Pro-life groups blast US govt. health exec for defending research using aborted babies

As the Trump administration reevaluates its funding of medical research on tissue from aborted babies, pro-life groups are calling for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins (pictured) to be rebuked or removed for continuing to defend the ethically-fraught practice.

The controversy began in August when a notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) surfaced detailing a contract to the fetal tissue procurement firm Advanced Bioscience Resources, Inc. (ABR) to acquire “Tissue for Humanized Mice.” Dozens of pro-life leaders and House members successfully pressured the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to terminate the contract, but concerns remained over nearly $100 million in tax dollars that continued to pay for other research using tissue and organs from aborted babies.

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Pro-life law firm asks Illinois Supreme Court to stop taxpayer funding of abortion

Attorneys from the Thomas More Society are appealing to the Illinois Supreme Court to stop a state law requiring taxpayer funding of abortions for Medicaid recipients.

According to the December 17, 2018 filing on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Illinois taxpayers, the funding for the law violates the state constitution’s balanced budget requirement. In September 2018, an appellate court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the funding for the law, previously known as “House Bill 40.”

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Planned Parenthood fights requirement of pelvic exam prior to a chemical abortion

It has been previously written about women leaving states with protective abortion laws to go to Illinois where abortions are easy to come by, there is no requirement that women reflect on their decision, and the industry is essentially unregulated.

But here’s a new low, even by Planned Parenthood’s standards.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, in a story that ran Tuesday, reported that “Enforcement of a rule requiring women to have a pelvic exam before receiving a pill abortion is sending Missouri’s Planned Parenthood patients to Illinois.”

Reporter Jack Suntrup channeled the response of the abortion industry captured by Dr. David Eisenberg, medical director at Planned Parenthood in the Central West End, who told Suntrup that he informs women they can go to Illinois—which “100%” do.

Suntrup wrote that the Department of Health and Senior Services’ [DHSS] requirement “puts the state at odds with guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, which does not recommend requiring pelvic exams prior to medication abortions. The group says pelvic exams are medically unnecessary prior to medication abortions in most cases.”

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Abortion giant admits 'it's a baby' in sex-ed video

"Planned Parenthood has begun releasing videos for parents basically explaining sex education to their children," says Katie Yoder, content manager at National Review. "This latest video came out actually came out November 14, but it didn't receive a lot of attention. It's called 'How Do I Talk With My Kids About Where Babies Come From?' – and Planned Parenthood's narrator talks about how 'a baby grows in the parent's belly' and 'if sperm and egg meet, they can grow into a baby.'"

That, says Yoder, is huge.

"Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion-provider and here they are admitting that it's a baby that's growing inside a woman's womb," she continues. "It's not just a clump of cells or some kind of disease – [they admit] it's a baby."

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NIH director under fire for calling research using aborted babies ‘justified’

At a time when a fetal tissue research debate took place on Capitol Hill, National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins made comments that seem to directly contradict the position of the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services on searching for alternatives to fetal tissue research. In statements quoted by Science Magazine, Collins claimed that research done using the bodies of aborted children is “scientifically, highly justified” and “will continue to be the mainstay” in scientific research. He also claimed, without elaboration, that it could be “done with an ethical framework.”

Science Magazine notes that the “NIH has halted procurement of fetal tissue by its own scientists,” but in most cases, research continues using frozen tissue from aborted children. And yet, hidden in the article is a statement that reveals a significant problem with research using fetal tissue: “The agency also revealed that a third lab will need new fetal tissue by 31 January 2019.” In other words, the continuation of this research is dependent upon the act of killing living children in utero — a fact that leads many to surmise that there is no way to make the research “ethical.”

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VIDEO: MSNBC host announces pregnancy with ultrasound: ‘I have a baby in my belly’

An MSNBC anchor revealed her third baby is on the way with a pregnancy announcement that contrasted sharply with the network’s pro-abortion leanings.

“That will do it from me this hour, except it won’t, because I have a little bit of other news to show you,” Katy Tur said at the end of her broadcast last Thursday. “A lot of eagle-eyed folks out there have noticed, so here it is, roll the tape.”

The screen then displayed an ultrasound of a recognizable baby several months along.

.@KatyTurNBC has an announcement … pic.twitter.com/kERZrqLHRK

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 13, 2018

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Illegally prescribing controlled drugs has become a trend among abortionists

Abortion activists often claim that legalized abortion is necessary to protect women, but the existence of substandard care in the largely unregulated abortion industry says otherwise. The argument that women will seek out “back alley” abortions if it becomes illegal fails to hold water. Studies show that women are less likely to seek elective abortion when it is illegal or restricted. But possibly the most important oversight of this pro-abortion argument is that four decades of legal abortion reveals that it is not “safe” and legal abortion facilities are not well regulated. Reports available to the public show that when abortion facilities are inspected, horrific violations of health and safety standards have been found. Some abortion facilities go uninspected for years.

In addition to these substandard conditions, there is a trend of abortionists illegally prescribing controlled substances. While the nation grapples with an opioid epidemic that killed more than 130 people every day in opioid-related drug overdoses in 2016 and 2017, several prominent abortionists have been illegally selling prescriptions for narcotics or prescribing for friends under the table.

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Federal judge strikes down Obamacare as unconstitutional, Trump praises decision

A federal judge in Texas has struck down the whole of the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” as unconstitutional and holds that the federal mandate requiring the purchase of health insurance is unconstitutional, and that as a consequence, the whole of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is legally invalid.

The ruling, if upheld on appeal, may give President Trump and pro-life representatives in Congress the opportunity to further reduce or eliminate the ACA’s subsidies for abortion.

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Pro-life medical expert tells Congressional panel aborted baby tissue isn’t necessary for research

A pro-life medical scholar appeared before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform this week to explain that tissue from aborted babies is not only unnecessary for researching new medical treatments, but has never been necessary.

Dr. Tara Sander Lee is an Associate Scholar with the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute. She holds a PhD in biochemistry, studied molecular and cell biology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and has 20 years of experience with both academic and clinical medicine.

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These Baby Shower-Style Workshops Are Empowering Illinois Women to Choose Life

Earlier this year, the Family Life Center of Illinois added a fun new component to its prenatal program: baby shower-style workshops that educate and celebrate clients through each trimester of pregnancy.

Kathy Potter, R.N., (pictured) who serves as the center’s nurse manager and sonographer, oversees the prenatal program and its new set of workshops, an idea which she implemented after learning about a similar program in another state. The sessions consist of three group classes in which participants watch videos that teach them about pregnancy, and in the spirit of a festive baby shower, include games, snacks, and prizes. The women can even bring a guest.

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Bill recognizing 'reproductive rights' as human rights introduced in US House

A bill was introduced Monday in the US House of Representatives to require that the State Department include “reproductive rights” in its annual human rights report.  The Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Act of 2018 was introduced Dec. 10 by Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), and was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“‘Reproductive rights’ has long been a euphemism for destroying human life in the womb,” said Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, said when the report was released in April.

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Scientific experts tell House subcommittee there are many proven alternatives to using tissue from aborted babies for research

A congressional subcommittee heard testimony yesterday from three experts on the now-more-important-than-ever issue of ethical alternatives to scavenging fetal tissue from aborted babies.

Tara Sander Lee, Ph. D., an Associate Scholar with Charlotte Lozier Institute, told the subcommittee

I stand before you today with a message of hope. We do not need fetal body parts from aborted babies to achieve future scientific and medical advancements. … [S]cience speaks for itself. After over 100 years of research, no therapies have been discovered or developed that require aborted fetal tissues.

David Prentice, Ph.D, an advisory board member and Chair for the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, talked specifically not only about the ethical issues raised, the importance of federal funding going to therapies that work, but also a number of alternatives:

There is no scientific necessity for the continued taxpayer funding of fresh fetal tissue, organs, and body parts from induced abortion. Ample scientific alternatives exist, and modern alternatives have overtaken any need for fresh fetal tissue. Moreover, the practice of using fetal tissue from induced abortion raises significant ethical problems, not least of which is the nebulous interpretation of the term “valuable consideration” or compensation for expenses in the harvest and processing of fetal organs and tissues. Taxpayer funding, which is what this discussion is really about, should go to successful, patient-focused.

In his written testimony, Prentice offered a detailed overview of alternatives to fetal tissue. He began with adult stem cell transplants about which NRL News Today has written frequently:

A 2015 review found that as of December 2012, over one million patients had been treated with adult stem cells. The review only addressed hematopoietic (blood-forming) adult stem cells, not other adult stem cell types, so this is a significant underestimate of the patients who have benefitted from adult stem cell therapies.

A public face for such patients can be found at the educational website stemcellresearchfacts.org, where patients successfully treated with noncontroversial adult stem cells tell their stories in short video vignettes, backed by peer-reviewed publications.

There are at present at least 3,500 ongoing or completed clinical trials using adult stem cells listed in the NIH/FDA-approved database, with over 70,000 people around the globe receiving adult stem cell transplants each year for different conditions. Use of adult and cord blood stem cells in clinical therapy is growing rapidly.

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Ohio Senate passes bill banning abortion after detectable heartbeat

A bill banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected has passed the Ohio Senate by an 18-13 vote. Last month, the Ohio House also voted in favor of the bill 58-35, but the Senate did make some changes, meaning the bill will now have to be approved by the House again before Governor John Kasich can sign it or veto.

The Senate removed the mandate for transvaginal ultrasounds, which can pick up a heartbeat as early as six weeks, and instead merely requires abdominal ultrasounds, which some see as less invasive for women. “We found that (a transvaginal ultrasound) process is possibly intrusive and we wanted to protect the rights of women who didn’t wish to have that done to them,” Senate Health Committee Chairman Dave Burke said.

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Teen says he killed pregnant cheerleader because she didn’t abort baby

16-year-old Indiana high school student Aaron Trejo has been arrested after he admitted to killing 17-year-old Breana Rouhselang and their preborn baby by stabbing her in the heart after learning she hid her pregnancy from him until she was six months pregnant. Her body was found over the weekend in a trash bin behind a restaurant in Mishawaka, Indiana, a town about 80 miles east of Chicago.

Detective Gery Mullins said, “[Trejo] explained that Breana waited too long to tell [him] about the pregnancy to get an abortion. I asked Aaron what he did about that, and he replied, ‘I took action… I took her life.'” Despite this confession, Trejo has entered a plea of not guilty.

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Cook had highest abortion rate among largest Illinois counties in 2017

In a list of the 30 most populous counties in Illinois, Cook County ranked No. 1 for the rate of abortions performed there in 2017, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report issued in December, which tracks abortions performed on an annual basis.

The abortion rate for Cook County was 0.41 percent. Peoria had the second highest abortion rate in Illinois in 2017, the department reported.

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Trump administration to fund ethical, pro-life alternatives to fetal tissue research

The Trump administration is investing up to $20 million for the next two years to determine effective alternatives to using tissue from aborted babies for research.

The announcement Monday from the Department of Health and Human Services comes after the administration in September terminated a government contract with California-based Advanced Bioscience Resources Inc. to provide human fetal tissue research.

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Human Rights Day: Pope Francis Calls for Action to Protect the Unborn

“Human rights must at the center of all policies even when it means going against the grain,” Pope Francis exhorted.

In reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on its the 70th Anniversary, Pope Francis noted that “the Family of Nations wished to acknowledge the equal dignity of every human person, from which fundamental rights and freedoms derive that, in as much as rooted in the nature of the human person — inseparable unity of body and soul — are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interconnected.”

Pope Francis stated that as the anniversaries of the UDHR and the 25th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action are celebrated this year, it is his hope that an in-depth reflection on the current state of human rights will “be harbinger of a renewed commitment in favor of the defense of human dignity, with special attention to the most vulnerable members of the community.”

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Supreme Court declines opportunity to determine whether states can defund abortion businesses from Medicaid

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined the opportunity to determine whether states are required to fund abortion businesses under the Medicaid Act. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissented and would have agreed to hear the cases because they present a question that “is important and recurring.”

Currently, there is a split in lower courts over whether the Medicaid Act grants individual Medicaid patients a private right of action to sue in federal court in order to challenge a state’s disqualification of their preferred Medicaid provider. Two states, Kansas (Andersen v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri) and Louisiana (Gee v. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast), asked the Supreme Court to resolve this conflict.

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Heartbeat bill on trial in America's Heartland

Thomas More Society is representing Governor Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) and others who, through the legislature earlier this year, passed a heartbeat bill that not only prohibits abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected but requires efforts to detect it.

The law was predictably challenged by Planned Parenthood on the grounds it conflicts with Roe v. Wade and the Iowa state constitution, which they feel gives a woman a right to an abortion.

The arguments are scheduled to start last Friday at the Polk County Courthouse in Des Moines. The attorney says Planned Parenthood chose to file their case at the state level to avoid the federal court system – which Cannon notes is becoming "more favorable" to pro-life arguments.

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Trump nominates attorney general with anti-Roe v Wade past

After a month of speculation, President Donald Trump has selected William Barr to be his new permanent attorney general.  Barr is a conservative who declared during his previous confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided.

At the time, Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee that, however broad a constitutional right to privacy may be, "I do not believe it extends to abortion." Then-Sen. Joe Biden, who went on to become President Barack Obama’s pro-abortion Vice President, complimented Barr for bucking tradition and giving a “candid answer” on the subject.

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