June 14, 2013
Woman Sues Over Forced, Botched Abortion
Susan G. Komen cancels 2014 Chicago "Race for the Cure"
June 7, 2013
Marathon runner’s shock: she’s pregnant and in labor with miracle baby
Cardinal Dolan: Cuomo’s bill could open door to forced abortions
Super Bowl champ Matt Birk skips meeting with Obama over ‘God bless Planned Parenthood’ remark
Gosnell prosecutors display ‘house of horrors’ equipment to public
House Bill Would Limit Speech of Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers
IRS wanted pro-life group's assurance they would not picket Planned Parenthood
Pain-capable abortion ban passes congressional subcommittee
May 31, 2013
Vote Next Week on Congressional Bill Banning Abortions at 20 Weeks
Members of a U.S. House committee will cast a vote on a congressional bill that would ban abortions nationwide at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, chaired by bill author Rep. Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican, will hold a markup on H.R. 1797 on Tuesday. After lawmakers debate the bill, a vote is expected.
Franks has announced he will amend his bill, the "D.C. Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" (H.R. 1797) to apply nationwide. With this change, the "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" will be a national prohibition on abortions of unborn children who can feel pain during the abortion process.

Congressman Franks believes the national abortion ban is timely in light of the conviction of abortionist Kermit Gosnell and news reports of potentially similar gruesome late abortion practitioners around the country.
"I know when the subject is related in any way to abortion, the doors of reason and human compassion in our minds and hearts often close, and the humanity of the unborn can no longer be seen. But I pray we can at least come together to agree that we can and should draw the line at the point that these innocent babies can feel the excruciating pain of these brutal procedures," he said.
Franks added: "The case of Kermit Gosnell shocked the sensibilities of millions of Americans. However, the crushing fact is that abortions on babies just like the ones killed by Kermit Gosnell have been happening hundreds of times per day, every single day, for the past 40 years. Indeed, let us not forget that, had Kermit Gosnell dismembered these babies before they had traveled down the birth canal only moments earlier, he would have, in many places nationwide, been performing an entirely legal procedure. If America truly understands that horrifying reality, hearts and laws will change."
"To this end, I have re-introduced the D.C. Pain Capable Unborn Protection Act, which will now be amended to broaden its coverage so that its provisions will apply nationwide," he said. "Knowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be. This is not who we are."
During a hearing last week, former abortion practitioner Dr. Anthony Levatino made national news for his testimony about his abortion practice and his call for the abortion ban to be enacted.
The move to expand the bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks nationwide has the strong support of the National Right to Life Committee.
"National Right to Life strongly concurs in Congressman Franks' decision that the time is ripe to seek protection for pain-capable unborn children nationwide," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. "Because of publicity surrounding the trial of Kermit Gosnell and subsequent revelations about other abortionists, many Americans are becoming aware for the first time that abortions are frequently performed late in pregnancy on babies who are capable of being born alive, and on babies who will experience great pain while being killed."
Johnson says that in a nationwide poll of 1,003 registered voters in March, The Polling Company found that 64% would support a law such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks — when an unborn baby
Johnson added that the federal bill contains legislative findings and operative language very similar to bills already enacted in nine states, beginning in 2010, based on model legislation prepared by NRLC. Like those state laws, Mr. Franks' legislation contains findings of fact regarding the medical evidence that unborn children experience pain at least by 20 weeks after fertilization (which is 22 weeks in the "LMP" system, or about the start of the sixth month), and prohibits abortion after that point, except when an acute physical condition endangers the life of the mother.
During the 2011-12 Congress, Mr. Franks' bill garnered 222 co-sponsors in the 435-member House, and received the support of a majority of House members on July 31, 2012 (roll call no. 539).
The science behind the concept of fetal pain is fully established and Dr. Steven Zielinski, an internal medicine physician from Oregon, is one of the leading researchers into it. He first published reports in the 1980s to validate research showing evidence for it.
He has testified before Congress that an unborn child could feel pain at "eight-and-a-half weeks and possibly earlier" and that a baby before birth "under the right circumstances, is capable of crying."
He and his colleagues Dr. Vincent J. Collins and Thomas J. Marzen were the top researchers to point to fetal pain decades ago. Collins, before his death, was Professor of Anesthesiology at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois and author of Principles of Anesthesiology, one of the leading medical texts on the control of pain.
"The functioning neurological structures necessary to suffer pain are developed early in a child's development in the womb," they wrote.
"Functioning neurological structures necessary for pain sensation are in place as early as 8 weeks, but certainly by 13 1/2 weeks of gestation. Sensory nerves, including nociceptors, reach the skin of the fetus before the 9th week of gestation. The first detectable brain activity occurs in the thalamus between the 8th and 10th weeks. The movement of electrical impulses through the neural fibers and spinal column takes place between 8 and 9 weeks gestation. By 13 1/2 weeks, the entire sensory nervous system functions as a whole in all parts of the body," they continued.
With Zielinski and his colleagues the first to provide the scientific basis for the concept of fetal pain, Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand of the University of Arkansas Medical Center has provided further research to substantiate their work.
"The neural pathways are present for pain to be experienced quite early by unborn babies," explains Steven Calvin, M.D., perinatologist, chair of the Program in Human Rights Medicine, University of Minnesota, where he teaches obstetrics.
Further documentation and links to the scientific studies can be found at: www.doctorsonfetalpain.com.
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May 30, 2013
Gosnell's wife sentenced, calls husband 'cowardly'
All signs are that Gosnell will plead guilty June 6 to illegally writing thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances
Number of born-alive abortion babies goes underreported
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
by Anna Higgins
May 28, 2013
The horrific practice of late-term abortion was brought to the forefront of the abortion debate due in part to the murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell. The reality is that late-term abortion perpetrates the violent death on an unborn child who is fully capable of feeling pain.
The sad truth is the difference between the murders committed by Gosnell and legal abortion is not a matter of clinic conditions or even surgical form. It's a matter of a few inches and a few minutes.
Gosnell's murderous actions would have been perfectly legal in many states had they been done before the child was actually born. As we work to correct Roe and establish a society in which all people, no matter their stage of development, are protected, we can take steps to eliminate inhumane procedures like late-term abortion.
Several states have passed legislation making abortion illegal past the point that an unborn child is capable of feeling pain. Studies show that unborn children feel pain by at least 20 weeks gestation. These 20-week bans serve to protect the innocent child, capable of feeling pain and to protect the mother, who often suffers physical and mental harm from abortion. Additionally, Americans overwhelmingly oppose late-term abortion. A recent Gallup poll shows that 64% of Americans oppose second trimester abortion and 80% oppose third trimester abortion.
In response to the obvious need to protect children and women from late-term abortion, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) has introduced a bill on the federal level that would effectively ban abortion past 20 weeks gestation. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, H.R. 1797, was presented last week along with several poignant testimonies in support of the legislation.
One testimony from a former abortionist who supports the bill described the grisly procedure of late-term abortion. Another testimony from a neurobiologist emphasized scientific facts that support the conclusion that unborn children experience pain and noted that in light of the evidence, the government has a compelling interest in and an ethical responsibility to protect the unborn child who is capable of experiencing pain. The importance of this bill cannot be overstated, and Rep. Franks should be commended for taking a very bold, public step to protect the unborn.
In his press release before introducing the bill, Rep. Franks highlighted the inhumanity of late-term abortion and the importance of banning it. He said, "Knowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be. This is not who we are."
As Americans, dedicated to the cause of life and liberty for all, we can and must do better. Also, as believers dedicated to the cause of Christ, we know that protecting the most innocent among us - those made in the image of God - is of the utmost importance. Passing legislation banning late-term abortion is a start along the road to protecting life at all stages. We urge you to contact your representatives and voice your support for H.R. 1797.
May 24, 2013
U.S. House Judiciary Panel Holds Hearing on Legislation to Protect Pain-Capable Unborn Children
The case for life grows by leaps and bounds
Time may be right for pain-capable pro-life law
Illinois' Stanek testifies before Congress to ban abortions after 20 weeks
WASHINGTON DC - Thursday, prolife leader Jill Stanek of Mokena, Illinois testified (see photo right) before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on H.R. 1797, the "District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" that would enact a national ban on aborting babies after 20 weeks. Her testimony was as follows:
When I testified before this committee in 2000 and 2001, it was to tell of my experience as a registered nurse in the Labor and Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, where I discovered babies were being aborted alive and shelved to die in the department's soiled utility closet.
Among other familiar faces I see today is Congressman Nadler, who was a member of the committee then. He said he was "appalled" by the incidents I described and found them "heart-wrenching."
Indeed, I was traumatized and changed forever by my experience of holding a little abortion survivor for 45 minutes until he died, a 21/22-week-old baby who had been aborted because he had Down syndrome.
Since then, other appalling stories of abortion survivors being either abandoned or killed have trickled out.
In 2005, a mother delivered her 23-week-old baby in the toilet at EPOC Clinic in Orlando, Florida, and was shocked to see him move1. Abortion staff not only refused to help but turned away paramedics, who her friend had notified by calling 9112. Angele could do no more than helplessly sit on the floor rocking and singing to her baby for 11 minutes until he died.
In 2006, Sycloria Williams delivered her 23-week-old baby boy on a recliner at A Gyn Diagnostic Center in Hialeah, Florida. When he began breathing and moving, abortion clinic owner Belkis Gonzalez cut the umbilical cord and zipped him into a biohazard bag, still alive3.
The Kermit Gosnell case provides further evidence that the lines between illegal infanticide and legal feticide, both via abortion, have become blurred. This abortionist was convicted only last week of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three born babies whose spinal cords were "snipped."4
Also last week came the revelation and photos from three former employees who allege that abortionist Douglas Karpen in Houston, Texas, routinely kills babies after they are born by puncturing the fontanel (the soft spot at the top of the head), or impaling the stomach with a sharp instrument, twisting the head off, or puncturing the throat with his finger5.
It is easy to be horrified by heart-wrenching stories such as these, and to imagine the torture abortion survivors endure as they are being killed.
But it is somehow not so easy for some to envision preborn babies the same age being tortured as they are killed by similar methods.
Today, premature babies are routinely given pain relief who are born at the same age as babies who are torn limb from limb or injected in the heart during abortions. The World Health Organization goes so far as to recommend analgesia for preemies getting simple heel pricks for a couple drops of blood6.
Likewise, prenatal surgery is becoming commonplace, and along with it anesthesia for babies being operated on, even in the "middle of pregnancy"7. Meanwhile, babies of an identical age are torn apart during abortions with no pain relief.
It must be that some people inexplicably think the uterus provides a firewall against fetal pain, or that babies marked for abortion are somehow numb, while their wanted counterparts aren't.
This thinking is better suited for the Middle Ages than for modern medicine.
Yet, while NARAL Pro-Choice America eventually expressed neutrality8 on the Born- Alive Infants Protection Act, which provides legal protection to born babies no matter what their gestational age or circumstance of birth, NARAL opposes legislation protecting babies of the same age from barbaric abortions after the point they are known to feel pain.
Abortion proponents attempt to portray abortionists who commit abortions past 20 weeks as rare9. This is a myth. The National Right to Life Committee analyzed10 data11 published in 2008 by the Guttmacher Institute, which is an arm of the abortion industry, and found there were "at least 300 abortion providers who will perform abortions after 20 weeks LMP (last menstrual period)," and that of these, "at least 140 abortion providers willing to abort pain-capable unborn children at 22 weeks LMP (20 weeks post-fertilization)."
As for the number of late abortions committed in this country, no one knows. There are no standardized nationwide mandatory abortion-reporting requirements, and some of the most liberal jurisdictions, such as California, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., don't. Beyond that, it is questionable how many late abortionists comply with these requirements, and how much enforcement there is of these laws.
For instance, when the Elkton, Maryland, office of abortionist Stephen Brigham was raided in 2010, investigators found 35 fetuses in his freezer12, but there were no medical records documenting 33 of those abortions, much less state reporting.
The Gosnell Grand Jury Report13 states that from 2000 to 2010 Gosnell reported a total of one second-trimester abortion to the state. Yet he may have performed thousands during that decade.
No one knows how many abortions are committed after 20 weeks, so it is false for anyone to assert they are "rare."
It is also a myth that late abortions are mostly committed on babies with handicaps, although being handicapped is certainly no excuse for torture.
Dr. LeRoy Carhart, who commits late abortions at Germantown Reproductive Health Services only 30 miles from here, was just caught on tape by Live Action stating he routinely commits elective abortions at 26 weeks: "Saw four this week," Carhart quipped to Live Action's pregnant investigator, also joking that he uses a "pickaxe" and "drill bit" to kill older babies14.
Only two blocks from the White House, late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo told a pregnant Live Action investigator he would kill her healthy 24-week-old preborn baby by snipping the umbilical cord15, which is akin to cutting the hose of a scuba diver, causing death by slow asphyxiation. The website for his Washington Surgi- Clinic openly advertises dilatation and evacuation abortions up to 26 weeks16.
Having actually held a little abortion survivor, I cannot imagine standing there in the soiled utility room and tearing him apart to kill him. I expect the thought horrifies all of you as well.
But this is what is done to others like him on a daily basis, their excruciating fate determined simply by geography.
Our nation makes progress when we put an end to senselessly disparate treatment of anyone, and certainly of the most vulnerable in our midst. It is time we apply this standard to babies on the threshold of life as well.