ALERT - HB 40 (State funding of abortions) on the way to the Governor!

HB 40 - State Abortion Insurance / Public Aid Act - ACTION ALERT

Status:
Passed the House and Senate, now goes to the Governor

Summary:

This bill has the potential to reverse almost every pro-life effort made in Illinois and will protect abortion if regulated, defunded or outlawed federally.

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. 

-Removes a provision prohibiting the non-contributory portion of a program of health-benefits from including the expenses of obtaining an abortion. (If passed, the State Employee's Insurance would cover the expenses of an abortion.).

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code.

-Removes a provision excluding abortions or induced miscarriages or premature births from the list of services provided under the State's medical assistance program. (If passed, public aid would cover abortions or "induced miscarriages".)

-Removes language providing for the adoption of rules to prohibit a physician from providing medical assistance to anyone eligible for medical assistance benefits if the physician has been found guilty of willfully and wantonly performing an abortion procedure upon a woman who was not pregnant at the time of the procedure. (If passed, a doctor would not be stopped from performing medical services including an abortion even if he/she had been found guilty of performing an unwanted abortion procedure.)

-Removes other provisions concerning abortion restrictions. (If passed, this would remove the requirement for a physician statement the procedure used for an abortion when requesting reimbursement for the abortion, "induced miscarriages" or premature births.  This also removes the need to include the physicians opinion regarding the abortion.)

Amends the Problem Pregnancy Health Services and Care Act. 

-Removes language prohibiting the Department of Human Services from making grants to nonprofit agencies and organizations that use such grants to refer or counsel for, or perform, abortions. (If passed, the Department of Human Services would be allowed to provide money or grants to organizations or companies that perform abortions.)

Amends the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975. 

-Provides that it is the intention of the General Assembly to reasonably regulate abortion in conformance with the legal standards set forth in the decisions of the United States Supreme Court of January 22, 1973.  (If passed, this would keep abortion legal if the Roe Vs. Wade Decision is reversed)

-Removes language concerning the General Assembly's declaration that the unborn child is a human being from the time of conception and is, therefore, a legal person for purposes of the unborn child's right to life. (If passed, this means that an unborn child would NOT be considered a human being and so the unborn child does NOT have the right to life.)

Action:

Contact Governor Rauner, thank him for his promise to VETO HB40.  Please affirm that he still intends to do so.

Click here to contact Governor Rauner.

Click here for more information on this bill.

StemExpress drops lawsuit against pro-life investigators who exposed body parts scandal

The biomedical company accused of contracting with Planned Parenthood to harvest and sell aborted baby body parts has dropped its lawsuit against the pro-life undercover investigators at the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), and are walking away with nothing.

CMP's exposure of Planned Parenthood's baby body parts business via its undercover journalism showed that the company, StemExpress, was intimately involved with collecting aborted babies. In September, the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives voted to hold StemExpress in contempt of Congress for stonewalling its investigation into the baby body parts scandal.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

President-elect Trump says he will make decision about Supreme Court nominee “within two weeks” of his inauguration

Pro-life President-elect Donald Trump

Here’s what the President-elect said on Wednesday when asked about making an appointment to the Supreme Court. (The High Court is currently short one member due to the untimely death of Justice Antonin Scalia.)

I’ll be making the decision on who we will put for justice of the United States Supreme Court, a replacement for the great, great justice Scalia, that will probably be within two weeks of the 20th. … I’ll be making that decision, and it’ll be a decision which I very strongly believe in, I think it’s one of the reasons I got elected, I think the people of this country did not want to see what was happening with the Supreme Court, so I think it was a very, very big decision as to why I was elected.

The importance of the Supreme Court to his victory is hard to exaggerate. The electorate knew where Mr. Trump and pro-abortion Hillary Clinton stood on abortion, particularly because of what Mr. Trump said at the third debate and his pledges to the pro-life community, and because the political arms of the Abortion Movement trumpeted Clinton’s absolutist position.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Sen. Sessions reaffirms his belief that Roe was “one of the worst, colossally erroneous Supreme Court decisions of all time”

Attorney General nominee, Sen. Jeff Session

The first of President-elect Donald Trump’s many pro-life selections to lead major departments reaffirmed his 100% negative opinion of the disastrous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in confirmation hearings that began Tuesday.

Senator Jeff Sessions, Mr. Trump’s choice to be the next Attorney General, was asked Monday if he stood by a previous characterization of Roe. At hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, pro-abortion Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) said to Sessions, “You have referred to Roe v. Wade as, ‘one of the worst, colossally erroneous Supreme Court decisions of all time.’ Is that still your view?”

“It is,” Sessions replied. “It violated the Constitution, and really attempted to set policy and not follow law.”

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Celebs will be busy during inauguration hosting Facebook Live ‘Love-a-Thon’ for Planned Parenthood

As Planned Parenthood’s millions in taxpayer-funded subsidies hang in the balance with the new Congress and incoming Trump administration, celebrity friends of the nation’s biggest abortion business are planning a televised social media event on inauguration day to solicit money for the abortion giant’s coffers.

As the Trump administration is sworn in January 20, celebrities Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tim Robbins and others will appear on a Facebook Live telethon to raise funds for Planned Parenthood.  According to CNN, the “Love-a-thon” is a Jerry Lewis-style telethon for the digital age.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Illinois Dems 'digging in' to preserve abortion funding

Illinois lawmakers this week are considering a bill that would open the door to taxpayer funding of abortion, including use of Medicaid funds for that purpose. If passed, House Bill 4013 would allow taxpayer-funded grants to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood and end the current prohibition against abortion coverage in state employee insurance plans.

The purpose of the bill is to keep funds flowing to Planned Parenthood out of concern Congress will pass an attachment to the reconciliation funding bill to reallocate funds that have been going to the biggest abortion-provider in the state.

House Bill 4013 was originally filed almost two years ago (February 2015) by Democratic Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. It now sits with the House Rules Committee.

Click here for more from OneNewsNow.

Celebs use Golden Globes to promote Planned Parenthood, attack pro-life House Speaker, trash Trump

Meryl Streep

There was no shortage of irony as Hollywood liberals used Sunday night's Golden Globes to flaunt their pro-abortion, anti-Trump views.

Mozart in the Jungle actress Lola Kirke wore a "F*** Paul Ryan" pin on her dress to show her support of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. Ryan has promised to remove its government funding as part of a fast-tracked anti-Obamacare bill.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Whoopi goes nuts when presented with Planned Parenthood facts

Whoopi Goldberg on The View

Friday morning on ABC’s The View, co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Jedediah Bila fought over Republicans’ plan to defund Planned Parenthood when they repeal Obamacare. While Bila tried to present the pro-life position, Whoopi exploded in anger and frustration every time Bila spoke. Whoopi was all over the place, discounting things she disagreed with without actually making a counter-argument. She also claimed her “religion” taught her to pay for abortions for women who “need” this “service.”

“Do people still not have their facts straight about who’s going to actually be affected by Planned Parenthood’s removal?” Whoopi started the discussion. Joy Behar chimed in, claiming that no tax dollars went towards abortion.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway to speak at 2017 March for Life

Kellyanne Conway

Kellyanne Conway, the highest-ranking woman in President-elect Trump's administration and the first woman from either major party to lead a presidential candidate to victory in the general election, will speak at the 43rd annual March for Life on January 27.

Conway will join other notable speakers including Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, former Planned Parenthood Director and founder of And Then There Were None Abby Johnson, Mexican Telenovela star Karyme Lozano, author and radio host Eric Metaxas, Bishop Vincent Matthews of the Church of God in Christ, who advocates for adoption in the African-American community, and more at the March for Life rally on the National Mall on January 27.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Actress Wants to Donate Golden Globes Jewelry to Planned Parenthood

Tracee Ellis Ross

Hollywood actresses have fans of their own – but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to be fans themselves. Especially when it comes to places like Planned Parenthood.

At the 2017 Golden Globes Sunday evening, actress Tracee Ellis Ross won Best Actress in a TV comedy series for her role in ABC’s Black-ish. But People magazine focused instead on the 44-year-old’s jewelry.

On the red carpet, Ellis Ross flaunted a large silver ring on each finger. When People asked about her jewelry choice, she joked, “You know what happened? I flew to New York and I had them cover me in snow!”

“I’m hoping to abscond with them and buy a house,” Ellis Ross added. “I think I will hock them and give all the money to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. It’s that kind of year, folks."

Click here for more from Natiopnal Right to Life.

Pro-Life, Pro-Family Coalition Urges Illinois House to Reject Taxpayer-Funded Abortions

Speak Out Illinois, a coalition of pro-life and pro-family organizations across the state, today urged lawmakers in the Illinois House to reject legislation allowing taxpayer money to be used for abortions.

 

House Bill 4013 lifts the current prohibition on state workers' health insurance plans from paying for elective abortions, as well as the prohibition on using public money to pay for elective abortions for Medicaid patients. The legislation also allows taxpayer-funded grants to be distributed to organizations that recommend and perform abortions, such as Planned Parenthood.

 

HB 4013 earlier this month was moved by House leaders into a status that allows it to be voted on at any time. "This legislation is a slap in the face to Illinois taxpayers by forcing them to support abortion no matter their personal beliefs," said John Kirkwood, Co-Director of Speak Out Illinois.

 

Ann Scheidler, Co-Director of the organization, criticized lawmakers for the legislative maneuver. "Lawmakers are not doing the will of the people with such tactics," Scheidler said.

 

Taxpayer funding of Abortion is completely objectionable and should never be considered in any bill.

Click here for more from Christian Newswire.

Cloaking the spread of PPFA’s disinformation in the disguise of “correcting misinformation”

If you are a member of the Media Establishment and a supporter of Planned Parenthood, there are many ways to disguise the sleazy underside of the largest abortion “provider” in the known galaxy. An especially prevalent (and seedy) tactic is cloaking the spread of PPFA’s disinformation in the disguise of “correcting misinformation.”

Enter “9 Things People Get Wrong About Planned Parenthood,” by Dayna Evans. As Dr. Randall K. O’Bannon, NRL Director of Education, explained to me, nearly all of Evans’ assertions “are straw men — caricatures of beliefs that people actually have, easily knocked down because it’s not what people really thought in the first place.”

Evans’ canards are so transparent, so bogus, even to take the time to debunk them becomes like breaking a butterfly upon a wheel.

The only time people get “things” “wrong” is when they swallow PPFA’s propaganda.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Speak Out Illinois Rose Dinner – Chicago - January 14th

Join us on Saturday, January 14th, for the first annual Rose Dinner Chicago, as Pro-Life activists come together from all over to break bread and kick off the March for Life weekend. This year along with a wonderful dinner we will be treated to a panel discussion from some of the most critical voices of our generation as they break down where we are now and how we get to an abortion-free America. $65/SEAT – REGISTER HERE

Join SpeakOut Illinois and March for Life-Chicago, as we eavesdrop on Senator Dan McConchie, Representative Peter Breen, Mary Hallan FioRito, and Eric Scheidler. These four leaders will engage one another in an impromptu, honest conversation about the obstacles ahead and the tactics that we must employ for victory.

Cocktail hour from 6 to 7pm, followed by dinner. VALET PARKING IS AVAILABLE for $15. Tables seat 8. REGISTER HERE!

Tickets are limited and will be offered to sponsors before we make them available to the general public. Register early to ensure a seat, we’ll see you there!

When: Saturday, January 14 2017, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Where: 150 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois

REGISTER HERE!

Obamacare Attempt to Force Abortion Coverage enjoined by federal judge

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor

A judge has enjoined enforcement under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

From the Reuters story:

A federal judge in Texas on Saturday issued a court order barring enforcement of an Obama administration policy seeking to extend anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act to transgender health and abortion-related services. The decision sides with Texas, seven other states and three Christian-affiliated healthcare groups challenging a rule that, according to the judge, defines sex bias to include “discrimination on the basis of gender identity and termination of pregnancy.”

Denying abortion coverage is sex discrimination? That kind of blatant term redefinitionism (if you will) is one of the Left’s favorite weapons in the culture war they never cease waging.

Had Clinton become POTUS, these efforts to force faith communities to embrace liberal secular values in the operation of their community institutions would have been pursued even more energetically. And once the Supreme Court was in their hands, the cultural hegemons would have prevailed.

Click here for more from National Review.

The FINAL Congressional panel Report is in: Planned Parenthood accused of serious abuses

Abuses and possibly criminal violations are occurring in the fetal tissue trade between abortion clinics and tissue harvesters, concluded the special House panel investigating the matter on Wednesday.

“It is my hope that our recommendations will result in some necessary changes within both the abortion and fetal tissue procurement industries,” Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Select Investigative Panel, said upon release of the panel's final report.

“Our hope is that these changes will both protect women and their unborn children, as well as the integrity of scientific research,” she said.

The investigative panel released its 471-page final report Wednesday. This came weeks after Democrats on the panel released their 112-page report claiming that Planned Parenthood was not guilty of any wrongdoing and that the panel's investigations into the fetal tissue trade were hindering positive benefits from research conducted on fetal tissue.

Click here for more from CNA Daily News.

Pro-Life Rep. Paul Ryan Re-elected Speaker of the House

Paul Ryan with Carol Tobias

Pro-life Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has been overwhelmingly reelected as Speaker of the House. Pro-life Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was unanimously reelected Senate Majority Leader on November 16.

Today’s vote count for the Speaker position was 239 votes for Ryan and 189 votes for pro-abortion Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Pelosi, who supports abortion on demand, will continue to serve as the minority leader – a clear indication that the Democrats still don’t understand what happened two months ago.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Trump can roll back pro-abortion rules, says attorney

One action that can be taken, says Anna Paprocki, legal counsel for Americans United for Life, is to defend states that have determined Medicaid dollars won't flow to Planned Parenthood.

A second regulation from Health and Human Services, citing Title X, forces states to send family planning dollars to abortion providers. That can be reversed, too, she insists.

Congress, too, can respond by reallocating funds for family planning to local health facilities that provide more comprehensive health than the abortion giant.

Click here for more from OneNewsNow.com

So, abortion doesn't harm women's mental health? The stats disagree

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that women who get abortions show no signs of increased mental health problems after having an abortion – and that in fact, it's women who are denied an abortion that suffer more greatly.

But pro-life organizations and other researchers have responded that the study doesn't show the whole picture, and that these findings don't mean that women don't regret their abortions. They also counter that similar studies involving an exorbitantly higher number of women have shown the opposite results, and that everything needs to be taken into account.

Ana-Maria Dumitru, director of Medical Students For Life, told CNA that other studies have come to opposite conclusions. Dumitru pointed to a study by Dr. D Paul Sullins of the Catholic University of America published earlier in 2016 followed more than 8,000 women for over 13 years.

Click here for more from CNA Daily News.

Abortion challenged in its most prevalent state: NY

Figures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that New York has abortions at 60 percent of its birth rate – making the lethal procedure in the Empire State the highest in the country. However, it is unlikely that this dismal statistic will not improve anytime soon.

New York State Right to Life Chairman Barbara Meara told OneNewsNow that abortion supporters are working with lawmakers to make abortion more available:

“They are focusing on New York, and the bill that they are promoting would not only expand abortion up and throughout the nine months, but it would permit non-doctors, other health professionals, nurses and even pharmacists. We don't know. It doesn't specify in the legislation.”

Click here for more from OneNewsNow.

Alabama Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Unborn Child

Alabama Supreme Court Justices

The Alabama Supreme Court unanimously ruled Friday in defense of unborn life in a wrongful death lawsuit against an OB/GYN accused of contributing to the death of a woman's unborn child. The court found that the trial court erred in dismissing Alabama resident Kimberly Stinett's claim alleging the wrongful death of her unborn baby and granting summary judgment in favor of Karla Kennedy, M.D., on lack-of-proof-causation grounds.

The Alabama Supreme Court declared that Stinnett v. Kennedy may proceed, stating that unborn children are human beings and are entitled to legal protection. The court largely based its decision on an amendment in Alabama's Homicide Act, which "changed the definition of a 'person' who could be a victim of homicide to include 'an unborn child in utero at any stage of development, regardless of viability.'" Alabama Supreme Court Justice Thomas Parker also wrote a concurring opinion, noting that the "viability" standard in Roe v. Wade is faulty.

Justice Parker wrote, "Unborn children, whether they have reached the ability to survive outside their mother's womb or not, are human beings and thus persons entitled to the protections of the law—both civil and criminal. Members of the judicial branch of Alabama should do all within their power to dutifully ensure that the laws of Alabama are applied equally to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, both born and unborn," Parker said.

Click here for more from Christian Newswire.

Nike Supports Abortion

Nike funds the Population Council, an international nonprofit organization that supports abortion, according to the Council's website. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research, plus helps build research capacities in developing countries.

One-third of its research relates to HIV and AIDS. The other major program areas include reproductive health, poverty, youth, and gender. The Population Council "offers policymakers and healthcare providers the evidence they need to help communities implement safer abortion and postabortion care practices, increase positive health-seeking behavior, and reduce stigma."

Plus, Nike is involved with Planned Parenthood. Fortune magazine reported on July 13, 2015, "Nike matches its employees' contributions to the regional Planned Parenthood affiliate in Oregon, but didn't specify the sum."

On the Nike Foundation's 2014 tax form, Nike matches gifts to the Susan G. Komen New York City and Minnesota chapters which fund Planned Parenthood.

Click here for more from Christian Newswire.

Congressional panel urges prosecution of late-term abortionist for murder

Douglas Karpen

The Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives revealed late Wednesday a new referral letter it has sent to law enforcement urging them to investigate a late-term abortionist for murder. The letter, along with 11 others, hadn't previously been disclosed to the public.

The Select Panel has previously announced that it is urging federal and state law enforcement to investigate various abortion centers and fetal tissue companies in the wake of Planned Parenthood's baby body harvesting scandal. These letters provide new insight into the laws that abortionists, abortion facilities, and fetal tissue companies have allegedly violated.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Pro-life Kellyanne Conway will serve as counselor to the president in the incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump with Kellyanne Conway

In the midst of a turbulent and, as it turned out pivotal time, Donald Trump turned to Kellyanne Conway to be his new campaign manager. She was widely credited with righting the ship, paving the way for pro-life President-elect Trump’s unexpected victory over pro-abortion Hillary Clinton.

It’s been announced the Conway, who has served as a senior adviser to his transition team and founder and owner of The Polling Company, Inc./WomanTrend, will serve as counselor to the President, a hugely influential position.

“Kellyanne Conway has been a trusted advisor and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory,” Trump said in a statement. “She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message. I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing.”

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Some Illinois pro-life centers not forced to promote abortions

Illinois lawmakers passed a bill to go into effect on New Year’s Day that would require the centers and medical staff to essentially promote a view contrary to their own – if they are pro-life.

Judge Doherty, who temporarily blocked the law, is asking the state to answer some specific questions about the proposed law.

“He's asked why the state believes that those people who object to abortion have to be forced to inform people on where they can get abortions – when the state itself licenses and maintains information about every abortion clinic in the state,” Troscinski pointed out.

Click here for more from OneNewsNow.

Texas to stop government funding for Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood has officially been cut off from government funding through Texas’ Medicaid program.

Misconduct and violations of acceptable medical standards were among the causes cited in the final legal notice delivered to Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast (PPGC) this week informing the abortion giant of the state’s intent to cease its Medicaid funding.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

American Psychiatric Association takes historic stand on assisted suicide and euthanasia

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has taken a strong stand against euthanasia. In a formal position statement approved by its board of trustees this month, it says:

The American Psychiatric Association, in concert with the American Medical Association’s position on Medical Euthanasia, holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death.

This implies that it is not ethical for a psychiatrist to help a non-terminally ill person to commit suicide, either by providing the means or by direct lethal injection, as is being currently practiced in The Netherlands and Belgium.

Although this binds only APA members, the APA is one of the world’s most influential professional bodies. The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) is considering a similar statement.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Court Victory for Illinois Pro-Lifers

A Rockford, Illinois judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday to protect Aid for Women from an egregious law, SB 1564, which would force pregnancy help centers and pro-life doctors to promote abortions!

As many of you who have been following the situation know, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law the notorious Senate Bill 1564. This legislation tries to gut the conscience rights that were formerly protected by the Illinois Healthcare Right of Conscience Act, and the freedoms of speech and religion guaranteed under the First Amendment. Aid for Women and women throughout our State are harmed by this legislation. The law tells us that, if we do not perform abortions, we have only three options: either we must refer for an abortion, or transfer our client to an abortionist, or provide a list of abortionists to the client.

But today’s injunction is only preliminary. Our fight for our conscience rights, the lives of the unborn, and the best interest of women will press on.

Source: Aid for Women

About those “anti-choice extremists”….

Ilyse Hogue, NARAL Pro-choice America President

I guess NARAL Pro-Choice America decided four “anti-choice extremists” were enough to get pro-abortionists’ blood boiling–and entice them to give a “Year-End gift [that] will be doubled.”

In the fundraising e-blast, NARAL’s President Ilyse Hogue, cited Vice President-elect Indiana Gov. Mike Pence; Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Attorney General; Georgia Rep. Tom Price, Mr. Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services; and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who will be our nation’s ambassador to the U.N.

Leading from strength, so to speak, Hogue cited Pence’s oft-stated position that he longs for the day “Roe v. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history.” The other three have their own offenses (by NARAL’s standards), including signing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which says you can’t subject babies who are capable of experiencing to the unimaginable pain of an abortion.

But the incoming administration of pro-life President-elect Donald Trump is filled with pro-lifers with long records of support for measures to protect unborn children.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Trump election means “it’s just no fun anymore” for PPFA

Betty Cockrum

Geez, you have to feel sorry, sort of, for Betty Cockrum, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky. In fact for all of Planned Parenthood.

In an interview with the student newspaper at Indiana University, Cockrum told Lindsay Moore that following the election of Donald Trump, “The agenda and mood of Planned Parenthood’s post-election national meeting changed dramatically.”

“When your fellow CEOs say, ‘It’s just no fun anymore. It just gets harder by the day,’ that’s tough,” Cockrum said. “You just got to go shoulder to shoulder and keep each other going.”

No fun!

No smiles as your organization traffics in the organs of aborted babies? No whoop and hollering when the annual tally kept by the national office goes over 300,000 dead babies mark? No laughter when your deep-pocketed legal representatives are able to enjoin a law that does no more than give women the opportunity to view an ultrasound of their child at least 18 hours prior to performing abortions?

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Facebook’s push to snuff out fake news poses threat to pro-life, traditional values reporting

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook

After taking stiff criticism for being a conduit in the recent spate of misinformation and hoaxes published to drive Internet traffic, the Facebook will begin fact checking, labeling, and burying in its News Feed what it determines to be either a hoax or fake news.

But Facebook’s partnership with Snopes, Factcheck.org, ABC News and PolitiFact to manage fact checking in this new initiative raises the question of who will determine what constitutes “fake news.” That leads then to the issue of whether information on Facebook will be censored to fit a particular worldview.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Here’s the theory behind a pro-life T-shirt

A new idea for a T-shirt (same wording front and back).

Since the word "abortion" no longer packs much punch, the more graphic expression "torn to pieces" has been used. (This is along the same lines as the old suggestion that we stop asking politicians "How do you stand on abortion?" and start asking them "How do you stand on prenatal dismemberment?")

But note that the T-shirt is a positive affirmation of the viewer's life, of his or her escape from violence. Thus it stands a better chance of being heard than would a negative accusation, an attack, or a photo of a dismembered child.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

U.S. psychiatrists not ready or willing to endorse euthanasia for mental suffering

America’s psychiatrists have rejected prescribing euthanasia for mental suffering, a justification critics argue has already wormed its way into Canadian medical practice.

The position, which was drafted at the direction of the voluntary group’s general assembly, states that the 25,000-member American Psychiatric Association “holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death.”

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com.

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill’s grandaughter born despite abortion demands

Baby Autumn, daughter of Maegan Chen and Nathan Hamill.

In September, Live Action News reported on a troubling story involving Mark Hamill, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga.

A former girlfriend of Mark’s son Nathan Hamill, Maegan Chen — who was pregnant with Nathan’s baby — claimed she was facing pressure from both Nathan and Mark to abort the baby. According to Chen, Nathan threatened to break up with her if she did not abort the baby, and Mark told her she “shouldn’t bring a child into the world that nobody wants.” When Chen refused to abort, Mark’s wife Marilou reportedly told her in an email, “Meagan, you blew it.”

However, since that time, LifeSiteNews reports that the baby has been born, and she is doing well. Maegan named her daughter Autumn.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Trump’s new Interior Secretary voted to defund Planned Parenthood five times

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT

President-elect Donald Trump announced today he intends to nominate Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT, to be Secretary of the Interior.

Although the Secretary of the Interior isn't typically directly involved with abortion policy, Zinke has a strong pro-life voting record and has voted to defund Planned Parenthood five times.

Click here for more from LifeSiteNews.com

Please Urge AMA to maintain its opposition to assisted suicide

There is an effort underway within the influential American Medical Association (AMA) to abandon its decades-long position opposing assisted suicide and take a neutral stance.

Both the national and state medical societies’ opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide have been instrumental in stopping the spread of these dangerous laws. When the Vermont and California medical societies took neutral positions, it was devastating to the efforts in the legislature to block legalization in those states.

Medical professionals should focus on providing care and comfort to patients – NOT becoming a source of lethal drugs.

Please sign our petition to urge the AMA to retain its position against assisted suicide.
A fact sheet about the AMA and physician-assisted suicide follows below:

Assisted Suicide

What is the American Medical Association’s position on assisted suicide?
For decades, the American Medical Association (AMA) has taken a position opposing assisted suicide.

What discussion is happening now in the AMA?

There is an effort underway within the AMA to abandon its position opposing assisted suicide and take a neutral stance.

What has happened when state medical societies took neutral positions on assisted suicide?
Both the national and state medical societies’ opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide have been instrumental in stopping the spread of these dangerous laws. When the Vermont and California medical societies took neutral positions, it was devastating to the efforts in the legislature to block legalization.

How does physician-assisted suicide change the role of the physician?

Medical professionals should focus on providing care and comfort to patients — not becoming a source of lethal drugs. Would you want your doctor to have the power to suggest suicide to you rather than focusing on keeping you comfortable until your natural death?

What are the dangers of physician-assisted suicide?

Nearly every state bans assisting in someone else’s suicide, so euthanasia activists are seeking physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to their patients. Despite opposition from various groups across the political spectrum—including many disability rights groups, various other medical organizations, right to life groups, and religious organizations—many unsuspecting people can easily be pulled in by the fear that without the law they will die badly.

These laws do nothing to help patients and have many tragic consequences. Based on the experiences of Oregon residents, the government and insurance companies will not pay for treatment costing thousands of dollars but have and will pay for lethal drugs that only cost a few hundred dollars.

While these measures are purported to be restricted to the terminally ill, people with terminal diagnoses often outlive a doctor’s prediction. And some diagnoses are just plain wrong. Additionally, in Oregon and Washington, people with diabetes, hepatitis, and HIV are getting lethal drugs because they technically fit into the shockingly broad definition of “terminal illness.”

People may be coerced into assisted suicide simply because they feel they are a “burden” to others, not because they really want to end their own lives.

Also, it is a well-established fact that depression leads some individuals to seek suicide. Depression is treatable, yet in the states where assisted suicide is legal, almost no patients asking for assisted suicide are referred for mental health screening. A doctor who does not know the patient or the patient’s medical history is able to prescribe lethal drugs. And what’s worse, no family ever has to be contacted.

Critics have noted that assisted suicide is a recipe for elder abuse and abuse of people with disabilities because it can put lethal drugs in the hands of abusers.

Click here to sign a petition to urge the AMA to retain its position against assisted suicide.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Ground Breaking Prenatal Surgery a Success

Katie Rice’s son Tucker underwent fetal heart surgery

when she was 24 weeks pregnant with him.

Amazing news has emerged out of Philadelphia as it was recently revealed that the first successful pre-natal surgery to remove a heart tumor was performed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The case came to light following the publication of a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Now three years old, little Tucker Rice was 20-weeks in the womb when doctors discovered that he had a dangerous tumor growing on his heart.

“Doctors discovered the life-threatening tumor on Tucker’s heart during his mom Katie Rice’s 20-week prenatal appointment. “On that terrifying day in 2013, doctors told Rice that she may have to have an abortion; her health was at risk, and her unborn son probably would not survive, according to the report. Instead, Rice decided to give her son a fighting chance at life.”

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‘Moana’ Disney Star Could Have Been Aborted, Says ‘Keep Your Babies’

Nicole Scherzinger

At a time when Hollywood gushes over abortion, this actress is one pro-life rebel.

Pussycat Dolls singer and Moana voice Nicole Scherzinger stars as Penny Johnson in ABC’s upcoming Dirty Dancing remake. But the 38-year-old nearly refused the role – because of her stance against abortion.

In the classic 1987 film, actress Cynthia Rhodes originally played the character Penny, who survives a dangerous illegal abortion.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Scherzinger revealed the reasoning behind her pro-life views: she could have been aborted.

“My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18,” Scherzinger admitted. “She chose.”

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The Pro-Life Message in It’s a Wonderful Life

George Bailey (James Stewart), Mary Bailey (Donna Reed),

and their youngest daughter Zuzu (Karolyn Grimes)

in Frank Capra’s 1946 It’s a Wonderful Life.

Seventy years ago this Christmas, the world was first introduced to the little town of Bedford Falls — the place good-hearted George Bailey just can’t seem to leave, despite his aspirations for an adventurous career.

Jaded again and again by inescapable life demands, George, played by Jimmy Stewart, misses out on one opportunity after another. The compounded frustration explodes one Christmas Eve when George’s crazy uncle loses an all-important stack of cash shortly before the arrival of a bank examiner at the family business. When George asks for help from the town’s greedy tycoon, he’s threatened with arrest. To top it off, his reluctant prayer for help is followed by a punch in the face at Martini’s Bar.

If you’re like me, you’ve watched It’s a Wonderful Life more Christmases than you can count, and you know what happens next.

“I Wish I’d Never Been Born”

“I suppose it would have been better if I’d never been born at all,” George mutters after another seemingly disastrous encounter that night.

“What’d you say?” asks Clarence, his new-found guardian angel.
“I said I wish I’d never been born!”

“Oh, you mustn’t say things like that,” Clarence begins, before trailing off in apparent consultation with other members of the heavenly host. Suddenly, he declares, “You’ve got your wish. You’ve never been born.”

George then receives a unique gift — the ability to see a universe in which he never existed.

Sucked Out of the Universe

It’s eerie watching George wander through Bedford Falls (now “Pottersville”), visiting the places he was once well known and finding himself a stranger. He begins to understand the enormity of his nonexistence as, one by one, his friends, mother and even his beloved wife have no idea who he is.
Each time George sees another aspect of life in Bedford Falls without the touch of his presence, he sees how much of a difference he actually made. Not by doing anything particularly incredible, but by just being there. In his own eyes, his life was inconsequential and insignificant. In reality, his life was irreplaceable.

In final desperation, George cries out to Clarence, who has since disappeared, “I want to live again! I want to live again!” Once again, Clarence grants his wish.

Back in the universe into which he was born, George’s perspective has changed. He recognizes the blessings before him, even though his struggles are still there. He knows that his life, hard as it may seem, is good.

The Missing Millions

Every year at Christmas, we see what the make-believe world of Bedford Falls misses out on without the fictional George Bailey. But what does our world miss out on each time a real life gets sucked out of the universe?

In reality, the world is missing over 1.4 billion irreplaceable lives that could have been. These are lives that have been aborted worldwide just since 1980. In the United States alone, almost 60 million have been aborted since Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Like George Bailey after Clarence grants his first wish, these lives were never born. But unlike George, they didn’t ask for it.

It’s Wonderful Because it’s Life

Some say that many babies are aborted because they, due to circumstances, wouldn’t have a chance at a wonderful life. But as the Christmas classic reminds us, that’s not the point.

George wasn’t dealt that great of a hand. He was the one that couldn’t go to college. The one in a dead-end job. The one with a house falling apart and kids he couldn’t afford and a wife he squabbled with at Christmastime. The one possibly headed to prison. His life wasn’t perfect. Many times it was painful.

In the movie, George Bailey’s life isn’t wonderful because it’s extraordinary. It’s wonderful because it’s life. He realized that when he stood on the bridge and cried out to heaven to get it back.
The babies aborted each year aren’t able to cry, “I want to live again.” But as a new year is about to begin, we can renew efforts to ensure that as many new lives as possible are given their chance at a wonderful life.

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Obama admin issues final rule blocking state efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

Barack Obama’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS) issued a final rule Wednesday designed to thwart state efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

The rule bans withholding federal funds from the abortion giant’s affiliates and other entities that perform abortion for any reason other than the ability to provide Title X “family planning” services, and is scheduled to take effect two days prior to President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

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President-elect Trump chooses pro-life Rick Perry to be Energy Secretary

Pro-life former Texas Governor Rick Perry

The roster of pro-lifers chosen for high profile positions in his administration by President-elect Donald Trump grew again today.

Pro-life former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the recipient of Texas Right to Life’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, will be the nation’s new Secretary of Energy. In a moment we’ll talk about his pro-life achievements while serving for 14 years as governor of the second largest state.

Perry will join a roster of pro-lifers that already includes Sen. Jeff Sessions who Trump tapped to be Attorney General; Rep. Tom Price who will be Secretary of Health and Human Services; Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus, chief of staff; South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, ambassador to the United Nations; Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Rep. Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA; Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education; Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Secretary of the Interior; Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, ambassador to China, and Andy Puzder, who will head the Department of Labor.

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Grassley Refers Planned Parenthood, Fetal Tissue Procurement Organizations to FBI, Justice Dept. for Investigation

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley

Following an investigation into the practice of fetal tissue transfers and the federal laws governing the practice, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is referring several Planned Parenthood affiliates and companies involved in fetal tissue transfers, as well as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, to the FBI and the Department of Justice for investigation and possible prosecution.

“I don’t take lightly making a criminal referral. But, the seeming disregard for the law by these entities has been fueled by decades of utter failure by the Justice Department to enforce it,” Grassley said. “And, unless there is a renewed commitment by everyone involved against commercializing the trade in aborted fetal body parts for profit, then the problem is likely to continue.”

Grassley’s referral follows the completion of a Senate Judiciary Committee majority staff analysis of more than 20,000 pages of documents provided voluntarily by the organizations and companies involved. While the impetus for the investigation was the release of a series of videos regarding transfers of fetal tissue by the Center for Medical Progress, the committee’s analysis and findings are based strictly on the documents obtained independently from tissue procurement companies and Planned Parenthood
.
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Gov. Kasich Vetoes Ohio 'Heartbeat Bill'

In 2011, the original Heartbeat Bill (HB 125) came literally one heartbeat away from becoming Ohio law.  Now, after over five years, the bill, (Am. Sub. HB 493) which made it to the Governor's desk, has been vetoed by Governor John Kasich.

In a statement, Kasich wrote, "I agree with Ohio Right to Life and other leading, pro-life advocates that SB 127 (a 20-week ban) is the best, most legally sound and sustainable approach to protecting the sanctity of human life," Kasich said in a statement.

Read entire Columbus Dispatch article HERE.

Mark Harrington, National Director of Created Equal wrote, "History will not look kindly on Gov. Kasich for killing the best chance at protecting children that we have seen in a lifetime! This bill, which would protect babies with beating hearts, went down to defeat because Governor Kasich, who campaigned as a pro-life advocate, killed the bill. Those who bend the knee to the worst ruling in history (Roe v. Wade) are no better than the ones who wrote it."

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7 Moms, 7 Babies to Visit D.C. with Powerful Pro-Life Message

Nikki and her daughter, Alexis, are headed to

Washington, D.C. to tell their story this January.

Photo Courtesy: Options Pregnancy Clinic, Branson (Mo.)

While the nation’s attention will be focused on the presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump in early 2017, two powerful pro-life events are scheduled for the following week in the nation’s capitol.

Commemorating the 44th year since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on-demand throughout the U.S. with its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the annual March for Life is expected to draw as many as 500,000 peaceful demonstrators in its Jan. 27 event.

A day prior to the march, however, Heartbeat International will bring seven mothers—and their babies—to meet with their representatives in the U.S. House and Senate in its Babies Go to Congress event, where mothers tell how they chose life over abortion with the help of a local pregnancy center.

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Investigation reveals shocking health violations at 200+ abortion clinics

Americans United for Life released an eye-opening investigative report on Tuesday morning that revealed more than 1,400 stunning health and safety deficiencies in the past eight years at 227 abortion providers in 32 states.

Among the abortion facilities included in the report was Planned Parenthood, which is responsible for approximately one-third of the abortions in the U.S. AUL designated 39 Planned Parenthood clinics in 15 states (Alabama, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia) to be Unsafe. Some of those were guilty of each of the violations outlined in AUL’s “Top 10” list.

The report, Unsafe, How the Public Health Crisis in America’s Abortion Clinics Endangers Women, can be viewed by clicking here.

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Trump appoints pro-life Gov. Rick Perry as energy secretary

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry

President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former Texas Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), according to media reports Tuesday morning.

Perry, who himself was among the large field of GOP presidential contenders earlier in the campaign, jumping in the race in June of last year after stepping down as Texas’ longest-serving governor, had met with Trump on Monday.

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In opposing Pain-Capable bills, pro-abortionists show how out of touch they are with the public

As we are at the end some lame duck state legislative sessions and are preparing for the 2017 sessions, the pro-abortionists’ best friend–the media–is swinging into a kind of preemptive DEFCON 1 status.

It’s the end of the world (as they know it), they moan. It’s bad enough that pro-life Republicans control more and more state legislative bodies and governor’s office, now these “abortion foes” are “emboldened” by the election of President-elect Donald Trump (to crib from the New York Times ).

Take an editorial in today’s Times of Trenton [ New Jersey], “N.J. abortion ban a threat to women’s right to choose.” Here are the two paragraphs which prepare the reader to understand why there is what might be called the “Trump Effect”:

Meanwhile, President-Elect Donald Trump has surrounded himself with rabid abortion foes, including his pick for vice president, Mike Pence, and his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Tom Price.

The incoming president took up the right-wing battle cry against Planned Parenthood, and also vowed during his campaign to nominate U.S. Supreme Court Justices who oppose Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that affirmed a woman’s right to choose.

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Planned Parenthood: Less care, no matter what

But, but, but Planned Parenthood offers all these other services! That’s the battle cry from “pro-choice” activists across the nation in attempts to redefine what Planned Parenthood clearly is—a business that profits, predominantly, from the killing of over 320,000 human beings a year.

What about those “other services” at Planned Parenthood? Well, they’re in a free fall just like mainstream media’s credibility. Breast cancer screenings…down 51.3% in the last five years. PAP tests…down 64.7%. Prenatal care (which looks to be facing an eventual phase out)…down 44%. HPV treatments…down 37%. All of these declines have occurred in Planned Parenthood’s fiscal years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

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