911 Call Released: Teen Hemorrhages at Springfield Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood abortion clinic at 601 Bruns Lane in Springfield
photo credit: Operation Rescue

On February 4, 2021, a 19-year old woman was hospitalized after hemorrhaging during a procedure at the Planned Parenthood clinic at 601 Bruns lane in Springfield, Illinois. The 911 report was heavily redacted, but she likely hemorrhaged during a surgical abortion.

Springfield Right to Life obtained 911 records of the incident and sent them to Operation Rescue, which reports on medical emergencies caused by abortion businesses across the country.

The records state that the woman was eleven weeks pregnant, and she hemorrhaged 300 milliliters (roughly 10.6 ounces) of blood.

Springfield Right to Life also provided emergency reports for five emergencies that took place at the same facility on surgical abortion days throughout 2020. Together, these reports show that Planned Parenthood in Springfield hospitalizes one woman approximately every nine weeks.

“But we have come to expect this kind of shoddy care from Planned Parenthood,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Unfortunately, this facility operates in a state that only last year dumped almost every abortion safety law it had on the books, leaving abortion businesses largely unaccountable.  Sadly, because Illinois has decided to turn a blind eye to abortion abuses, we can expect to see more injured women and dead babies at this Planned Parenthood facility in the future.”

Click here to read more.

Planned Parenthood to Challenge Indiana Abortion Pill Reversal Law

photo credit: Elsa Olofsson / Unsplash

Last month, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed into law HB1577, which will require abortion businesses to inform women taking the abortion pill regimen that there is a process that can save their child's life if they change their mind after taking the first pill. Planned Parenthood says that it plans to sue the state in response.

"Gov. Holcomb showed his cowardice by failing to veto an ideologically driven bill that peddles junk science and harms the people of Indiana," said LaKimba DeSadier, Indiana state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. "It is unconstitutional, and the people of Indiana won’t forget, which is why we intend to take legal action."

Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) is not "junk science" as Planned Parenthood claims. Mifepristone, the first drug in the two-pill abortion regimen, starves and suffocates an unborn child to death by blocking the pregnancy hormone progesterone. That hormone helps sustain an unborn child by helping oxygen and nutrients flow to the baby.  APR counteracts this by simply administering more progesterone.

Progesterone is supplement doctors often use to help women with fertility problems. It is not a new drug, and it has been proven to work.

According to the Abortion Pill Reversal Network, over 2,000 lives have been saved so far.

Click here to read more.

Biden Admin Gives New York Planned Parenthood $10 Million in PPP Loans Just Before Running out of Funds

photo credit: American Life League / Flickr

Just days before the paycheck protection program (PPP) ran out of funds, the Biden administration sent $10 million in loans to Planned Parenthood of Greater New York.

Pro-life politicians have repeatedly called on the small business administration to investigate loans given to the abortion giant. PPP loans were intended to go to small businesses to help them cover payroll and operational costs during the pandemic. Towards this end, the PPP had a 500-employee cap for loan recipients. Planned Parenthood far exceeds this threshold.

“By our count, Planned Parenthood has slithered its way to obtain more than $85 million dollars in coronavirus relief loans through the Paycheck Protection Program guaranteed by the American people. Despite congressional regulations that were intended to disqualify them, Big Abortion has found a way to make the American people complicit in their nefarious dealings,” Penny Nance, president and CEO of Concerned Women for America, said in a statement to Live Action News. “Its latest move came through its Planned Parenthood of Greater New York affiliate who got a $10 million loan approved just days before the program ran out of money. This from a company which reported a record number of abortions in its last report, where they announced they made $69.7 million in profits. This is obscene by any reasonable measure and Congress should demand an immediate investigation.”

Pro-life legislators have been demanding such an investigation for months, but it appears as though the practice has continued.

Click here to read more.

19 States File Brief Defending Indiana's Parental Notice Law

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

A coalition of 19 states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court on Wednesday defending Indiana's parental notification law.

The amicus brief written by AG Paxton begins,

The Seventh Circuit has left intact an injunction against an Indiana statute requiring that the parents of an unemancipated minor receive notice when their child decides to have an abortion without parental consent. And the court did so without really considering the compelling interest that States have in encouraging parental involvement in these kinds of life-altering decisions. In other words, the court disregarded the important interest that States have in protecting minors’ welfare—an interest that this Court has repeatedly affirmed. 

The amici States seek to protect the most vulnerable members of society—children—as they face consequential decisions like whether to have an abortion.

Indiana's law is notably different from Illinois's Parental Notification of Abortion Act, since Indiana law usually requires parental consent for unemancipated minors to have abortions. Illinois only requires parental notification.

If a minor wants to get around the parental consent requirement, they can do so by convincing a judge that it is in their best interest. The judge can then grant the minor a judicial bypass, much like how a judge can grant minors a judicial bypass for parental notification in Illinois.

Even if the minor receives a judicial bypass, however, parents must still be informed that the minor is having an abortion. In Indiana, judicial bypasses only get around parental consent. In that state, parents must always be informed if their daughter is going to have an abortion.

Click here to read more.

CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS: SB 109 Passes House Committee

On the afternoon of May 6, SB 109  passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives Health Care Licenses Committee. This bill would amend the Health Care Surrogate Act to no longer require a witness to sign the Practitioner Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form. 

The POLST form is used when a patient is deciding what kinds of treatments they would approve of if they are unable to make decisions. SB 109 would also allow a national POLST form to be used instead of the Illinois POLST form. That form similarly does not require a signature from a witness.

Proponents of this legislation argue that because some patients don't have anyone to sign as a witness for them, the current law should be amended. This reasoning is faulty because the majority of patients do have others available to be witnesses for them. Furthermore, the current requirement does not require that the signing witness be close to the patient. The witness can be anyone.

Witness signatures on POLST forms provide valuable protection that should not be taken away.

Please call your legislators and tell them to oppose SB 109.

To find out who your legislator is, visit the Illinois State Board of Elections website here and type in your address. The website will provide you with the names and contact information of your state senator and state representative.

Biden Admin Announces Withdrawal from Pro-Life Geneva Declaration

In a letter the Biden administration sent to UN ambassadors, the U.S. announced that it would be withdrawing from the pro-life Geneva Declaration that was initiated by the Trump administration.

The letter was sent to the 34 signatories that joined the Trump administration in signing the pro-life declaration in October of 2020. 

“Last fall your country signed on to the Geneva Consensus Declaration, an initiative of the United States dealing with women’s health, abortion and the family,” the letter reads.

“Upon reviewing the Declaration, we have reservations that aspects of the document are not consistent with our current Administration’s policies…”

“Accordingly, the United States hereby discontinues our participation in the Geneva Consensus Declaration.”

The Geneva Declaration states that there is no international right to abortion, taking a hard stance against the pro-abortion policies of the United Nations. None of the other signatories have withdrawn their support.

Click here to read more.

Peoria Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Ravaged by Arson Attack

photo from Women's Care Center Facebook page

On Monday, May 3, the Women's Care Center of Peoria was ravaged by a severe fire that did an estimated $250,000 in damage. Authorities have ruled that the fire was started intentionally.

Reports say that firefighters were called to Women's Care Center of Peoria at 2:40 a.m. on Monday. By the time they arrived, flames were already bursting from the windows of the facility. The fire destroyed one large room and did extensive heat and smoke damage to the rest of the building.

The center said that its priority is to serve its clients as soon as possible, but it needs help to do so.

"Our need is great, as 1 in 5 babies born in Peoria County get their start with Women’s Care Center," the center wrote in a post on their Facebook page.

The pro-life clinic is accepting monetary donations and donations of basic care items such as diapers. These donations can be made using this link or by mailing a check to the following address:

The Women’s Care Center

7319 N. University St.

Peoria, IL 61614

Purchasing items from the Amazon wishlist below will ship them to the church where donations are being collected:

Click here to see the Amazon wishlist.

CMP Video Exposes Government-Sponsored Experimentation Using Aborted Baby Parts at University of Pittsburgh

screenshot from CMP video

The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released a new video report on Monday exposing the University of Pittsburg for trafficking and experimenting on body parts harvested from aborted babies. Additionally, the report reveals that the University of Pittsburg research receives major funding through grants from Dr. Anthony Fauci's NIAID office at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

On the same day that the CMP video was released, undercover journalist and CMP founder David Daleiden gave testimony before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to expose the practice of government-sponsored experimentation using unborn baby body parts.

Click here to watch the video if it does not appear below.

Click here to read more.

File Witness Slips! SB 109 to be Heard in House Committee May 5

photo credit: J. Stephen Conn / Flickr

On April 21, SB 109, which would amend the Health Care Surrogate Act to no longer require a witness to sign the Practitioner Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form, passed the Senate. It was assigned to the House Health Care Licenses Committee on April 28, and it will have its first hearing at 9:00 am on May 5.

The POLST form is used when a patient is deciding what kinds of treatments they would approve of if they are unable to make decisions. SB 109 would also allow a national POLST form to be used instead of the Illinois POLST form. That form similarly does not require a signature from a witness.

Proponents of this legislation argue that because some patients don't have anyone to be a witness for them, the current law should be amended. This reasoning is faulty because the majority of patients do have others available to be witnesses for them. Furthermore, the current requirement does not require that the signing witness be close to the patient. The witness can be anyone.

Witness signatures on POLST forms provide valuable protection that should not be taken away.

Click here to file a witness slip opposing SB 109.

Social Activist Says Pro-Life and Pro-Abortion Advocates Should Agree on Parental Notification

Renee Pollino
screenshot from Vimeo

Social activist Renee Pollino is calling on pro-life and pro-choice advocates to come together in defense of Illinois's Parental Notification of Abortion Act.

Pollino is a social activist and the owner of the My Half of the Sky coffee shop in Chicago. The shop helps those in need by employing refugees, those living in poverty, and sex-trafficking survivors. The potential repeal of the Illinois Notification of Abortion Act would have a particularly negative impact on young girls who are being trafficked.

"...Human trafficking has to end. This is unacceptable in the 21st century. Modern-day slavery must be fought, and we must be reaching across aisles on these topics," Pollino said. "No matter if you're pro-choice or pro-life, the issue at hand is that minors are vulnerable."

"The average age of a girl who is trafficked in the United States is 13 years old. There hasn't been one woman who has worked for me– or that I've worked with who is a survivor– who hasn't had numerous abortions as a minor. One of my friends– her first abortion was at eight years old. The first of five."

Pro-Abortion Advocate Vanita Gupta Confirmed as Associate Attorney General

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta

On April 21, the US Senate 51-49 along party lines to confirm Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general for the Biden administration.

Gupta served as the head of the civil rights division of the Justice Department during the Obama administration and has made her pro-abortion views widely known.

In 2020, she argued before the Supreme Court against the Little Sisters of the Poor. She said to the Justices that religious groups should not receive an exemption from paying for contraception, sterilization, or abortion.

In January of 2020, she retweeted the Golden Globes acceptance speech by Michelle Williams in which the actor thanks God for her abortion and says that she wouldn't have been able to be successful without abortion.

She also applauded the Supreme Court decision in June Medical Services v. Russo, which overturned Louisiana's Unsafe Abortion Protection Act. That law would have required abortion clinics to maintain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. “The Supreme Court reaffirmed today that every individual should have the right to make their own decisions about their health, their families, their lives, and their futures,”  Gupta said. “This is a victory for tireless abortion advocates from Louisiana and around the country….”

Click here to read more.

Indiana and West Virginia Approve Abortion Pill Reversal Laws

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R)

Last week, the governors of Indiana and West Virginia signed laws requiring abortion businesses to inform women about abortion pill reversal before they receive abortion pills.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed a bill last Thursday that requires abortionists to tell women about how abortion pill reversal could save their children's lives if they change their minds after taking the first pill in the abortion pill regimen.

West Virginia's Second Chances at Life Act was signed by Gov. Jim Justice (R) last Wednesday; also requiring abortion businesses to inform women about abortion pill reversal.

Mifepristone, the first pill in the abortion pill regimen, starves and suffocates an unborn child by blocking the pregnancy hormone progesterone. If taken within 24 hours of the first pill (but before the second pill, misoprostol), doses of progesterone can be given to a woman to counteract the effects of mifepristone. By notifying women about this process, these laws could save lives.

The Indiana law includes several other pro-life measures as well. It bans mail-delivery of abortion pills and drug-induced abortions taking place after eight weeks of pregnancy. Abortion businesses will have more reporting requirements, be required to show pregnant mothers ultrasound images of their babies, and must receive written parental consent for abortion from a minor's parent. This is different from Illinois, which only requires parental notification of abortion. Even that is being challenged by a recent bill, however.

Click here to read more.

Abortion Pill Reversal Pioneer Given Legacy Award at Heartbeat International Conference

Heartbeat International President Jor-El Godsey and
Dr. George Delgado

At Heartbeat International's Annual Pregnancy Help Conference this week, Dr. George Delgado was given a Legacy Award for his work pioneering abortion pill reversal.

Delgado and Dr. Matt Harrison together pioneered the abortion pill reversal protocol, and they were instrumental in the creation of the Abortion Pill Rescue Network in 2007. The network runs a 24/7 hotline to help women who have taken the first pill of the abortion pill regimen. Heatbeat international now runs the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, but Delgado and Harrison still serve as medical advisors.

Mifepristone, the first pill in the abortion pill regimen, blocks the pregnancy hormone progesterone. Without progesterone, an unborn child will receive less nutrients and oxygen. The abortion pill regimen effectively kills babies by suffocating and starving them to death. By administering additional progesterone (a common treatment doctors provide to prevent miscarriage) doctors can counteract the effects of mifepristone and save the child's life.

Over 2,000 lives have been saved thanks to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, and roughly 1,000 medical providers and pregnancy centers help provide this service.

The abortion pill rescue hotline can be reached at 1-877-558-0333.

Click here to read more.

Idaho Governor Signs Heartbeat Bill into Law

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R)

Yet another state has codified a bill banning abortions targeting unborn babies with detectable heartbeats.

On April 27, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed HB366 into law, banning abortions after a baby's heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks gestation. The law includes exceptions for rape and medical emergencies.

In a statement, Gov. Little said, “Idaho is a state that values the most innocent of all lives – the lives of babies. We should never relent in our efforts to protect the lives of the preborn.”

The Associated Press writes that the bill contains a "trigger provision" and will not go into effect unless a federal appeals court upholds a similar law from another state. Several heartbeat bills from other states are currently being litigated.

Click here to read more.

Washington Gov. Signs Bill Requiring Student Health Insurance Plans to Cover Abortion

Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D)

Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) on April 16 signed a bill that requires all student health plans at public universities to cover elective abortions.

HB 1009 reads that insurance plans “that provide coverage for maternity care or services must also provide substantially equivalent coverage to permit the voluntary abortion of a pregnancy.”

The bill exempts religious colleges and universities, but the Washington Catholic Conference still staunchly opposed this legislation.

“HB 1009 is problematic for students of faith who wish to uphold the sanctity of life while attending secular colleges in the state,” the conference explained in a policy brief.

“They will not have the opportunity to purchase health insurance without violating their consciences. Students will have to choose between going without insurance or being forced to purchase policies that subsidize and promote a procedure that violates their conscience. HB 1009 not only promotes the destruction of human life but also violates the fundamental right to conscience guaranteed by our state and national constitutions.”

Click here to read more.

Montana Governor Signs Three Pro-Life Bills

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

At a public ceremony this week in Helena Montana, Montana Governor Greg Giaforte (R) ratified three important pro-life bills.

1. House Bill 140 requires that pregnant women seeking an abortion be given the opportunity to see an ultrasound and listen to their babies' heartbeats.

2. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act bans abortion after an unborn baby has reached five months of development.

3. House Bill 171 requires that women give informed consent before they receive the abortion pill. This law requires women to receive the prescription in person, and they must also sign a consent form saying that they understand the health risks involved with the abortion pill regimen.

“There were many who served in this building before us who champion the unborn, people who worked hard to advance the cause of life,” Gianfote said at the signing ceremony. “Unfortunately, their efforts were vetoed. But not today.”

Click here to read more.

Oklahoma Governor Signs Three Laws to Effectively Ban Abortion in the State

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R)

On Monday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed three bills into law that together ban virtually all abortions in the state.

One law makes it a homicide to abort any baby with a detectable heartbeat. Another makes it “unprofessional conduct” to abort a baby for any reason other than to save the mother's life. The third bans anyone other than certified OB/GYNs from performing abortions.

All three laws are scheduled to take effect on November 1, but the first two are likely to face legal challenges before that date. While they might not be immediately enforceable, they will add to the list of court cases that have the potential to challenge the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade.

The third law is more likely to take effect since its purpose is to ensure a pregnant mother's safety rather than limit abortion directly.

Click here to read more.

Pro-Lifers Arrested at New York Red Rose Rescue

Fr. Fidelis Moscinski
photo from Red Rose Rescue Facebook page

On April 24, a Catholic priest and three other pro-lifers were arrested during a Red Rose Rescue event at a New York abortion clinic.

The incident took place at the All Women's Care abortion facility in Manhasset, New York. Fr. Fidelis Moscinski, CFR, John Hinshaw, Laura Gies, and Matthew Connelly were arrested for "Obstructing Government Administration" after they entered the facility and refused to leave.

The pro-lifers passed out roses and cards to women considering abortions counseling them to reconsider their decisions. The cards read, “You were made to love and to be loved... your goodness is greater than the difficulties of your situation. Circumstances in life change. A new life, however tiny, brings the promise of unrepeatable joy.” The other side of the cards listed phone numbers for local pregnancy help centers.

The arrested pro-lifers have an arraignment set for July 12 in Nassau County Court, Hemstead, New York.

Look below to see Red Rose Rescue's statement from their Facebook page.

Pro-Life Bills to Defund Pro-Abortion Groups Introduced in US Congress

photo credit: John Brighenti / Flickr

Earlier this month, US legislators introduced bills to defund Planned Parenthood and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for the United Nations Population Fund Act on April 13. This bill would withdraw all funding from the UNFPA, which is partnered with China. As a result, the UNFPA is complicit with Chinese population control tactics.

China's infamous one-child policy (much of which continues today as a two-child policy) includes forced abortions and sterilizations. The Chinese government is employing similar tactics in its ongoing genocide of the Uighur Muslims as well.

The Trump administration had withdrawn funds from the UNFPA in 2017 due to the organization's ties to the Chinese government. President Biden included UNFPA funding in his discretionary budget request for the 2022 fiscal year, however. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said $32.5 million would be made available for the UNFPA this year.

Senators John Kennedy (R-LA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act on April 15 to protect taxpayer funding from being given to Planned Parenthood. These funds would be redirected from Planned Parenthood to other eligible women's health care providers.

Click here to read more.

Appeals Court Allows Tennessee to Enforce 48 Hour Waiting Period Law While Lawsuit is Deliberated

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decided last Friday that the state of Tennessee could enforce its 48-hour waiting period law while the lower court's decision is being appealed.

District Judge Bernard A. Friedman decided in 2020 to strike down Tennessee's 1978 law mandating a 48-hour waiting period for abortions. It was in effect until 2000, when the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that the state Constitution included an implied right to abortion. In 2015, the law went back into effect when the state constitution was amended to expressly state that it did not include a right to abortion. It is currently being threatened by a lawsuit from abortion businesses and the ACLU, however.

“We are pleased that the full Sixth Circuit has recognized that Tennessee’s law, requiring a 48-hour waiting period for abortions, is likely constitutional and can be enforced while the appeal proceeds,” said Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III. “The Supreme Court has recognized the authority of State governments to provide women considering abortion the opportunity to receive important information before a life-changing decision is made. Tennesseans, through their elected representatives, voted for this law and this Office will defend it.”

Click here to read more.

Docs Reveal Biden Medicare Nominee Received Thousands of Dollars from Planned Parenthood

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, President Biden's nominee for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), accepted thousands of dollars from Planned Parenthood. This was revealed by the Public Financial Disclosure Report she was required to submit during the confirmation process.

The report reveals that she received an undisclosed amount greater than $5,000 from Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She described the work she did for Planned Parenthood as follows: “Summarized Democrat candidates’ position on women’s health and facilitated discussion on their priorities as a primary care provider (client of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP).”

The American Accountability Foundation summarized this description as “Washington-speak for using her position at her law firm to coordinate strategy with Democratic politicians on Planned Parenthood between the Biden campaign and elected officials in Washington. It is basically a lobbying position without having to be disclosed as a lobbyist.”

Brooks-LaSure's nomination is currently on hold for unrelated reasons. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said that he is holding off on the confirmation process in protest of the Biden administration’s refusal to extend a Medicaid waiver Texas relied on to reimburse hospitals for treating uninsured patients.

Click here to read more.

Watch the Parents for the Protection of Girls Legislative Training Sessions and Learn How to Protect Parental Notification

If you missed the legislative training sessions that Parents for the Protection of Girls held earlier this month, you can now access recordings of those sessions on the Illinois Right to Life YouTube channel.

These training sessions were designed to teach pro-lifers how to effectively use Zoom to speak with Illinois legislators and fight against the repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion Act.

Click here to watch the 45-minute training session hosted by Illinois Right to Life Action Legislative Chairman Ralph Rivera on April 7th.

Click here to watch the 20-minute training session hosted by Illinois Right to Life Action Legislative Associate Molly Rumley on April 8th.

New Group Announces Service to Mail Abortion Pills Directly to Women

On April 12, FDA Director Janet Woodcock announced that the FDA would stop enforcing regulations requiring that doctors distribute abortion pills in person rather than through the mail. Supposedly, this rule change would only continue for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are doubts on both sides of the abortion debate on whether the rule will ever come back. As proof of this, a new group called Abortion on Demand (AOD) announced the very next day that it was launching a telemedicine service to ship abortion pills directly to women through the mail.

AOD was founded by Seattle area physician Dr. Jamie Phifer. According to an article in Marie Claire, Phifer “has been building the service for the last year and a half—keeping it under wraps until such a policy change enabled her to legally get it off the ground.”

Phifer's service has women watch a video explaining the abortion process before having an online conversation with an abortionist. If the abortionist is satisfied with the woman's answer to their questions, the woman will receive the pills within five days.

AOD is immediately launching in twenty states and the District of Columbia. Phifer hopes to add more states soon, but she has gone on record saying that she believes abortion pills should be distributed over the counter.

Click here to read more.

HHS Proposal Would Remove Trump's "Protect Life" Title X Rule

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

A proposal published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on April 15 would remove pro-life Title X regulations set by the Trump administration in 2019. The proposal would restore the language set in 2000 by the Clinton administration.

Trump's "Protect Life Rule" barred organizations from receiving Title X funding if they performed abortions, co-located with organizations that performed abortions, or referred patients to organizations the perform abortions.

The new proposal "revise[s] the 2019 rules by readopting the 2000 regulations, with several modifications." While these Clinton-era rules don't directly fund abortions, they effectively subsidize abortion businesses by giving them grant funding that they can spend elsewhere.

After Trump enacted the "Protect Life Rule," Planned Parenthood voluntarily walked away from $60 million per year in taxpayer funding. With the rule gone, the abortion giant would almost certainly receive millions through the Title X program once again.

Click here to read more.

Sex Trafficking Victim Pleads Illinois Lawmakers to Keep Parental Notification Law

Dr. Brook Bello
Screenshot from Illinois Family Institute video

Dr. Brook Bello, a survivor of sex trafficking and the founder of More Too Life, recently spoke out against the effort by pro-abortion legislators in Illinois to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

More Too Life helps survivors of sexual abuse by providing them with mentoring and education. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from former President Barack Obama for her work.

At the invitation of Parents for the Protection of Girls, Dr. Bello spoke about her experiences and gave an impassioned speech about why parental notification is so important.

“I was raped at 11 years old. I started being trafficked as a young teen,” Bello said. “Our traffickers made us get abortions. Had my parents been notified, my mother would have known what city I was in. She would have known what street I possibly would have been near. She could have contacted law enforcement.”

She also spoke about how the abortions she was forced to had a permanent effect on her gynecological health. She suffered “miscarriage after miscarriage after miscarriage.” By the time her doctor learned that she had issues related to previous abortions, it was too late to reverse the damage. Untreated scar tissue left her unable to carry a child to term.

“I ask the public, and I ask the Illinois legislature, ‘why would you want a child to keep something secret that’s going to affect the rest of her life?' I beg of you, I plead, Illinois, to not reverse and to please notify parents. I think that every state should notify parents. Why keep something a secret that affects someone for the rest of their life, and is absolutely connected to various issues of human trafficking and rape and violence that that youth is probably afraid to share? Give them a safe place to fall, and notify parents.”

Click here to read more.

May 12 Deadline: Register for the 2021 SpeakOut Illinois Conference

This year's event will also be live-streamed at an in-person event in Springfield!

The SpeakOut Illinois Coalition, a group of pro-life and pro-family groups from across the state, is holding the 2021 SpeakOut Illinois Conference soon! This conference will help equip pro-life advocates to fight for our values this year.

Damon and Melanie Owens will be the keynote speakers. As the founders of Joyful Ever After, they have helped couples build strong marriages.

Additionally, former Illinois State Representative Jeanne Ives will receive the Henry Hyde Life Leadership Award.

The conference will be held at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, but it will also be live-streamed at another in-person event at The Atrium Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 524 E. Lawrence Avenue in Springfield, IL.

The conference will go from 8:00 AM to noon on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Breakfast will be served at both venues.

You can register online by visiting speakoutillinois.org, or you can register by mail if you click the link below to download and print the registration form.

Click here to download the SpeakOut Illinois Conference registration form.

Ohio Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Ohio Telemedicine Abortion Ban

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge
Allison Hatheway

On April 19, an Ohio judge from the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the state of Ohio from enforcing its ban against telemedicine distribution of the abortion pill regimen.

Judge Allison Hatheway issued the injunction after initially granting a temporary restraining order on April 13. Hatheway is the same judge who issued a temporary restraining order blocking an Ohio law that requires abortion businesses to treat the bodies of aborted babies with respectful burial or cremation, rather than treating them as medical waste.

Ohio Governor signed the telemedicine abortion ban into law on Jan. 9, and it was set to go into effect on April 12, but now it will have to survive a battle in court.

“We believe that this decision is rooted in politics—not women’s health or safety,” said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life. “The state of Ohio has a vested interest in ensuring that Planned Parenthood and their abortion allies cannot skirt common sense safeguards to increase their bottom line. The abortion industry is not above the law and the women of Ohio deserve to be safe.”

Click here to read more.

Kentucky AG Cameron Files Brief with 21 States Asking US Supreme Court to Allow Tennessee to Enforce Abortion Waiting-Period Law

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron

Last week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of a 21-state coalition. The brief asks the Supreme Court to allow Tennessee to enforce its abortion waiting-period law while it is being reviewed by a lower court.

After a District Court ruling blocked the Tennessee law, the Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals chose not to stay that verdict while hearing the case. As a result, Tennessee's waiting period law remains unenforceable.

“States have the sovereign authority to enact laws that promote life and protect the health and well-being of pregnant women,” said Attorney General Cameron. “We filed this brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow Tennessee’s law to stand and to protect the right of each state to regulate abortion.”

The brief argues that the Sixth Circuit's decision to temporarily block enforcement of the law runs contrary to Supreme Court Precedent set by Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey 30 years ago. In that decision, the Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania abortion waiting period law. The attorneys general argue that continuing the block Tennessee's law calls that precedent into question and threatens waiting-period laws in other states.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia joined Cameron in the brief.

Click here to read the amicus brief.

Hawaii Gov. Signs Law to Allow Non-Doctors to Commit Abortions

Hawaii Gov. David Ige

On April 12, Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed into law a bill allowing some nurses- not just doctors- to end the lives of unborn children. The law went into effect immediately, and it adds Hawaii to the growing minority of states that allow non-doctors to abort children.

The new law allows Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to commit first-trimester abortions. This includes the ability to administer the abortion pill regimen or carry out aspiration abortions.

There are safety reasons why abortion is a practice limited to physicians in most states. Risks during aspiration abortions (otherwise known as D&C abortions) include organ damage, uterine puncture, hemorrhage, infection, and death. Similarly, the abortion pill can cause hemorrhaging, infection, and death. By only allowing doctors to commit abortions, some of the risks to the pregnant mother can be mitigated. Nurses with less training may be more likely to harm the vulnerable women seeking abortions.

Click here to read more.

Federal Government Ends Rules Limiting Experiments Using Body Parts from Aborted Babies

On Friday, the Biden administration ended a Trump regulation that required government-funded research involving fetal tissue to first pass a review by an independent ethics advisory board.

In 2019, the Trump administration HHS announced that it would discontinue research involving fetal tissue from elective abortions, and that it would let expire a fetal tissue research contract with the University of California at San Francisco.

On Friday, however, the HHS (now headed by Secretary Xavier Becerra) announced that it would be ending the requirement that research involving tissue harvested from aborted babies first undergo review by an advisory board.

On top of all of this, a recent Judicial Watch report shows that the US government has been buying "fresh" body parts harvested from aborted babies so it can create "humanized" mice for experiments. According to the report, these body parts have come from unborn babies of up to 24 weeks gestation. Preemies have survived birth with medical assistance after only 21 weeks.

“We condemn this sickening decision by the Biden administration,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Tiny human babies are aborted by abortionists and then exploited to be farmed for their organs and tissue for use in experiments.”

Tobias continued, “The Biden administration and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra have dismantled the process of making researchers meet any ethical standards when it comes to harvesting the body parts of aborted children for research.”

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House Democrats Announce Bill to Add Four Justices to the Supreme Court

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jarrod Nadler (D-NY)
photo credit: Brookings Institution / Flickr

On Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrod Nadler (D-NY) introduced a bill that would expand the number of Supreme Court seats from nine to thirteen. If the Judiciary Act of 2021 is passed into law, it would give president Biden the power to immediately appoint four additional justices to the Supreme Court and skew it in favor of the Democratic party.

Nadler said that his bill would “restore balance to the nation’s highest court after four years of norm-breaking actions by Republicans led to its current composition.”

Democratic legislators have argued that it was unfair for Senate Republicans to block the nomination of an Obama-appointed Supreme Court Justice after Justice Antonin Scalia died months before the 2016 election. When Trump took office, he filled that seat with Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Democrats also took issue with the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the court in 2020.

“Republicans stole the Court’s majority, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation completing their crime spree,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA).

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is suggesting that she does not support bringing the issue of court-packing before the floor of the House at the moment, however.

“I don't know if [court packing is] a good idea or a bad idea,” she said. “I think it's an idea that should be considered and I think the president's taking the right approach to have a commission to study such a thing.”

President Biden refused to say whether he supported court-packing during his 2020 presidential campaign. His commission studying court reform includes former NARAL legal director Caroline Fredrickson.

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Pro-Life Representatives Vote for Discharge Petition to Call Abortion Survivor Protection to a Vote

On Wednesday, three pro-life representatives filed a discharge petition to call the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to a floor vote. Very quickly, a total of 202 representatives lined up to sign the petition that afternoon. That number is a new record for first-day signatures on a discharge petition.

If a total of 218 representatives sign the petition, then H.R. 619 will be brought before the full House of Representatives for a vote. This would bypass the normal requirement that the bill is approved by the committee to which it was assigned.

H.R. 619 is important because it would provide an enforcement mechanism to punish abortionists if they refuse to provide care for a baby that survived an attempted abortion. Furthermore, it would require that every child who survives an attempted abortion be transported to a hospital to receive the same care that any other baby would receive.

The CDC estimates that at least 143 babies died after being born alive during attempted abortions between the years 2003 and 2014. This number is likely lower than reality; since some of the most pro-abortion states do not provide abortion data to the federal government. If H.R. 619 becomes law, then many of these deaths could be mitigated.

“There is no such thing as a ‘post-birth abortion.’ This bill isn’t about interfering with a so-called right to abortion. It is about stopping infanticide,” said National Right to Life President Carol Tobias. “Appallingly, pro-abortion extremists in the House and Senate are willing to let die babies who are born alive following an abortion.”

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California Judge Blocks Release of Pro-Life Undercover Videos

David Daleiden
photo credit: American Life League / Flickr

Hundreds of hours of undercover footage from National Abortion Federation meetings recorded by pro-life undercover journalists with the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) were permanently blocked last Wednesday by a California judge.

District Court Judge William Orrick issued a preliminary injunction against the videos in 2015 after Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation sued the CMP for alleged violation of California privacy law, and now that injunction is permanent.

Early in the case's legal proceedings, the CMP filed to disqualify Orrick as the judge for the case, due to his close ties to the abortion industry. The motion failed, however, and Orrick refused to recuse himself.

Judge Orrick wrote that the videos "disclosed no criminal activity," but David Daleiden (who led the CMP investigation) responded last Thursday by arguing the opposite:

"What is on the footage of public conversations at abortion industry trade shows that Planned Parenthood leadership is so desperate to cover up? Our expert Dr. Forrest Smith, the country’s longest-practicing abortion provider, says it shows the quid pro quo sale of fetal body parts, abuse of patients, and infanticide–but Judge Orrick insists he sees nothing wrong with it, yet won’t let the public decide for themselves.

This decision hides the most incriminating and damning footage under the fig leaf of trade show exhibit agreements which explicitly permitted exhibitor recording. This transparent attempt to skew the law and suppress free speech to protect the worst wrongdoing must stop, and the truth must be revealed."

20 state attorneys and several activist groups filed friend-of-the-court briefs in March asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to take up the CMP case. They argued that the lower court decision will harm the First Amendment and future investigative journalism.

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Arkansas Attorney General Petitions Supreme Court to Review Decision Blocking Law to Protect Babies with Down Syndrome

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Tuesday petitioned the Supreme Court to review a decision blocking the enforcement of a law banning discriminatory abortions against babies with Down syndrome.

The decision was made on Jan. 5th by a three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. That decision upheld the District Court decision to block a 2019 Arkansas law that prohibits doctors from aborting babies when the decision is based “solely upon a diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other reason to believe the child has Down syndrome.”

“The Constitution does not require Arkansas to permit discrimination-by-abortion against Americans with Down syndrome,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Through my personal friendships, I know that while individuals with Down syndrome may have an extra chromosome, they also have extra love and joy they share unconditionally, and I will not stand by while God’s gifts are exterminated as has been done in other countries.”

Rutledge noted that two members of the 8th Circuit panel made their decision purely on precedent; asking the Supreme Court to reconsider the precedent which led them to block the Arkansas law.

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Biden FDA Suspends Regulations Requiring Women to Receive Abortion Pills In-Person

photo credit: Volodymyr Hryshchenko / Unsplash

In an April 12th letter, FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock announced that the FDA would suspend its enforcement of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) regulations limiting the distribution of the abortion pill mifepristone for the duration of the pandemic.

Pro-abortion organizations have been advocating for this change for nearly a year, now. They argue that REMS regulations endanger women by requiring them to visit abortion clinics in person; potentially exposing them to COVID-19. Instead, they argue that women should be able to receive abortion pills through the mail after consulting a doctor over the phone or in a video call.

REMS safety precautions were put in place for a reason, however.

If a pregnant mother receives abortion pills without ever visiting a doctor, they will not be able to diagnose pregnancy conditions or determine the gestational age of the baby. If a mother attempts to take the abortion pill regimen while she has an ectopic pregnancy, or if the baby has developed past the point that the abortion pill regimen is effective, then the abortion pill regimen could cause substantial harm to the mother.

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias responded to the announcement:

“These changes place women at greater risk because they may not be able to distinguish the signs of an incomplete abortion, a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, or a deadly infection from the ordinary pain and bleeding of completed chemical abortion. None of these changes make this process safer for the woman. What these changes do is make the process easier and cheaper for the abortion industry.”

In the announcement, Woodcock wrote that the “small number of adverse events reported to FDA during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) provided no indication that any program deviation or noncompliance with the Mifepristone REMS contributed to the reported adverse events.” She failed to realize, however, that REMS changes made under the Obama administration in 2016 no longer require the manufacturer of the abortion pill, Danco Laboratories or its generic GenBioPro to report non-fatal adverse effects.

While these changes are being advertised as temporary reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, many pro-life advocates fear that they will soon become permanent.

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Sixth Circuit Reverses Injunction Against Ohio Non-Discrimination Law

photo credit: Bill Oxford / Unsplash

On Tuesday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals voted 9-7 to lift a preliminary injunction against Ohio's Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Abortion Act.

The law prohibits a doctor from aborting a child if the doctor knows that the child's diagnosis with Down syndrome is her reason for seeking the abortion.

The bill was signed into law in 2017 by then-Governor John Kasich, but it has faced a long legal battle against Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses.

In a statement, Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said, 

“This court ruling brings us one step closer to ensuring that vulnerable babies with special needs are not marked for death because of who they are. Every life is worth living and every precious and unique human being is worthy of complete protection under law.”

Judge Alice M. Batchelder wrote in her majority opinion that the restrictions created by the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Abortion Act "do not create a substantial obstacle to a woman’s ability to choose or obtain an abortion" and reasonably further Ohio's interests, which she listed in her opinion:

“Ohio asserts that H.B. 214 furthers three valid and legitimate interests by protecting: (1) the Down syndrome community from the practice of Down-syndrome-selective abortions and the stigma associated with it; (2) pregnant women and their families from coercion by doctors who advocate the abortion of Down-syndrome-afflicted fetuses; and (3) the integrity and ethics of the medical profession by preventing doctors from becoming witting participants in Down-syndrome-selective abortions. These are legitimate interests.”

By ruling in favor of this law, the sixth circuit is validating Ohio's right to protect unborn children with Down syndrome from unjust discrimination and death. 

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Kansas Judge Strikes Down Dismemberment Abortion Ban

Last Wednesday, a Kansas judge issued an opinion invalidating the state's ban on the dismemberment of unborn children.

The ban, which was passed into law in 2015, has never been enforced due to an injunction issued by a Kansas judge six years ago. Now- largely referencing the 2019 decision Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt that claimed to find a "fundamental right" to abortion in the Kansas state constitution- Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson has struck down the state's ban on the dismemberment ban.

Dismemberment abortions occur during the 2nd trimester of development or later; since the unborn child will have grown too large for abortion via the abortion pill regimen to be effective. During a dismemberment abortion, an abortionist will reach through a mother's cervix with metal instruments to tear an unborn child's arms, legs, and head from its body piece by piece. See this YouTube video for a full description of the procedure.

In response to Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt, the Kansas Legislature approved a measure that will place the Value Them Both Amendment on the Ballot for Kansans in 2022. This amendment would prevent judges from interpreting the state constitution to have a right to abortion.

The Value Them Both Amendment reads:

Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.

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Texas House to Consider Bill Giving Preborn Children Legal Representation in Court

photo credit: Jonathan Cutrer / Flickr

While Illinois politicians are considering the repeal of our state's parental notification law, the Texas House of Representatives will consider a bill that would give preborn children legal representation when a minor seeking an abortion attempts to get a judicial bypass.

Texas law requires that parents not only be notified of a minor's intent to have an abortion; but also that they give consent. Similar to Illinois's parental notification law, however, there is still a process for a judicial bypass. If the minor convinces a judge that it is in her best interest to have an abortion without her parents' knowledge, then she can bypass both the notification and consent requirements.

The existence of judicial bypasses increases the likelihood that a girl will return to an abusive living situation rather than seek help if she lives in an abusive household. Furthermore, it leaves the potential issues such as rape and sex trafficking that may have caused the pregnancy unsolved. All of that comes on top of the fact that an innocent unborn child is killed in the process.

Texas House Bill 1171 is unique in that it would give unborn children a voice during judicial bypass hearings. Texas Right to Life legislative associate Rebecca Parma told Spectrum News, “They don’t have a voice yet, and so their interest needs to be represented by someone who has a voice. If the pregnant minor is going to have an attorney ad litem, which should help represent her best interests, the unborn child needs to have that voice, as well, representing his or her best interests.”

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New Mexico Gov. Signs Assisted Suicide Bill

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

On April 8, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law a bill that legalizes assisted suicide in her state.

The new law is set to take effect on June 18.

“New Mexico’s assisted suicide law puts vulnerable citizens at risk,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Depression related to a serious illness often drives requests for assisted suicide, and in other states that have legalized assisted suicide, referrals for psychological evaluation are almost nonexistent.”

“In New Mexico, vulnerable patients who need support can be offered lethal drugs to end their lives instead of the help they genuinely need,” Tobias continued.

People who seek assisted suicide often do so because they are experiencing depression or lack the financial resources needed to pay for treatment. Because of this, doctors and family members can push patients toward assisted suicide when financial, medical, or emotional assistance could still have a positive impact on a patient.

“This legislation endangers vulnerable populations and opens the door to abuse,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., director of Medical Ethics for National Right to Life. “This puts a human being in danger of becoming a notation in a cost/benefit analysis.”

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National Right to Life Convention Scheduled for June

The National Right to Life Convention has been scheduled for June 25-26 and will be held in-person Herndon, Virginia.

The National Right to Life Convention is a two-day educational and training event during which experts will help to equip pro-life grassroots advocates with the knowledge and skills needed to advance the pro-life cause.

The event will include 40 workshop events, an opening prayer breakfast, a showing of the pro-life play Viable: The Truth in One Act, a Teens for Life Convention, and a closing banquet.

To register for the convention and receive special hotel rates, visit nrlconvention.com.

Wyoming Gov. Signs Bill Protecting Abortion Survivors

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon
photo credit: Mike Groover

After a Wyoming bill was successfully passed by both houses, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed the Born Alive Infant Means of Care Act on Tuesday. This legislation protects the babies who survive attempted abortions by requiring physicians to give them the same degree of care they would give any other newborn.

The law reads:

“The commonly accepted means of care that would be rendered to any other infant born alive shall be employed in the treatment of any viable infant aborted alive. Any physician performing an abortion shall take medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of an infant born alive.” 

The bill passed with overwhelming margins in the House [48-11] and Senate [26-4]. Gov. Gordon vetoed a slightly different version of the bill last year, but he chose to sign this year's iteration of the bill into law.

The law is scheduled to take effect on July 1.

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