Rockford Zoning Board Rejects Challenge to Abortionist's "Home Business" Clinic

Abortionist Dennis Christensen
screenshot from "Lake of Fire" documentary clip

Abortionist Dennis Christensen, who once owned an abortion clinic in Rockford, IL that was closed for health violations, is attempting to open a new clinic as a "home business" in a Rockford neighborhood. Local residents, assisted by the Thomas More Society, challenged Christensen's attempt before the Rockford Zoning Board of Appeals. On December 20, the board ultimately rejected their challenge, and the facility opened for business on December 27.

Until the Dobbs v. Jackson decision last year, Christensen operated an abortion clinic in Wisconsin. The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to create and enforce abortion laws through the democratic process. This allowed Wisconsin to enforce its 1849 law banning abortion, which prompted Christensen to return to Illinois.

Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen argued that the proposed business violates Rockford zoning ordinance and will do grave harm to the community.

“An abortion clinic in the middle of a residential neighborhood would be a problem under any circumstances,” explained Breen, “But it is especially egregious in this situation. This abortionist has already been run out of town previously, having had his facility shut down over ten years ago by the Illinois Department of Health, because of the risks he posed to the safety and health of area women. The residents of Rockford didn’t want him practicing in their town then and they down want him selling abortions in their neighborhood now.”

“Abortion clinics are known for bringing disturbances, loud protests and counterprotests, as well as decreases in nearby property values and significant traffic impacts,” Breen added. “Opening such a facility in a residential area not zoned for commercial use would significantly impede residents’ ability to live quiet, peaceful lives. The proposed use for this property should be independently reviewed because of its unique characteristics, traffic impacts, and effects on the surrounding community.”

Breen's prediction came true on Dec 27, the day that the clinic opened for business. Pro-life protestors stood on the sidewalk nearby holding signs when a pro-abortion woman exited her vehicle to approach the protestors and physically attack them. Authorities later arrested the woman at her home on charges of battery.

The Rockford Zoning Board of Appeals ruled that the Thomas More Society and the residents who filed complaints had no legal standing to challenge their zoning determination. The board unanimously came to this conclusion on the basis that they did not live close enough to the clinic to be affected by its presence.

The board also unanimously voted that the building could be used as an abortion business under a 40-year-old special permit allowing a home medical office there.

Christensen's "home business" at 611 Auburn St in Rockford offers abortion pills. He is working with pro-abortion activists to open a surgical abortion clinic at 4236 Maray Drive in Rockford.

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US House Republicans to Introduce Pro-Life Legislation

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)

House Majority Leader-elect Steve Scalise (R-LA) announced plans to bring pro-life legislation to the House floor at the beginning of this year. While they are unlikely to pass in the Senate, these pro-life bills will show the priorities of incoming legislators.

The pro-life bills include:

No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act- a bill sponsored by Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ) that would make the Hyde Amendment permanent. The bill would prohibit federal funding of abortion and prohibit the funding of any insurance plan that includes elective abortion.

Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act - a bill sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) requiring that healthcare professionals provide the same level of care to a child born alive during an attempted abortion as they would to any other child born at the same gestational age. It further requires that these children be transferred to a hospital after receiving this care. Providers who violate these requirements could be fined and imprisoned for up to five years.

Expressing the sense of Congress condemning the recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches - a resolution sponsored by Rep Mike Johnson (R-LA) that would express condemnation toward the wave of violence and vandalism by radical pro-abortion activists against pro-life facilities and local churches.

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Biden HHS Proposes Rule to Strip Conscience Rights from Medical Professionals

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed new regulations that would limit medical professionals' abilities to object to immoral procedures (such as abortion or assisted suicide).

“Some doctors, nurses, and hospitals, for example, object for religious or moral reasons to providing or referring for abortions or assisted suicide, among other procedures. Respecting such objections honors liberty and human dignity. It also redounds to the benefit of the medical profession,” the proposed rule states, “[but] patients also have autonomy, rights, and moral and religious convictions. And they have health needs, sometime[s] urgent ones. Our health care systems must effectively deliver services to all who need them in order to protect patients’ health and dignity.”

Groups focused on pro-life and religious liberty issues express concerns that the new rule will require medical professionals to refer patients for controversial procedures even if they object to those procedures.

A federal district court in California recently sided with the Christian Medical Dental Association when it agreed that a law requiring medical providers to refer patients for assisted suicide likely violates the First Amendment.

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FDA Changes Plan B Label to Remove Abortifacient Warning

The US Food and Drug Administration has changed the label for Plan B One-Step "emergency contraceptive" to remove a warning that the drug can function as an abortifacient.

Plan B is an over-the-counter drug that prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation, blocking fertilization, or preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. In the third of these scenarios, an abortion occurs. A fertilized egg is a unique and innocent human being with a right to life. When Plan B prevents fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus, those humans die.

The new label reads "Plan B One-Step will not work if you are already pregnant and will not affect an existing pregnancy."

The FDA explained its reasoning for the change in a public decisional memorandum. The memorandum argues that the active drug in Plan B, levonorgestrel (LNG) “does not terminate an established pregnancy and does not affect a continuing pregnancy.” The FDA concluded, “In summary, LNG-EC is shown to act primarily by interfering with ovulation (delay or inhibition of follicle rupture and/or the midcycle LH and related hormonal changes) and not to act through direct effect on fertilization or on the endometrium to impede implantation.”

This claim is contradicted by other studies. In 2014, one year after Plan B became available over the counter, the Charlotte Lozier Institute analyzed a group of studies analyzing the abortifacient potential of emergency contraception. The institute wrote in its assessment, “All point to Plan B’s having a predominantly post-fertilization (abortifacient) MOA [mechanisms of action] when it is given during a woman’s fertile period.”

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$1.7 Trillion Omnibus Earmarks $575 Million for "Family Planning/Reproductive Health"

Rep Dan Bishop (R-NC)

Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), whose team has been combing details from the massive $1.7 trillion spending bill and sharing them on Twitter, sparked discussion when he highlighted that the bill earmarks $575 million for "family planning/reproductive health."

In a Twitter thread outlining the many earmarks crammed into the spending bill, Bishop wrote, "On a more sinister note, here's at least $575 million for 'family planning' in areas where population growth 'threatens biodiversity.' Malthusianism is a disturbing, anti-human ideology that should have ZERO place in any federal program."

The text Bishop referenced can be found on page 1,550 of the 4,155-page bill.

The Hyde Amendment applies to all spending in the omnibus. This prevents federal tax dollars from directly funding abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is at risk. When this money goes to pro-abortion organizations, however, it allows them to more easily use other funds to increase abortions.

$1.7 Trillion Spending Bill includes $286 Million for Title X

The $1.7 trillion spending bill expected to be signed by President Joe Biden includes $286 million to fund "voluntary family planning projects" through Title X. Recipients of these funds will include pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood.

The bill does include the Hyde amendment, which limits how tax dollars can directly fund abortion. Specifically, the amendment prevents tax dollars from being used to fund abortions in the US except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is at risk. The funding will still help Planned Parenthood by freeing them to use other funds for pro-abortion goals.

The bill passed in the House by a vote of 225-201. It passed in the Senate by a vote of 68-29.

Pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood lamented the Hyde Amendment's inclusion and the fact that the Title X funding amount was not increased from previous years. Funding has remained at $286 million for nine years, but pro-abortion groups argued for an increase due to the Supreme Court's decision overruling Roe v. Wade.

“Congress had a clear directive and they failed to deliver,” Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson told Politico. “At a time when Roe v. Wade has been overturned and health care access is under increasing threat, this bill fails to meet the moment.”

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6th Circuit Blocks Louisville, Kentucky Buffer Zone Ordinance

On Dec 21, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Louisville, Kentucky ordinance banning sidewalk counseling outside EMW Women's Surgical Center (the only abortion clinic in the city) "likely violate[s] the first amendment" and placed an injunction blocking its enforcement.

The buffer zone ordinance has been in place for over a year.

In the court's opinion, Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote,

“Sisters for Life, several individuals, and another pro-life organization wish to offer leaflets and compassionate, if sometimes unwelcome, speech to women entering abortion clinics in Louisville, Kentucky….But Louisville-Jefferson County limited their speaking and pamphleteering in buffer zones near the entrance of each clinic. Because these limits likely violate the First Amendment… we preliminarily enjoin them.”

Kentucky Right to Life Executive Director Addia Wuchner responded joyfully in a press release:

"Judge Jeffrey Sutton and the Court recognized the critical elements of the practice of ‘sidewalk counseling’— the quiet, compassionate, non-threatening, one-on-one conversations where dedicated sidewalk counselors reach out to convince EMW’s patients that there are life-saving alternatives to abortion. The practice of sidewalk counseling has always been to come alongside and accompany the woman in whatever way she may need."

The case now returns to the Western District of Kentucky, but the ordinance will be rendered unenforceable while the case proceeds.

Planned Parenthood Drops Challenges to Five NC Pro-Life Laws

On Dec 22, a coalition of pro-abortion groups led by Planned Parenthood South Atlanta dropped their legal challenges against five North Carolina pro-life laws.

The five laws that were challenged by pro-abortion groups include:

• prohibition on telemedicine abortions
• 72-hour informed-consent period
• facility safety-code obligations
• requirement that facilities provide patients with informed-consent information
• regulation stating abortions must performed by licensed physician

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represented North Carolina's Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate and defended the legislation in court.

“Every woman deserves to have all the information she needs to make the healthiest choice for everyone involved in an unexpected pregnancy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Tragically, many women turn to abortion as a last resort, unaware of the resources available to them or the harms of abortion. No one benefits more from this situation than abortionists and their facilities. We’re pleased to have favorably closed this case on behalf of the legislators we represent, and to see these life-saving state laws that empower women remain in effect.”

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Illinois House Speaker Says Lawmakers will Likely Consider Abortion Rights Constitutional Amendment

Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-7)

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-7) indicated to several news outlets that his party is likely to consider a constitutional amendment creating a right to abortion in Illinois.

When asked by the State Journal-Register about the possibility of a constitutional amendment, Welch responded, “That's certainly one of the questions that's out there, and it’s a strong possibility. But again, I don't want to get ahead of the working group or the recommendations they formally present. I'm certain that's one of the things that's on the table.”

Even though Illinois has maintained a staunchly pro-abortion supermajority for many election cycles, Welch told KSDK TV "Right now, we're a single Legislature or a single Supreme Court away from losing [abortion] rights."

Illinois is already one of the most pro-abortion states in the country, but a constitutional amendment could prevent future pro-life advocates from protecting the rights of the unborn. To protect the unborn, Illinoisans would need to amend the constitution again to remove the pro-abortion language. This is more difficult than simply passing a law.

A constitutional amendment would require a 3/5 vote from lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly before going to the ballot for the general election. The amendment is considered adopted if it is approved by 3/5 of those voting on the amendment or a simple majority of all ballots cast.

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Merry Christmas!

 

Canadian Government Funds Assisted Suicide Activity Book for Children

The Canadian health department (Health Canada) has funded an activity book for children aged 6-12 designed to normalize the practice of assisted suicide.

The booklet is titled "Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Activity Book". The cover reads, “Welcome! These activities will help you think about Medical Assistance in Dying by someone in your life.” The book seeks to convince children that a loved one who has been killed by assisted suicide has not been wronged. The book describes MAiD as follows:

"The word ‘medical’ means the science of medicine, and ‘assistance’ means help. So MAiD means that medicine is used to help someone with their death. A doctor or nurse practitioner (a nurse with special training) uses medicines to stop the person’s body from working. When their body stops working, the person dies. This is done in a way that does not hurt the person. The medicines help them feel comfortable and peaceful. A person has to ask for MAiD and then go through a bunch of steps before it can happen. The steps are described below in this book."

The activity book can be viewed here.

Disturbingly, the book even justifies assisted suicide in cases where the person is not diagnosed with a terminal illness. Page five of the book linked above reads, "Other people might ask for MAiD if their illness or disability will not cause their body to die, but it causes too much pain or suffering for them to keep living with it, and there is no way to make the illness or disability get better or go away."

The book goes on to tell children that MAiD is a "personal choice" and that friends and family should not try and stop. In reality, it is an act by a medical professional to intentionally end the life of a vulnerable and suffering individual. Two recent stories exemplify this:

A Canadian veteran was offered assisted suicide by Canada's veterans department when she requested financial assistance for a stairlift.

A disabled Canadian man was approved for assisted suicide after he was no longer able to afford housing. He reconsidered his decision after the story went viral and generous individuals raised money for him.

66 Congress Members Demand Defense Secretary Rescind Policy Funding Abortion Travel

On Dec 15, 66 Members of Congress wrote a bicameral letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding that he "immediately" revoke the new Defense Department policy funding travel for abortions.

Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Sen Steve Daines(R-MT), and Sen James Lankford (R-OK) led the letter to Secretary Austin. They were responding to a recent memorandum announcing that the Pentagon would pay the travel costs of service members and their dependents should they travel out of state to have abortions.

This is one of the latest developments in the Biden administration's ongoing attempts to undermine the US Supreme Court's Dobbs decision returning the issue of abortion to state legislatures and the democratic process.

“We write in strong opposition to the memorandum,” the lawmakers wrote, which “violates decades-old federal law prohibiting the Department of Defense (DOD) from funding elective abortion (which includes facilitating such abortions), and we urge you to immediately rescind it.”

“Congress has clearly and consistently acted to prevent the U.S. military from funding elective abortion procedures and services necessitated by those procedures.

“While the memorandum claims that this policy will be implemented consistent with federal law, funding travel and transportation to obtain non-covered, elective abortions through the DOD would, in and of itself violate federal law. It also contradicts DOD’s past recognition, interpretation, and implementation of this law.”

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Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules State Constitution Does Not Protect Assisted Suicide

On Dec 19, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state's constitution does not protect physicians from prosecution; suggesting that laws about manslaughter could prohibit assisted suicide.

The prosecution, consisting of a doctor hoping to prescribe assisted suicide and a cancer patient, argued that the Massachusetts constitution gave patients with terminal illnesses a constitutional right to assisted suicide.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Cape and Islands District Attorney General Daniel Higgins argued that the issue of assisted suicide is best left for the people to decide through their elected lawmakers. Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Frank Gaziano wrote the court's 89-page ruling in agreement with the state's position:

“Our decision today does not diminish the critical nature of [assisted suicide] interests, but rather recognizes the limits of our Constitution, and the proper role of the judiciary in a functioning democracy. The desirability and practicality of physician-assisted suicide raises not only weighty philosophical questions about the nature of life and death, but also difficult technical questions about the regulation of the medical field. These questions are best left to the democratic process, where their resolution can be informed by robust public debate and thoughtful research by experts in the field.”

Gaziano further wrote, “To this day, courts regard suicide as a serious social ill that the State has a strong interest in preventing. Perhaps, for this reason, assisting another to commit suicide largely has been, and continues to be, regarded as a serious crime.”

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Vatican Dismisses Pro-Life Father Frank Pavone from Priesthood

Father Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life, was dismissed from his clerical position in the Catholic Church for “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.”

CNA confirmed the dismissal after obtaining a letter to US bishops by Archbishop Christophe Pierre. He wrote that the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision on Nov. 9 with "no possibility of appeal." While many details of the dismissal are unclear, canon lawyer Father Gerald E Murray told CNA "Only the Pope, who enjoys “full and supreme power in the Church” (canon 332, 1), can issue such a decision against which there is no possible appeal."

“Since Priests for Life, Inc. is not a Catholic organization, Mr. Pavone’s continuing role in it as a lay person would be entirely up to the leadership of that organization,” read a statement included with the letter to bishops.

Pavone told CNA that he was unaware of his dismissal until CNA contacted him for comment on Dec 17.

Pavone is now calling out Church authorities and accusing them of trying to prevent pro-life activism among clergy. “We all expect that the pro-abortion groups, like Planned Parenthood, will target, harass and try to intimidate us. And they do try,” he wrote.

“But when such treatment comes from bishops and other Church authorities — which it increasingly does — it’s particularly deplorable,” he added. “Instead of supporting and encouraging the pro-life work of the Church, some of these men try to obstruct and hinder it, and abuse their authority to try to intimidate priests and laity who make ending abortion the top priority of our lives.”

The specific incidents that sparked Pavone's removal do not appear to be public, but many prominent Catholics and pro-lifers criticized the decision and accuse Church authorities of hypocrisy for not removing other priests who openly oppose Catholic teachings.

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Vermont Governor Signs Amendment Creating Constitutional Right to Abortion

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R)

On Dec 13, Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) signed an amendment to the state constitution creating a right to abortion.

The people of Vermont voted to approve the amendment during the 2022 midterm elections. With Scott's signature, the change is now official.

Vermont passed a law in 2019 creating a statutory right to abortion. Immediately after they passed that law, legislators began the process of amending the constitution to strengthen their legislation. It passed in two consecutive legislative sessions before going to voters in the 2022 midterms. Over 76% of voters approved the amendment.

Other states that created constitutional rights to abortion during the midterm election include California, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan.

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VA Nurse Sues Biden Administration over Abortion Rule

A Texas nurse with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has sued the VA over a Biden rule requiring the agency to commit abortions regardless of state law. She accused the rule of lacking a process for religious exemptions and requiring employees to risk prosecution for violating Texas's Heartbeat Act.

Army Veteran and Nurse Practitioner Stephanie Carter filed the lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction against the rule's enforcement in Texas. Carter says that she sought religious accommodation, but she was told that the Biden rule has "no process" to review such requests. Under the new rule, Carter could be asked to provide abortion counseling or prescribe abortion pills.

Carter is represented by First Liberty Institute, which also accuses the administration of disregarding the federal rulemaking process and the Veterans Health Care Act's express ban against committing abortions at VA facilities.

"They didn't care to take notice or comment before the rule was implemented to understand that there are many employees out there who have these concerns," First Liberty Senior Counsel Danielle Runyan told Fox News. "The rule doesn't account for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It doesn't take into account religious conscience. It says nothing about that. So it's just another instance where First Amendment and RFRA rights are being ignored and that just can't be," she said.

"The VA should be focused on caring for the men and women who bravely served to protect our country, not on performing illegal abortions," Runyan said in a press release. "The new VA Rule disregards longstanding federal law that prohibits VA clinics from performing abortions and fails to account for the sincerely held religious beliefs of medical providers who are impacted by the Rule."

VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes told Fox News that the VA "does provide accommodation for VA employees who wish to opt out of providing abortion counseling or services," but he did not elaborate on whether the rule requires this.

"We are currently honoring exemption requests that come through VA supervisors," Hayes continued. "We have provided all VA health care employees with this information – including information for how to exercise those protections through VA’s Office of Resolution Management Diversity and Inclusion – and we have encouraged employees to inform their supervisors of any requests for exemptions."

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University of Washington Settles Public Records Lawsuit, Agrees to Release Fetal Body Part Experimentation Documents

Center for Medical Progress President David Daleiden

Documents concerning experimentation by the University of Washington (UW) on fetal body parts harvested from aborted children will be released to the public.

UW and Planned Parenthood have settled their lawsuit against the Center for Medical Progress President David Daleiden. The groups sued to stop Daleiden from procuring records concerning UW's taxpayer-funded experiments involving aborted babies and harvested body parts. Now, the groups have agreed to pay Daleiden's $30,000 in attorney fees and produce records detailing the harvesting, use, and distribution of aborted babies and their body parts from 2010 to the present day.

Daleiden initially filed the request for records through Washington's Public Records Act in February 2016.

“Public entities’ good faith compliance with public records laws is crucial to promoting public trust, holding bad actors accountable under the law, and safeguarding democratic values,” Daleiden said in a statement.

“State actors’ transparency and accountability under freedom of information laws is even more important in the realm of government-sponsored experiments on aborted human fetuses, where laws against infanticide and organ trafficking, the systemic exploitation of the vulnerable, and the irreversible life-or-death abortion decisions of new families are at stake. The Center for Medical Progress will continue to monitor and report on these issues to educate the public and advocate for more just and humane abortion and research policies.”

It is worth noting that UW's "Birth Defects Research Laboratory" at which these experiments occurred is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health.

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Pro-abortion Activists to Focus on Ballot Initiatives in 2023 and 2024

Pro-abortion activists are proposing state ballot initiatives to counteract the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

Abortion-related ballot initiatives swung heavily in favor of pro-abortion groups during the 2022 elections. Pro-life initiatives failed, while pro-abortion ones were passed. Some pro-abortion initiatives endanger the lives of the preborn more than Roe v. Wade did. Any initiative that creates a legal right to abortion prevents the state from restricting abortion even after the child has reached the age of viability.

Anthony Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, told NPR that the group is considering several states for ballot initiatives, including Ohio and Florida. The ACLU also said that partners in at least a dozen states have reached out to discuss similar campaigns.

Activists are discussing initiatives in many states. Between reports from PewTrust.org, NPR, and CBS, LiveAction compiled a list of states that could see pro-abortion initiatives hit ballots by 2024. These include Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

To pass pro-abortion measures and defeat pro-life ones during the 2022 election, pro-abortion groups often deceived voters by insinuating that pro-life measures negatively impact the care doctors could provide mothers in the event of pregnancy complications or miscarriages. Pro-life advocates will need to counteract this messaging if they wish to prevent the complete legalization of abortion through ballot measures.

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Planned Parenthood Sex Education Program Calls Children "Sexual Beings" and Promotes Porn Literacy

Planned Parenthood's Center for Sex Education, which proclaims itself as "the nation's largest provider of sex education," has come under fire recently for its director's comments calling children "sexual beings" and advocating "porn literacy."

Fox News Digital reported on comments made by Bill Tavern, the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood's Center for Sex Education in New Jersey. What draws the most ire is a comment referring to children as "sexual beings." "[We have] in our society, an assumption of asexuality of people with intellectual disabilities," Tavern said in 2015. "It's a myth that's perpetuated, and really we are all sexual beings from birth until death."

Fox found that these comments were echoed in Planned Parenthood's teaching guide entitled "Fundamentals of Teaching Sexuality." Part of the guide reads, "sexuality is a part of life through all the ages and stages. Babies, elders, and everyone in between can experience sexuality."

The report also mentions a 2012 interview with Tavern that discusses the topic of pornography.

"I think that there's this yearning for information that young people have that… hasn't changed," Tavern said. "[The] delivery of how we get information is quite different. I think that the internet is a major influence on how people learn about sexuality. There's access to erotica, pornography. That was very different for young people 30 years ago. It's certainly not as accessible, certainly not as instantaneous. So there's a lot of information that is useful."

Later in a 2021 interview, he likened instruction about pornography to instruction about condoms.

"There's a resistance to... if we talk about porn, [some think] is it going to make people want to watch it? Which is the same faulty kind of premise as if we teach about condoms, it's going to make people want to have sex with condoms or maybe that's not a bad thing," Tavern said.

Inviting young students to be "sexual beings" with "porn literacy" encourages sexual behavior. This behavior harms children who are not yet capable of consenting to sex or caring for a child. While harming students, Planned Parenthood profits by encouraging students to abort unwelcome pregnancies.

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Pro-Abortion Senators Introduce Bill to Federally Fund Abortion Travel

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced a bill on Dec. 8 that would create a federal fund to pay the travel expenses of women who travel out of state for abortions.

The Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act would offer $350 million each year to organizations that help cover the travel costs for women seeking abortions. Spectrum News writes that the funds could be used to pay for lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, and transportation. Most funds would pay the expenses of women who travel from pro-life states to pro-abortion ones.

A similar bill was introduced in the House by Rep Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) in July.

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Abortion Pill Reversal has Saved 4,000 Lives and Counting!

The Abortion Pill Rescue Network, operated by Heartbeat International, has reached the milestone of 4,000 babies saved!

Abortion pill reversal (APR) has been available for over a decade. Women who regret taking the first of the two pills in the chemical abortion process can use APR to save their children's lives.

The chemical abortion process involves two pills. The first of these is mifepristone. This pill starves and suffocates an unborn child by blocking the flow of a pregnancy hormone called progesterone. Progesterone facilitates the flow of oxygen and nutrients from the mother to her child. The second pill in a chemical abortion, misoprostol, is taken after the child has died. It induces labor, thereby removing the aborted baby from the mother's womb.

APR works by administering additional progesterone to the mother after she has taken mifepristone. This can counteract the effects of mifepristone and prevent the child from starving or suffocating. The more quickly APR is attempted after a mother takes mifepristone, the more likely it is to save the child's life.

Recent data from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute indicates that the abortion pill regime accounts for over half of abortions in the US. Women who start those abortions and regret doing so have the opportunity to reverse that decision, and more institutions are making APR available for these women.

The Abortion Pill Rescue Network recently added several hospital systems that now offer APR protocol in their emergency departments.

"Hospital systems adding the APR protocol as an order set is a big win for women who are seeking reversal care," said Christa Brown, Senior Director of Medical Impact at the Abortion Pill Rescue Network.

"Women should never be forced to continue with an abortion they no longer desire, and immediate care is now available in some hospitals. Women who present in an emergency department of these hospitals can now rely on the APR protocol to be immediately available to them. We also have a number of other healthcare systems working to also add their hospitals to our growing list of providers who agree that APR is an appropriate and effective treatment for those having regret after taking the first abortion pill."

Click here to read more.

Pentagon to Pay Abortion Travel Expenses for Military Members and Dependents

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

A memorandum released by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a fund that will pay the travel expenses of military members and their dependents if they live in states with pro-life laws. This is the latest move by the Biden administration to use federal agencies to undermine state pro-life laws established in the aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson.

In the memo, Secretary Austin writes, “In my judgment, such effects qualify as unusual, extraordinary, hardship, or emergency circumstances for Service members and their dependents and will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain, and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force.”

Among other things, the memorandum announces the creation of a fund that will reimburse service members for the cost of out-of-state travel if abortions are not available in their local areas. The new policy also extends the time service members have to notify commanders of pregnancy from two weeks of gestation to twenty.

The memorandum directs the Pentagon to complete the list of pro-abortion initiatives by the end of 2022.

Click here to read more.

FDA Warns Against Prescribing Abortion Pills Before Pregnancy

Even as the FDA loosens restrictions on abortion pills, it rejects calls by abortion advocates to approve the prescription of abortion pills to women who are not yet pregnant.

“The FDA is concerned about the advance prescribing of mifepristone for this use,” an FDA spokesperson told Politico. “Mifepristone is not approved for advance provision of a medical abortion.”

The FDA spokesperson told Politico that the FDA condemned advance provision of abortion pills because this method does not allow a medical professional to properly verify a baby's gestational age or diagnose pregnancy conditions such as ectopic pregnancy. If the abortion pill regimen is taken after the baby has reached a certain gestational age, or while the mother has an ectopic pregnancy, the medical risk to the mother increases significantly.

While the concern is warranted, it's unclear why the FDA chose to allow abortion pills to be prescribed via telemedicine and delivered through the mail. An abortionist cannot accurately find the child's gestational age or diagnose pregnancy conditions remotely. The same risks apply to telemedicine abortion pills as apply to advance prescription ones.

Charlotte Lozier Institute Director of Medical Affairs Dr. Ingrid Skip told CNA that bad actors could also take advantage of advance prescription to coerce women.

“This can leave the door open for coercion, it can leave the door open for other people to get ahold of the medicine and give it to a woman who may not necessarily desire an abortion,” she said.

Click here to read more.

Judge Rules Indiana Attorney General Can Investigate Abortionist Caitlin Bernard

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita

On Friday, Dec 2, Judge Heather Welch denied an emergency injunction by abortionist Caitlin Bernard to prevent Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita from investigating her. Rokita is investigating the events surrounding an abortion Bernard committed on a 10-year-old rape victim; accusing her of not reporting her rape to authorities in a timely manner and using the child's private information for political gain.

Welch ruled that the jurisdiction of the matter falls before Indiana's Medical Licensing Board. Because of this, Welch denied Bernard's request for an injunction.

Rokita issued the following statement after Welch's ruling:

“This is a win for patient privacy rights in the practice of medicine and for properly reporting child abuse. This case is not really about abortion, despite the best efforts of those with an agenda to make it appear that way. 

This has always been about two things: 

First, it is a doctor’s duty to keep patients’ information private, unless specifically authorized. 

Second, a healthcare provider must protect a child from being further abused by properly reporting the situation immediately to Indiana authorities as required by our laws.

But for the doctor’s violation of her patient’s privacy by going to the news media, this story would have never been publicized. 

The doctor and her attorneys initiated this media frenzy from the beginning, and it continues to draw attention to this innocent little girl who is trying to cope with a horrific trauma. 

The Office of the Attorney General will continue to fight for patients’ rights and safety in this and other situations.”'

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Canadian VA Offers Veteran Suicide When She Requests Wheelchair Lift

Pro-life advocates lamented the increasing prevalence of assisted suicide in western culture last week after a Canadian veteran and former Paralympian testified that Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) offered her assisted suicide as a solution when she requested a wheelchair lift.

Christine Gauthier testified before the veterans committee of Canada's House of Commons that a VAC employee offered assisted suicide to solve her problems.

“I have a letter saying that if you’re so desperate, madam, we can offer you MAID, medical assistance in dying,” Gauthier told the committee. She agreed to provide a copy of the letter for the legislators.

She later told Global News, “I was like, ‘I can’t believe that you will … give me an injection to help me die, but you will not give me the tools I need to help me live.’”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to his credit, called the incident "absolutely unacceptable."

“We are following up with investigations and we are changing protocols to ensure what should seem obvious to all of us: that it is not the place of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), who are there to support those people who stepped up to serve their country, to offer them medical assistance in dying,” Trudeau said.

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Indiana Judge Blocks Pro-life Law; Claims Religious Freedom Grants Abortion Rights

A second judge has issued an injunction blocking Indiana's law prohibiting most elective abortions. This time the injunction was issued on the grounds that it violates Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch issued the new injunction on Dec. 2, siding with the pro-abortion groups who claimed the law violated their religious beliefs. This group consists of five individual women and Hoosier Jews for Choice represented by the ACLU.

“For example, under Jewish law, a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth,” the ACLU lawsuit reads. “Jewish law recognizes that abortions may occur, and should occur as a religious matter, under circumstances not allowed by (the near-total abortion ban) or existing Indiana law.”

The ACLU is arguing that it is illegal for the Indiana government to grant rights to preborn humans because some religious people believe those humans don't deserve rights. Even further, if abortion "should occur as a religious matter," the group is arguing that abortion is a religious rite under Jewish law. The claim that abortion is a religious rite is echoed by The Satanic Temple when it files lawsuits to try and block pro-life laws.

Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 1 is already blocked by courts pending a decision on the law's constitutionality. Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon issued that injunction back in September. Now, even if the Indiana Supreme Court overrules that injunction, courts would need to resolve this second injunction before the state could enforce the law.

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Hope Clinic in Granite City Hospitalizes Patients Two Days in a Row

photo credit: Operation Rescue

Two days in a row last month, the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, IL hospitalized abortion patients. Pro-lifers on the sidewalk documented the arrival of ambulances on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, and Operation Rescue retrieved 911 records. Disturbingly, the staffer who made both calls is recorded laughing on the Nov. 9 911 call.

Recordings of the 911 calls are available here.

The Nov. 8 emergency occurred at around noon. A 42-year-old woman suffered from heavy vaginal bleeding, so a staffer called 911 to request an ambulance. The 911 dispatch report tagged the emergency as "high priority" and the patient was transferred to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO.

On Nov. 9, the same staffer is recorded laughing when the call connects to a dispatcher. She simply tells the dispatcher that the patient, "needs to be transferred to Barnes. She is currently stable but she just needs a higher level of care." No further information is requested by the dispatcher, but the statement must commonly indicate to dispatchers that the emergency should be classified as a "high priority." The dispatch report for this incident categorized the emergency as such.

Operation Rescue noted that it has documented 15 medical emergencies at Hope Clinic since the spring of 2020.

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Appeals Court Reinstates Abortion Victim Burial Law

photo credit: Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr

On Nov 28, a federal appeals court reinstated an Indiana law requiring the bodies of aborted children to be respectfully buried or cremated rather than treated as medical waste.

In September, a lower court blocked the law by ruling that it violates the religious freedoms of women who do not believe preborn children have the same rights as born ones. The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overrode that decision this week. The Seventh Circuit's decision notes, “Indiana does not require any woman who has obtained an abortion to violate any belief, religious or secular. The cremate-or-bury directive applies only to hospitals and clinics.”

The decision goes on to note that the bodies of animals are sometimes cremated or buried due to legal requirements regarding the disposal of their bodies. "Indiana’s statute about fetal remains therefore need not imply anything about the appropriate characterization of a fetus. At all events, a moral objection to one potential implication of the way medical providers handle fetal remains is some distance from a contention that the state compels any woman to violate her own religious tenets."

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita applauded the decision. “The bodies of unborn babies are more than mere medical waste to be tossed out with trash,” Rokita said in a statement. “They are human beings who deserve the dignity of cremation or burial. The appellate court’s decision is a win for basic decency.”

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Indiana AG Accuses Abortionist of Exploiting Child Rape Victim for Political Gain

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita

An Indiana abortionist is suing Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita in an attempt to stop him from investigating suspicions that she illegally delayed reporting the rape of a minor.

Indiana abortionist Caitlin Bernard committed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim earlier this year. She immediately went to the media to have them publish a story criticizing the recent US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita quickly accused the abortionist of exploiting the situation for political gain, and his office is investigating Bernard for not reporting the rape of a minor in a timely manner. Now, Bernard is suing Rokita in an attempt to stop his investigation.

Bernard committed the abortion on June 30, 2022. The next day at 5:00 am, the Indianapolis Star published its story about the 10-year-old's rape and abortion. Bernard had to immediately contact the media to make this possible. Bernard filed a report about the rape on July 2. Indiana law requires Bernard to report such abuse immediately. According to Rokita, the delay, and the fact that Bernard took the time to speak with the Indianapolis Times, show that she was not reasonably following the reporting requirement.

Bernard, rather than prioritizing the safety of her patient, prioritized profit and politics. She probably should have reported the rape to authorities before even committing the abortion.

"The evidence strongly suggests that the doctor violated the mandatory reporting law, which required her to immediately report the child’s abuse to Indiana authorities," Rokita said in a statement. "Only by reporting to Indiana authorities immediately, as called for by statute, might the little girl have been spared from potentially being sent back to her perpetrator."

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Lawsuit Against HHS Seeks Abortion Pill Safety Information

Judicial Watch (JW) recently filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the HHS seeking safety and assessment information about the abortion drug mifepristone.

JW President Tom Fitton said that the organization was forced to sue after the FDA (which is overseen by the HHS) failed to respond to three FOIA requests from February of 2022.

“Our experience is that this chemical abortion pill did not and will not receive appropriate review from the politicized FDA,” Fitton said in a press release. “It is outrageous that Judicial Watch has had to sue in federal court for basic safety information about the abortion pill, which is being pushed on women by a desperate pro-abortion movement.”

The press release says that the records requested include "drug stability test results, new drug applications and related materials of the abortion drug Mifeprex (Mifepristone, formerly known as RU-486), as well as requests for reviews and assessments of the manufacturing facilities DANCO and GenBio where the abortion pills are produced."

The drug stability information JW requested would verify the shelf life of mifepristone and what happens as the pill degrades during storage. For example, if the pill is stored for hours in a location with temperatures outside the range on the pill's label (59° to 86°F), what effect does the pill have? This question becomes increasingly important as pills are delivered through the mail with loosened FDA regulations. Mailboxes could hold pills for hours at temperatures above or below that range.

“The Biden administration wants the pill to have wide access, so anything that threatens that agenda will be kept secret,” Fitton told Fox News. “If this pill is as important as the Biden administration suggests, then American women have the right to as much information as possible on its safety and efficacy.”

JW's lawsuit is asking the court to recover attorneys' fees and litigation costs. It is also asking the court to require the HHS to produce “any and all nonexempt records” and enjoin the HHS from withholding such records in the future.

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Kansas Judge Blocks Telemedicine Abortion Ban

On Nov 23, District Court Judge Teresa Watson issued an injunction blocking Kansas from enforcing its law banning the use of telemedicine to prescribe abortion drugs.

The 2011 law requires abortionists to prescribe the drug in person. This ensures that the abortionist is in a position to verify that the gestational age of the child is within the range where the abortion pill is considered "safe" and "effective." It would also allow the abortionist to check for any abnormal pregnancy conditions, such as ectopic pregnancy. If a woman with an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy attempts the abortion pill regimen, she is likely to experience severe injuries.

“We’re sickened to watch another commonsense abortion limit be blocked by a judge after a law was challenged by the abortion industry, which consistently puts its own profits and convenience ahead of women’s health and safety,” said Jeanne Gawdun, Kansans for Life (KFL) Director of Government Relations.

Gawdun accused Watson of issuing the injunction the day before Thanksgiving to "quietly slip the latest loosening of abortion industry regulations past Kansans preoccupied with holiday preparations."

“The Value Them Both Amendment was written to keep broadly supported limits like this in place,” Gawdun continued. “The amendment failed to pass after the abortion industry and its allies mounted an out-of-state funded disinformation campaign to convince voters that abortion was already “heavily regulated” in Kansas and would remain so after a “no” vote. They lied. Last Wednesday’s ruling confirms that every existing abortion limit can now be blocked or struck down due to the extreme 2019 Hodes ruling from the Kansas Supreme Court.”

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Illinois Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing Girlfriend and Preborn Son

Darius Coffie
photo credit: Decatur Police Department

Darius Coffie, a young man who was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend and their preborn son in Decatur, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and intentional homicide to an unborn child. Coffie has been sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.

In May of 2022, Coffie shot and killed 25-year-old Shyann Foster in front of her young children. She was four months pregnant at the time. Coffie then fled in Foster's car. Before long, police found and arrested him in Springfield.

While he initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, Coffie changed his stance last week.

Mourning Foster's death, her mother wrote on Facebook, "He killed my only daughter and my unborn grandson💔💔"

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Biden to Guarantee Migrant Children Have Abortion Access

Biden's Department of Health and Human Services issued a new directive this month stating that migrant children in federal custody must be given access to abortion if they want it.

The HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) issued the directive on November 10. The new directive states:

This Field Guidance confirms that ORR staff and care providers must not prevent [unaccompanied children] from accessing legal abortion-related services and that ORR staff and care providers must make all reasonable efforts to facilitate access to these services if requested by the [unaccompanied children]. This may involve transporting a minor to a state in which abortion is lawful and available if the minor is currently in a state in which abortion is not lawful or available.

By federal law, all children under the age of 18 who enter the country without a parent or guardian are under the custody of the HHS. 2021 ORR data says that one-third of the 123,000 migrant children taken into federal custody in 2021 were female. No data is available showing how many were pregnant.

An HHS spokesperson told CBS news that the administration's change in policy is another response to the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The spokesperson was quoted saying that the administration is "committed to supporting access to essential health care, including reproductive health care, for all the populations we serve."

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