep women safe in cases of medical emergencies that occur during the abortion process. It does not limit the access or scope of abortion in any way, but pro-choice advocates won't even accept patient safety as an excuse to apply any regulation to the abortion industry.

In their brief, the Center for Reproductive Rights compared the Unsafe Abortion Protection Act to a Texas law that took similar actions. The courts ruled in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt that the Texas law was unconstitutional because it limited access to abortion significantly. Context is key, however, and there are reasons why this case has made it all the way to the supreme court.

“Women deserve better than incompetent providers that put profits over people.” Louisiana Solicitor General Liz Murrill said. “Louisiana isn’t Texas, and our case is distinguishable from Hellerstedt; our facts, our evidence, and our generally applicable medical standards are all different.”

In the majority opinion from 5th Circuit Appeals Court, Judge Jerry Smith argued that Louisiana's context made all the difference (excerpt):

"...Here, unlike in Texas, the Act does not impose a substantial burden on a large fraction of women under WWH and other controlling Supreme Court authority. Careful review of the record reveals stark differences between the record before us and that which the Court considered in WWH. 

Almost all Texas hospitals required that for a doctor to maintain privileges there, he or she had to admit a minimum number of patients annually. Few Louisiana hospitals make that demand. Because Texas doctors could not gain privileges, all but 8 of 40 clinics closed. Here, only one doctor at one clinic is currently unable to obtain privileges; there is no evidence that any of the clinics will close as a result of the Act. In Texas, the number of women forced to drive over 150 miles increased by 350%. Driving distances will not increase in Louisiana. Unlike the record in Louisiana, the record in Texas reflected no benefits from the legislation."

While this legislation does not limit abortion, the Supreme Court's acceptance of this legislation will ensure the safety of any Louisiana woman who falls prey to the abortion industry.

Click here to read more. 

National Right to Life Urges President and Congress to Reject Funding Abortion Overseas

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias

The National Right to Life Coalition sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to urge Congress not to pass the Senate’s State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bill.

A "poison pill" amendment was added to the bill by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) which would increase taxpayer funding of abortions overseas by giving money to U.S.-based NGOs that promote abortions. Furthermore, it creates a "blacklist" for pro-life organizations; making it harder for them to receive the same funding.

“The Shaheen amendment would weaken the Trump Administration’s Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) policy as well as other administration initiatives protecting life,” stated Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “This amendment is anti-life and would jeopardize this administration’s efforts to protect life both here and abroad.”

Click here to read more.

Pa. Down Syndrome Protection Act Sponsor Speaks Against Governor's Veto

Pennsylvania State Rep. Kate Klunk

Pennsylvania's Democrat Governor Tom Wolf recently vetoed a bill that would have made aborting a child solely because of a diagnosis with Down syndrome illegal. The bill passed both the Senate and House with comfortable, bipartisan majorities. Now the sponsor, Rep. Kate Klunk, has released a statement in response to Gov. Wolf's veto.

“I am incredibly disheartened by Gov. Wolf’s veto of the Down Syndrome Protection bill. With the stroke of a pen, he not only vetoed an important piece of legislation, but also continued to allow for the termination of unborn babies strictly because they have a Down syndrome diagnosis. 

“In his veto message, Wolf said, ‘There is no evidence that this bill is needed in Pennsylvania.’ I beg to differ. When I looked at all the people with Down syndrome who advocated for this bill, I saw the evidence of why this bill should be law in our Commonwealth. I saw the love and value they add to their families and to the fabric of our communities. And, I saw the need to protect these individuals from needless death simply because they have an extra chromosome.”

This legislation would have saved the lives of babies in Pennsylvania who are killed simply because they have a genetic disorder. Instead, it was vetoed with great fanfare. Governor Wolf made a production of the whole affair. He announced his plans as soon as the legislation passed and posted a video of himself vetoing the bill the next day.

Click here to read more.

Texas Attorney General Renounces Rule Threatening take Ventilator from 9-Month-Old Baby

Texas AG Kenneth Paxton

Tinslee Lewis, a 9-month-old baby at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth was issued a 10-day warning by the hospital on October 31st. Under Texas law, the hospital can deny a patient further treatment as long as they give a 10-day warning. Unless her family could find another hospital willing to offer her treatment and keep her hooked up to a ventilator, then she would have died on November 10th. The family found legal help to delay this deadline, and now the Texas Attorney General has stepped in as well.

“One of the core principles provided by the United States Constitution is that no person should be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law,” Texas Attorney General Paxton said. “This unconstitutional statute infringes on patients’ right to life and does not allow patients and their families sufficient notice and the opportunity to be heard before physicians override the rights of their patients. Patients must be heard and justly represented when determining their own medical treatment, especially when the decision to end treatment could end their life.”

A hearing will take place early in December to decide whether Tinslee's care at Cook Children’s Medical Center will be allowed to continue past December 10th.

Click here to read more.

Memorial for Abortion Victims Sparks Anger from Feminists

In Belleville, Ontario, a Catholic group called The Knights of Columbus recently created a memorial in St. James Roman Catholic Cemetery for aborted children. After they posted pictures of the tombstone on Facebook, the pro-life group received a flurry of criticism from feminist groups and pro-abortion advocates across the internet.

In addition to being called "misogynists" and "crusty white boomers" by people on the internet, the men from this organization were criticized by Elissa Robertson, the coordinator of Warrior Women of Quinte. The Warrior Women held a demonstration against the memorial.

“[The memorial] ties into patriarchal values and this idea that women’s bodies are meant to be controlled by men. It’s a broader issue that ties into violence against women, it ties into health care, it ties into safety,” Robertson said.

These arguments are attacks against the character of pro-life advocates rather than defense of women. Accusing the pro-life community of wanting to control or harm women is a broad insult that we should not accept. We need to keep the conversation focused on the lives being lost and how they can be saved rather than make character attacks against those who are already born.

Click here to read more.

Canadian Government to Expand Already Loose Euthanasia Law

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Credit: Alex Guibord / Flickr

A recent Canadian Press report stated that, under the pressure of pro-euthanasia lobbyists, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will comply with a court ruling that the government cannot restrict euthanasia people who are near death.

Furthermore, the lobby is urging the Canadian government to allow euthanasia to occur in cases when the patient is incapable of providing consent for lethal injection.

It is argued that the move to open euthanasia to those who are not dying is legislation from the courts since a liberal government chose not to appeal the decision. There are reports that the law was already abused, with three reports of euthanasia deaths related to hip fractures.

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All Democratic Presidential Candidates Continue to Claim Abortion is a Human Right

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

On the Democratic presidential primary debate stage Wednesday night, candidates for the most powerful political office on the planet once again affirmed their stance that abortion should be a human right.

“I believe that abortion rights are human rights,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “I believe that they are also economic rights. And protecting the right of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body is fundamentally what we do and what we stand for as a Democratic Party.”

“We should codify Roe v. Wade into law,” said Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders's answer to an abortion question included this statement, “I get very tired, very tired of hearing the hypocrisy from conservatives who say, ‘Get the government off our backs, we want small government.’ Well, if you want to get the government out of the backs of the American people, then understand that it is women who control their own bodies, not politicians.”

It is sad that the Democrat party neither has the morality to recognize unborn children as real people nor the intellectual diversity to include even a single candidate on the stage who contests that belief. Even Joe Biden has moved away from his previous support of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents Medicaid funds from being used for abortions except in cases of incest or rape.

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Wall Street Journal Report Exposes Google's Pro-Abortion Bias in Search Results

A report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) shows that when Google serves search results related to abortion, it isn't doing so in good faith.

Google's autocomplete results that appear in a drop-down menu when typing the words "abortion is" are wildly different than the results from other search engines, which contain words that negatively describe abortion. Instead, it includes only phrases that positively describe abortion, such as "abortion is healthcare" and "abortion is legal."

Additionally, searching the word abortion will cause Google to find nearby clinics on Google maps before showing any results at all. If a user scrolls down to the results, they will find that many of them come from Planned Parenthood, and none of the links are sponsored ads. According to the WSJ report, 39 percent of Google results for "abortion" comes from Planned Parenthood, while only about 15 percent of search results using other websites come from Planned Parenthood.

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Pennsylvania Governor Vetoes Down Syndrome Protection Act

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf took to Twitter on the evening of November 21 to film himself vetoing the Down Syndrome Protection Act, as he had promised he would.

The legislation would have made it illegal to abort a child because they were diagnosed with Down syndrome. In his response, Gov. Wolf said that the bill would "interfere with the rights of women to make their own health care decisions."

This is of course untrue. This bill would not prevent women from receiving any form of healthcare. Pro-abortion advocates use the argument of healthcare because they have few arguments to stand on except to say that pregnant women are sick when they don't want to have a baby and healthy when they do. This makes no sense from a logical perspective, but the conveniences and monetary value provided by abortion are so great that abortion advocates are willing to forego logic.

Another attack on abortion: VETOED ✅ pic.twitter.com/xpV63KVVAV

— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) November 21, 2019

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Pennsylvania State Representative Gives Emotional Defense for Protection of Miscarried/Aborted Bodies

Pennsylvania State Representative Frank Ryan defended HB 1890 on the floor or the House of Representatives this week; telling fellow legislators that he only feared one thing when he died.

“All I worry about is my son Eddie,” he said as his voice cracked.

Eddie died as a result of a miscarriage, and the subject is particularly emotional for Ryan because he was unable to retrieve his son's body. The hospital disposed of Eddie's remains on its own.

Ryan further explained that he was afraid his son would ask him in the afterlife, “Why weren’t you there to protect me, Dad?”

House Bill 1890 would require medical facilities and abortion centers to give families the opportunity to give respect to the lives of their children through burial or cremation.

PA House members passed the bill by a vote of 123-76

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Pro-Life Organizations Suing New York for Forcing them to Hire Pro-Abortion Employees

Three pro-life organizations have announced that they will be working with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to fight new legislation forcing New York employers to accept pro-abortion employees.

The newly-signed law forbids employers from hiring or firing employees based on their "reproductive health decision-making" and includes no religious exemptions.

The organizations teaming up with ADF include the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), First Bible Baptist Church in Hilton, and the pro-life pregnancy care service CompassCare according to the Catholic News Agency.

CompassCare released a statement on its decision to pursue legal action against the state of New York.

“This law is a trifecta of constitutional violations, hindering freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association. To be clear, obeying this law would force CompassCare to violate its mission and beliefs. CompassCare cannot in good conscience obey this law. We sue not because we want to but because it is needed to ensure pro-life Christians can continue expressing their convictions publicly and peaceably.”

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Pro-Life Activist Arrested Outside Planned Parenthood Clinic in Aurora Illinois

On November 16th, pro-life activist Mario Navarro was arrested outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora, IL. Fellow activists criticized police officers and asked what the charges were, but police refused to answer. They further asked if they would be arrested for standing in the road where the arrested activist stood, and they would not answer that question either. The full exchange can be seen in the video above.

In an email to LifeSiteNews, Navarro stated, “There is a public easement which was decided in federal court to be accessible to sidewalk councilors. Part of that agreement was that those standing there would not be arrested for doing so. The citation after the arrest was for disobeying a lawful order of a police officer, however that order was in violation of a federal court decision.”



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#GivingTuesday

Make a Charitable Gift on #GivingTuesday and Help Us End Abortion and Save Lives. Help us to continue our life-saving work by giving the gift of life on December 3, 2019. It’s now easier than ever, just Click Here.

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life... 

 - Sponsors educational seminars and conventions to train volunteers and educate the public on pro-life issues. 

 - Encourages the creation and strengthening of pro-life affiliates throughout Illinois.

 - Serves as a communications center for the exchange of ideas and news of interest to pro-life people in Illinois.

 - Provides knowledgeable individuals to participate in radio and television programs as well as public forums to discuss pro-life issues.

 - Promotes programs and activities which increase respect for the dignity and value of every human life. 

Effective Action is only possible through citizen-involvement! We Need Your Help! Please donate today! Please note, donations made are designated 501(c)(3) and are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.

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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our society. 

Spread news and action alerts that the IFRL publishes, and please support the IFRL with a very critical donation to keep the news and alerts coming, and keep us in Springfield fighting to protect lives.

 

Without your support lives will be lost. We need resources to educate our legislators. Many times members of the General Assembly do not have the time to read proposed laws before they vote. They do not know how destructive some of these laws can be to the families of Illinois. This is where the IFRL comes in. We alert you, so you can alert your legislators and work with us to hold back the forces that threaten innocent lives. We are in this together and we need your help! We need your prayers, your letters, your calls and your donations - now more than ever! Lives are at stake!  Donations made through the below link are designated 501(c)(3) and are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.

Stranger Makes Signs Telling Family to "Let the baby die."

A family was asking for donations to help pay for their four-month-old son's medical treatments by using signs posted around their hometown of Toledo, Ohio. They recently discovered signs reading "Stop asking for money. Let the baby die. It's called Darwinism. Happy Holidays," sitting near their calls for help.

The community has banded together in the past to help pay for genetic testing baby RJ needed to diagnose his conditions, and his family hopes they continue to do so in spite of these hateful outbursts.

Watch the video above or click here to learn more.

Democratic Attorneys General Association Criticized for Rejecting Pro-Life Democratic Candidates

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards

The Democratic Attorneys General Association now requires candidates to take a pro-abortion stance in order to receive endorsements, campaign assistance, data analysis, or any other services the organization provides to candidates and elected officials.

In a video posted on Nov 17th, New York Attorney General Letitia James spoke about the policy, saying, “Attorneys general are on the front lines of the fight for reproductive freedom. They have the power to protect your rights.”

Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, responded by referencing the recent re-election of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, who is a pro-life Democrat:

“Governor Edwards did not run from his pro-life position, he embraced it and was proud to promote a whole life agenda to protect and support life from womb to tomb. This was a source of strength for his campaign. An abortion-rights candidate would have lost. Imposing a litmus test on candidates would force one-third of Democrats, who oppose abortion, out of the party and lessen the opportunity for Democratic gains.”

Day further emphasized that supporting pro-life democrats was a matter of inclusion.

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Report Says Dutch Pediatricians Support Euthanasia for Children

A small report from three Dutch teaching hospitals claims that 84% of pediatricians support euthanasia practices for children between the ages of 1 and 12. A bill that legalizes this was recently introduced in the lower house of the Dutch Parliament.

The small survey size of 38 doctors said that they treated 359 seriously ill children within that age range within the last five years. In 46 of these 359 cases, the doctor believed that assisted suicide would have been a better option for the child than what was provided.

“Especially with seriously ill children, whose dying phase can be accompanied by a lot of pain and suffering and whose death process can take weeks, a large number of parents and doctors have the desire to speed up or shorten that process,” said Professor Eduard Verhagen.

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Woman Sues Chicago Planned Parenthood Clinic for Negligence. Fainted and Broke Neck after IUD Procedure.

Credit: bloomsberries / Flickr

Morgan Castro is suing a Chicago Planned Parenthood clinic for negligence after breaking her neck.

The 26-year-old woman told staff at a Planned Parenthood clinic on Laselle Drive in Chicago that she felt dizzy following an intrauterine device (IUD) insertion procedure. Rather than monitor her closely and keep her safe, they left the room. She fainted and fell to the floor with nobody else around.

According to the lawsuit: “Following the insertion of the IUD, Morgan felt dizzy. Morgan informed the healthcare provider of those symptoms. After being informed of Morgan’s dizziness, the healthcare provider left the room, leaving Morgan alone and unmonitored. Morgan lost consciousness and fell from the table to the ground.”

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UK Man Arrested for Praying Outside Abortion Facility

Christian Hacking, a 29-year-old man was recently released after being arrested for praying outside an abortion facility in London.

While the man was praying outside the abortion facility, he was approached by a police officer who told him that he was in violation of a court order that served as a buffer zone. When he refused to leave, police told him to stand up, which he obviously could not because he was wheelchair-bound. Eventually, police picked him up and carried him to their police van without telling him what he was charged with.

Hacking vowed to continue praying despite the incident, while officials argue that he should have been prosecuted.

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Planned Parenthood Launches Mobile App to Help Users Find Abortion Facilities

Planned Parenthood both announced and launched a new mobile application called the "Abortion Care Finder" last week. The app finds the nearest Planned Parenthood facility able to legally commit an abortion. If the nearest Planned Parenthood facility that can commit abortion is farther than 60 miles away, then the app will direct them to a different abortion provider.

Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill says that the app was created to counteract increased state regulation and clinic Planned Parenthood clinic closings. “Restrictions have just been coming so fast and furious,” she said to the New York Times.

Much of the legislation that would be restricting abortion is currently hung up in court battles, but an app like this will direct more and more women to cross state lines when possible and seek abortions in states like Illinois when they are restricted in other states.

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Bernie Sanders Announces Plan to offer Abortion to Veterans at VA Facilities

Bernie Sanders at an Iowa Rally
Credit: Matt Johnson / Flickr

On Veteran's Day, Bernie Sanders announced his new plan to make changes to the medical services available at veteran hospitals. Most notably, Sanders wants to add abortion to that list.

The plan does include modernization of services to veterans and would open 50,000 positions for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, it also reaches farther than “ensur[ing] that all veterans are treated with dignity and respect,” would imply.

A description posted on his campaign website says that Sanders's plan will “ensure that women veterans will no longer be forced outside the VA system for basic women’s health services, including fertility treatment, abortion care, or specialized cancer treatment and prevention services.”

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Daleiden and Center for Medical Progress found Guilty in Planned Parenthood Trial

David Daleiden
Credit: American Life League / Flickr

After exposing the abortion industry's practice of selling human body parts from aborted children, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) along with David Daleiden and all of the individuals involved with filming and releasing undercover videos have been found guilty of multiple crimes by a U.S. District Court jury.

The Mary Thomas Moore Society, a group that provided legal counsel for the defense told the press that the "process was unfair."

The CMP made the following statement in a press release:

"While top Planned Parenthood witnesses spent six weeks testifying under oath that the undercover videos are true and Planned Parenthood sold fetal organs on a quid pro quo basis, a biased judge with close Planned Parenthood ties spent six weeks influencing the jury with pre-determined rulings and by suppressing video evidence, all in order to rubber-stamp Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit attack on the First Amendment. This is a dangerous precedent for citizen journalism and First Amendment civil rights across the country, sending a message that speaking truth and facts criticizing the powerful is no longer protected by our institutions."

Between all of the charges and defendants, Planned Parenthood was awarded $2.2 million, including punitive and compensatory damages as well as attorneys' fees.

The pro-life defense lawyers have already stated that they plan to appeal.

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Wisconsin Man Charged with Attempted Homicide of His Preborn Child

Jeffrey Smith
Credit: Marathon County Sheriff's Department

If the lives of preborn children continue to be devalued, the frequency of cases like this will only increase.

Jeffrey Smith is facing charges for attempted first-degree intentional homicide for allegedly trying to drug the mother of his child and abort the child against her will.

When the mother was 20 weeks pregnant, she found residue in her wattle bottle that she believes was caused by Smith putting something in her drink while she was in the bathroom. She called the police and explained that Jeffrey wanted her to abort her child, and she thought Smith was trying to force an abortion on her when she wanted to keep the child. When police investigated, they found Mifepristone, a drug used in the abortion pill regimen which prevents preborn babies from receiving nutrients. Smith was arrested but pled not guilty.

His trial was meant to be held on November 12 but has been delayed until January 14, 2020.

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Photographer Blacklisted by Catholic Hospital After She Counseled Woman Seeking Abortion

Photo by ShareGrid on Unsplash

Jennie Drude, a photographer in the Houston area who specialized in taking pictures of newborns at hospitals, was recently told by St. Luke’s Catholic Hospital that she would not be allowed back because she counseled a woman who was planning on getting an abortion.

“So because I informed this patient of her legal rights in the state of Texas, the hospital said I was unprofessional and I am no longer allowed to work there and earn money,” said Drude.

The woman Drude spoke with was pregnant with a child that had a fatal condition called anencephaly. Drude used her own experience losing a child at birth and handed this woman a pamphlet explaining her legal rights as a patient.

Drude later discovered that nurses from St. Luke's were told that they were not allowed to contact her or respond to her calls for further explanation about their decision.

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U.S. House Judiciary Committee Approves Unconstitutional Measure to Resurrect Dead Equal Rights Amendment

1978 ERA Demonstration
Credit: Cornell University / Flickr

In a 21-11 party-line vote, the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve a measure that would resurrect the Equal Rights Amendment, which the Supreme Court recognized as dead in 1982, and retroactively erase the seven-year deadline for States to ratify it. If the Equal Rights Amendment was added as written to the U.S. Constitution, any federal or state law that restricted abortion or how it was funded would be seen as discriminatory and unconstitutional.

National Right to Life Senior Policy Advisor Douglas Johnson stated, “In 1983, the House Democratic leadership, also recognizing that the old ERA was dead, attempted to start over — but the full House voted down the ERA on November 15, 1983. For those who desire an ERA, the only constitutional path is to start over — which would allow Congress to consider revisions to the ERA language.”

Rep. Jacki Speier (D-Ca.), told the New York Times she thought a vote of the full House was likely “before the end of the year.”

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