How should Pro-Lifers dialogue with the American people?

In the run up to the very important November 8 elections, understandably we pay a great deal of attention to the political process. But whoever is President, pro-life Donald Trump or pro-abortion Hillary Clinton, an overarching question will remain unchanged: how do those who affirm the value of all human life most propitiously dialogue with the American people?

The historian W.E. Lecky somewhere observes that the spread of any idea depends not only on the intrinsic power of that idea but also on the predisposition of the age to which it is presented. Taking that as our cue, clearly our task is to create in modern America an overriding receptivity—a predisposition—to the idea that the unborn child is “one of us,” deserving of justice and loving care.

Since pro-lifers believe that virtually every heart, no matter how calloused, can be touched, we have a challenging job ahead of us. But before we can devise a winning strategy for seriously influencing the hearts and minds of people, we must figure out what are today’s principal stumbling blocks, the primary obstacles that impede this receptivity to the message that the unborn are our brothers and sisters.

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100th Anniversary: 100 Celebrities Who Support Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood celebrates its 100th anniversary this Sunday, October 16. Over the years, the organization, which has aborted 7 million babies since 1970 (according to pro-life organizations), has never been short of support from its star-studded fan base.

From actress Kerry Washington to comedian Amy Poehler, here are 100 of the most famous celebrities who support Planned Parenthood through a myriad platforms... Click here for the list.

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Early voting for 2016 elections has already begun

In the last presidential election, about 35% of voters, over one third of the total, voted early. In several states, over half of all voters voted prior to Election Day.

So if you’re waiting to share where the candidates stand with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and all other social media, DON’T. The time to start is NOW. Pro-lifers need to educate themselves AND their friends about where the candidates stand on life issues NOW. As of this writing, voters in eleven states have already begun, and many more will follow soon.

To find out how to cast a ballot early in your state click here.

You can view the IFRL PAC Endorsements by clicking here.

Please use your social networks to share the invaluable resources here with your pro-life family, friends and colleagues.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

“In case you didn’t know”…

A few of the many implications of a question asked in Sunday’s second presidential debate...

The issue of the Supreme Court–and its composition under either a President Trump or a President Clinton–did not come up until near the end. A questioner stated/asked

Good evening. Perhaps the most important aspect of this election is the Supreme Court justice. What would you prioritize as the most important aspect of selecting a Supreme Court justice?

In case you didn’t know, Clinton said,”I want a Supreme Court that will stick with Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose.” She added, “Now Donald put forth of the names of people he would consider. And among the ones that he has suggested are people who would reverse Roe v. Wade,” which, she said, “would be a terrible mistake and take us backwards.”

Trump responded...

Justice Scalia, great judge, died recently and we have a vacancy. I am looking to appoint judges very much in the mold of justice Scalia. I am looking for judges and have actually picked 20 of them. So that people would say: Highly respected. Highly thought of and actually very beautifully reviewed by just about everybody. But people that will respect the Constitution of the United States. And I think that this is so important.

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Pro-lifers forced into abortion referrals

Both California and Illinois have passed tough laws forcing pro-life volunteers to refer pregnant women for abortions, despite the fact that the volunteers’ purpose is to convince mothers not to terminate the lives of their babies.

Jor-El Godsey, who heads Heartbeat International, tells OneNewsNow the pro-lifers also have to post signs that are contrary to their message.

“Including [a sign saying] 'This is not a licensed medical clinic,' which is kind of interesting,” he says, “because in some of the states, what's supposedly required there is no licensing for medical clinics - so it's a bit of an intentional obscuring of truth in order to advance an agenda.”

So why are abortionists so ardent in their quest to force pro-lifers to send clients to abortion clinics?

“They are losing in the marketplace because abortion numbers have been coming down, thank God,” he responds.

Click here for more from OneNewsNow.

How important are the 2016 elections? PPFA knows but do we?

PPFA President Cecile Richards waves as she walks
onto the stage at the Democratic National Convention
where abortion advocacy was at a fever pitch.
[Photo credit: Getty]

Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Votes can raise buckets of money, no doubt about it.

But its innumerable supporters in the media act not only as megaphones for whatever line it is PPFA wants advanced, they also attempt to act as a force suppressant. That is, they paint PPFA as if it is an irresistible invading army so powerful pro-lifers ought to just give up.

Reporter Tim Dickinson’s task begins by telling readers that this year’s output will make the previous outlays of the political arms of the largest abortion provider pale in comparison. So big, in fact, so buoyed with volunteers (they tell us they are going to reach three million voters in six states), that it “could tip the balance in as many as half-a-dozen swing states.”

No one ever said PPFA is modest.

But after rolling out the statistics, Dickinson shifts to the real purpose of his article: to paint Donald Trump and Mike Pence as “extremists” on abortion. That’s rich coming from an organization that performs over 300,000 abortions a year, takes in a half-billion from the federal government, and traffics in baby body parts.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

International Day of the Girl Child: End gendercide in China

Baby “Lian,” saved from abortion
by WRWF’s “Save a Girl” Campaign

An estimated 200 million women will not be celebrating International Day of the Girl Child today, because they are not alive. They were selectively aborted just because they were girls – victims of “gendercide.” Son preference runs amok in both China and India; both countries suffer from a vast gender imbalance, which in turn is driving human trafficking and sexual slavery.

Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, stated “The message of sex-selective abortion is that girls and women do not deserve to live. The selective elimination of 200 million women demands the passionate outrage of the women’s movement. It should be the number one priority of the international women’s movement.”

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers has launched a “Save a Girl” Campaign in China, which rescued hundreds of baby girls from gendercide. The advocacy group sent out a newsletter today highlighting the story of one such girl, “Lian,” who was almost aborted, but whose life was saved by their “Save a Girl” campaign...

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Jahi McMath Breathing on Own?

Jahi McMath

Readers may recall Jahi McMath–the teenager declared brain dead in California.

Her family–assisted by the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network and the Life Legal Defense Foundation–fought the determination in court.

A settlement led to Jahi being declared dead by California as the family was permitted to take her to New Jersey, where she remains.

Now, a few years later, her body has not deteriorated as usually happens in brain death, and indeed, her family claims she is slowly improving. California courts have ruled that the family may attempt to prove in court that she is not actually dead.

Her family has now released a video in which a breathing measuring machine is seen, with her mother urging Jahi to take breaths without mechanical assistance.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Can’t Refuse to Kill, Can Refuse to Care

As I have been–and will be–warning with intensifying urgency, moves are afoot to destroy medical conscience clauses under which doctors, nurses, and others can refuse to participate in abortions and assisted suicide.

This force-MDs-to-kill meme was summarized in a recent Reuters story:

Physicians shouldn’t have the legal right to act as conscientious objectors and refuse to provide services like abortion or assisted suicide even when these things conflict with their personal values, some doctors argue.

But what about patients who want life-sustaining treatment, that is, they want to remain in the fight to stay alive?

Some of the same activists who argue that doctors should be forced to be complicit in killing, say that doctors should have the right to refuse wanted treatment that keeps patients alive.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Pence exposes Clinton/Kaine abortion extremism

Many politicians – and others – are afraid to discuss abortion. That’s a big mistake.

Take vice presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence’s debate performance on Tuesday. He won, and part of the reason was the way he handled abortion.

No clichés, just compassion. No bumper sticker phrases, just facts.

Let me quote Gov. Pence from the debate:

“But what I can’t understand is with Hillary Clinton, and now Senator Kaine at her side, is to support a practice like partial-birth abortion. The very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema to me.”

Americans think partial-birth abortion is despicable. We passed a law that banned it, but now there are threats to bring it back by Supreme Court decree. And Hillary Clinton wants to make us all pay for abortions with our tax dollars.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

PP 'excited about abortion stories,' deploys $30M Hillary army

No longer content with the messaging that abortion advocates want to keep the lethal procedure “safe, legal and rare,” Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards and Clinton are now pushing the Democratic Party’s movement that is vying to normalize abortion across America by promoting extremist pro-abortion activism.

Part of Richards campaign now is urging women to come out of the closet and proudly share about their abortions – much like the homosexual agenda encourages those who engage in homosexual behavior to speak up for the LGBT community. She is attempting to make both sound as if abortion and LGBT activists are part of a civil rights movement.

Richards is fearful of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump harnessing the power to nominate pro-life SCOTUS judges – as he has promised to do if elected – especially with the lifelong pro-life activist, Mike Pence, at his side as his running mate.

Click here for more from OneNewsNow.

FRC Submits Public Comment with March for Life, Susan B. Anthony List, and Charlotte Lozier Institute Opposing Obama’s New HHS Title X Planned Parenthood Rule

The Obama administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a new proposed regulation blocking states from defunding Planned Parenthood from federal Title X family planning funds.

Family Research Council submitted public comment today with the Susan B. Anthony List, the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, urging HHS to reconsider and rescind this harmful regulation, which would effectively create a backdoor handout for the abortion industry.

You can read those comments in full here in a PDF.

Click here for more from Family Research Council.

Archbishop Aquila thoughtfully answers the question, “How should a Catholic vote?”

Archbishop Samuel Aquila
of Denver

In just 33 days Americans will make a monumental decision: who will be the 44th President of the United States. This will the 13th presidential election in which I have cast my vote and never have the stakes been higher.

Archbishop Samuel Aquila, writing in the Denver Catholic offers counsel as he addresses the question, “How should a Catholic vote?” He is not telling his parishioners whom to vote for, of course, but rather what principles should inform their decision as a Catholic.

Archbishop Aquila explains that he told a group of Catholics at a dinner gathering that he is not keen on either presidential candidate but

Then I said that they need to reflect on the platforms of both parties, with an emphasis on the human life issues. Everyone at the table knew well the teaching of the Church on life and the dignity of life. They knew that Catholics in good conscience cannot support candidates who will advance abortion.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Pence's clear stand on abortion issue draws accolades from pro-life leaders

Reaction to Gov. Mike Pence's outspoken offense on the Clinton-Kaine effort to increase the number of abortions in American continues to come in. Pence - who is Donald Trump's vice-presidential running mate - made his position clear Monday night during the VP debate when he said:

But what I can’t understand is with Hillary Clinton, and now Senator Kaine at her side, is to support a practice like partial birth abortion. I mean, to hold to the view – and I know Senator Kaine, you hold pro-life views personally – but the very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema to me. I can’t conscience about a party that supports that.  And I know [Sen. Kaine has] historically opposed taxpayer funding of abortion, but Hillary Clinton wants to repeal the longstanding provision in the law where we said we wouldn't use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.

More and more young people today are embracing life because we know we’re better for it. Like Mother Teresa said at that famous national prayer breakfast: Bring the children. Let’s welcome the children into our world.

A society can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerable: the aged, the infirmed, the disabled and the unborn. I believe it with all my heart that I couldn’t be more proud to be standing with a pro-life candidate in Donald Trump.

Click here for more from Illinois Review.

FPI follows a Planned Parenthood money trail

Research done by Zach Freeman of the Family Policy Institute of Washington appears to show New York-based Planned Parenthood donating $75,000 to a Planned Parenthood PAC in the state of Washington.

"Which of course is a violation of not only IRS rules," says Freeman (see video below), "but a federal law for a non-profit to give money to a political action committee."

Freeman says he continued to follow the money trail, discovering that Washington's governor and attorney general are among those who have received campaign contributions. The allegedly illegal funds also found their way to the campaigns of 10 state legislators and a candidate for state auditor.



Click here for more from OneNewsNow.

Here's what the VP candidates said about abortion last night

The topic of abortion made an appearance at the vice presidential debate last night, as both candidates discussed the role of faith in their lives, and how it aligns with their political views.

Democratic candidate Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) insisted he was personally opposed to abortion but would not, as a public official, infringe upon a woman’s choice to have an abortion.

Republican Mike Pence, governor of Indiana emphasized that his faith hinges upon upholding the “sanctity of life.”  “It all for me begins with cherishing the dignity, the worth, the value of every human life,” Pence said on the debate stage. “For me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief that ancient principle that where God says before you were formed in the womb I knew you,” he stated.

Click here for more from CNA/EWTN News.

Abortion likely to come up in VP debate between pro-life Pence and pro-abortion Kaine

Pro-life Mike Pence versus Pro-abortion Tim Kaine

With all the fireworks associated with the first Donald Trump/Hillary Clinton debate (and with two more in the offing), perhaps this vice presidential face off will draw less attention than usual.

Or it may do just the opposite–attract many more voters than the usual 20% fewer than the presidential debate, given what a unique campaign this has become, and promises to remain.

In either case, pro-lifers should watch the debate...

“Gov. Pence is devoted to protecting the unborn and their mothers,” said Indiana Right to Life President and CEO, Mike Fichter. “Gov. Pence’s pro-life stance is more than a talking point; Gov. Pence has put his pro-life position into action time and time again. Indiana is a better state for the unborn and their mothers because of the Governor’s pro-life leadership.”

Kaine is your classic “personally opposed” Democrat whose one quibble with abortion on demand–he formerly supported the Hyde Amendment–quickly vanished after Clinton chose him to be her running mate. With Virginia up for grabs, the theory was and is that Kaine could help carry a swing state with 13 electoral votes.

Abortion did not come up in the first presidential debate. It most certainly will Tuesday night.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Alliance Defending Freedom Files Second Suit Opposing Illinois Abortion Referral Law

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing multiple pregnancy care centers, a pregnancy care center network, and a doctor and her medical practice filed suit last week in federal court against Gov. Bruce Rauner after he recently signed a bill into law that forces them to promote abortion regardless of their ethical or moral views. The lawsuit also names Bryan Schneider, secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

ADF sent a letter to Rauner in May on behalf of numerous pro-life physicians, pregnancy care centers, and pregnancy care center network organizations advising him that the bill, SB 1564, would violate federal law and therefore place federal funding, including Medicaid reimbursements, in jeopardy. ADF also warned legislators about the problems with the bill last year. The lawsuit claims the new law, which is actually an amendment to the existing Illinois Healthcare Right of Conscience Act, violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution.

“No state should attempt to rob women of the freedom to choose a pro-life doctor, but that is the choice that Illinois is eliminating by mandating that pro-life physicians and entities make or arrange abortion referrals. To make matters worse, the state did this by amending a law designed specifically to protect freedom of conscience,” said ADF Senior Counsel Matt Bowman. “As our lawsuit explains, the law is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution and both federal and state law, which protect citizens from being forced by the government to live and act in a way contrary to their faith and conscience.”

The new law forces pregnancy care centers, medical facilities, and physicians who conscientiously object to involvement in abortions to adopt policies that provide women who ask for abortions with a list of providers “they reasonably believe may offer” them. Both federal and state law prohibit the government from placing burdens on religious conscience without a compelling interest for doing so. Additionally, the Illinois Constitution protects “liberty of conscience,” saying that “no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege or capacity, on account of his religious opinions.” Both the Illinois Constitution and the U.S. Constitution protect free speech, which includes the right not to be compelled by government to speak a message contrary to one’s own conscience.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

UNFPA Facilitates Access to Abortion Pills

A recently released official review of UNFPA–Evaluation of the UNFPA Support to Family Planning 2008-2013–reveals UNFPA’s work to ensure that the drug Misoprostol is in on the essential medicines list in many countries which the evaluation notes “has revolutionized access to safe abortion.”

Misoprostol is the second drug in the RU-486 regimen which causes uterine contractions and the expulsion of the preborn child from the womb. Countries with pro-life laws do not register the first RU-486 drug, Mifepristone, since it has only one use–to bring about the death of the child in the womb.

However, since Misoprostol has other uses, including maternal life-saving use for the prevention and treatment of post partum hemorrhage, countries most often register the drug and include it on the country’s essential medicines list for this purpose. Once the drug is in the country, pro-abortion NGOs then work to inform women on use of the drug for self-induced abortion via abortion hotlines or by direct distribution of the pills, including in countries where abortion is illegal.

Click here for more from National Right to Life.

Illinois' Jill Stanek joins Trump's Pro-Life Coalition leadership

Mokena resident Jill Stanek has signed on as an advisor on the life issue to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the campaign announced late last week. According to the published list of 32 of the national movement's most vocal leaders, Stanek alone hails from Illinois.

"I was happy to be asked to be a national pro-life co-chair for Trump. I am literally sickened by the prospect of Hillary Clinton being elected president," Stanek told Illinois Review Monday. "She would be catastrophic to preborn children."

Stanek said there is no question the former First Lady would push wider access and taxpayer funding of abortions - the main reason why pro-lifers need to support Trump.

Click here for more from Illinois Review.