Bishops speak against proposed Illinois abortion bills

Cardinal Cupich speaks to the press March 28 at the capitol building. 

Joining him from left are Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, 

Bishop Daniel Conlon of Jolliet and Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield. 

(Lane Fowler/Hospital Sisters Health System)

The bishops of Illinois’ six Catholic dioceses gathered in Springfield March 28 to speak against proposed legislation that would define abortion as a fundamental right and do away with a law requiring that the parents of minors seeking abortions be notified.

Cardinal Cupich said the bills amount to an attack on the dignity of human life.

“This is not about the right to an abortion, although we would question that,” said Cardinal Cupich. “This is a radical departure from the status quo that goes far beyond Roe v Wade.” 

Click here for more from Chicago Catholic.

No, the Mexico City Policy is Not Increasing Abortion Rates Overseas

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Trump administration plans to strengthen the Mexico City policy, which has been in effect during every Republican presidential administration since 1984 and which prevents U.S. foreign-aid money from funding groups that either perform or promote abortions overseas.

As public opinion has begun to shift in a more pro-life direction in recent years, supporters of legal abortion, including many in the media, have begun to pursue a different strategy. Instead of arguing that the pro-life argument for the sanctity of human life is philosophically wrong, abortion-rights supporters often argue that pro-life policies are ineffective or counterproductive. In reality, however, a substantial body of research illustrates that defunding organizations that perform abortions is an effective strategy for lowering abortion rates. Pro-lifers should welcome this strengthened Mexico City policy.

Click here for more from National Review.

Congressman Russ Fulcher Calls on Planned Parenthood President to Provide the Percentage of Abortions the Organization Performs on Women of Color

In a letter sent to Dr. Leana Wen, Congressman Fulcher states, "I recently learned that Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger embraced a philosophy of racial discrimination and eugenics. That historical fact, and the possibility that this philosophy continues within your organization, is disturbing to me and many others."

Fulcher goes on to say, "As a Representative of many who oppose Ms. Sanger's philosophy, I must do all that I can to ensure her racist and eugenic policies are still not being implemented today."

Click here to view a copy of Congressman Fulcher's letter.

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A Vote for Democrats Is a Vote for the Culture of Death

It is a sad fact of contemporary political life in the USA that the Democratic party pushes killing as an acceptable answer to human problems, e.g., the Culture of Death. Consider this very partial list:

The New Jersey Legislature, Democratic controlled, just passed legislation legalizing assisted suicide. The Democratic governor promises to sign the bill. (Promoting some suicides promotes suicide.)

The Democratic New York Legislature legalized — and applauded — late-term abortion, signed into law by a Democratic governor. The new law even removed the consent requirement for abortion to be legal and the mandate that babies who survive abortion be properly cared for medically.

The Democratic-controlled House in Vermont passed a bill — by 106-37! — that transforms abortion into an absolute right without limit as to time, method, or purpose — a bill that would also explicitly strip embryos and fetuses of any rights that a born person need respect, which has portentous meaning well beyond the abortion issue. The bill may well pass the Senate.

California’s Democratic-controlled state government has legalized assisted suicide, made it so that abortionists don’t have to even be doctors, and tried to stifle Crisis Pregnancy Center first amendment rights by forcing them to advertise where abortions could be procured — later declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Democrats in the U.S. Senate all voted to block the Born- Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a bill that would simply require babies who survive abortion to be cared for like any other born baby.

The Democratic governor of Virginia — a pediatric neurologist! — infamously supported a (failed — the Virginia Legislature is Republican) late-term abortion authorizing bill and added the bill would permit born babies to be neglected to death after a “conversation” with the mother.

(We have yet to see what Illinois' Democrats will "accomplish".)

When infanticide becomes respectable, we have really swallowed the nihilism.

Democrats unanimously at the national level — and overwhelmingly at the local level — believe in culture-of-death policies. That puts the rare remaining pro-life Democrats in a real conundrum. Vote their party and even if their own legislator does not swallow the hemlock, there is little doubt that the party’s leadership will.

Click here for more from NRL News Today.

NRLC strongly urges House Members to sign Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Discharge Petition

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise has indicated that a discharge petition for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 962, sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner) will be filed on April 2nd, during that day’s first vote series. If the petition is signed by a majority of House members, it will force a vote on the House floor.

If enacted, the bill would extend federal legal protection to babies who are born alive during an abortion.

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the nationwide federation of state right-to-life organizations, strongly urges you to sign the discharge petition.

In light of the radical trend that started with the signing of the Reproductive Health Act by Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York, allowing abortion through all stages of pregnancy and removing explicit protections for babies born alive during an abortion, there is renewed urgency to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

National Right to Life believes that it is time for Congress to act decisively to put the entire abortion industry on notice that when they treat a born-alive human person as medical waste, as a source for organ harvesting, or as a creature who may be subjected to lethal violence with impunity, they will do so at grave legal peril.

H.R. 962 would enact an explicit requirement that a baby born alive during an abortion must be afforded “the same degree” of care that would apply “to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” including transportation to a hospital. This language does not dictate bona fide medical judgments nor require futile measures, but rather, requires that babies born alive during abortions are treated in the same manner as those who are spontaneously born prematurely.

In addition, the bill applies the existing penalties of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1111 (the federal murder statute) to anyone who performs “an overt act that kills a child born alive.” This would apply, for example, to an abortion clinic staff person who dissects a breathing born-alive infant in order to harvest an intact liver, or to an abortionist who ends a born-alive baby’s whimpers with a sharp blow to the skull, or by snipping the spine.

The bill provides a civil cause of action to women who are harmed by violations of the act.

Click here for more from NRL News Today.

LA Times accidentally reveals why Trump’s pro-life HHS rule is necessary

A headline from the Los Angeles Times has some scratching their heads. The title reads, “Trump’s Title X rule will restrict abortion access and obstruct women’s healthcare.” The Title X rule the Times is referring to is a change that forces abortion providers to separate their abortion business from their basic family planning/birth control services.

But… if that Title X money isn’t already propping up the abortion industry just as pro-lifers have claimed all along, then how could this new rule “restrict abortion access,” as the Times editorial board claims? Secular Pro-Life noticed pointed out the irony in a Facebook post:

The Times editorial board writes, “Some of the providers that receive Title X funds — including Planned Parenthood, which provided healthcare to 40% of all patients in Title X programs in 2017 — offer abortions as well. But those abortions are never funded by Title X dollars, since Congress has barred federal money from being spent on abortions.”

Click here for more from Live Action News.

Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Rep. Ann Wagner for lead discharge petition effort to protect born-alive abortion survivors

U.S. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) (pictured) and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) today announced that a discharge petition on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act will be filed next Tuesday, April 2. Once the petition is signed by a majority of House members, it will force a vote on the bill on the House floor. If enacted, the bill would extend federal legal protection to babies who are born alive during an abortion.

On February 25, the U.S. Senate voted 53-44 for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, failed to receive the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture due to efforts by pro-abortion Democrats to block its advancement.

“We applaud the efforts by Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Rep. Ann Wagner to bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to the forefront of the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Pro-abortion Democrats who oppose this bill should be forced to explain to their constituents why they believe abortion is such an absolute ‘right’ that it protects what amounts to infanticide: willfully withholding life-saving care from a born-alive infant.”

Click here for more from NRL News Today.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, State Department Ensures Enforcement of Mexico City Policy

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Trump Administration for pledged to enforce, to the broadest extent possible, regulations under the “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance” program that protect U.S. foreign aid funding from being used to pay for or promote abortion overseas.

In a press conference, Secretary of State Pompeo announced that the U.S. State Department will refuse to work with any foreign non-governmental organization (NGO) engaged in the abortion business. The State Department will also refuse to fund foreign NGOs that give money to other foreign NGOs engaged in the international abortion industry.

“By ensuring enforcement and compliance with existing pro-life policies, Secretary of State Pompeo and the Trump Administration reaffirm their commitment to protecting innocent human life at home and abroad,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “We applaud Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his dedicated pro-life leadership and for his efforts to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund or promote abortion overseas.”

Click here for more from NRL News Today.

Even the Chicago Tribune’s editors think Illinois’ abortion bills go too far

Illinois lawmakers are currently pushing legislation to make the state’s abortion laws even more extreme than New York’s. HB 2495 and would virtually eliminate all protections for preborn children, allow infanticide, remove conscience protection laws for health care workers, allow taxpayer funding for abortion, and more. HB 2467 would repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995, making it so that minors can obtain abortions without parental notification. The bills are so extreme that thousands of citizens flooded the Illinois state capitol building in protest — and now, even the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune (not known to be pro-life or conservative) is saying the pro-abortion legislators are going too far.

In an article published by the editorial board, the Chicago Tribune argued that the abortion laws in Illinois are already permissive enough, and don’t need to be relaxed more than they already are. Parental notification laws, they argued, are not restricting anyone’s abortion access, and gives parents the right to know what’s happening to their minor children.

Click here for more on this legislation.

Click here for more from Live Action News.

Mississippi gov. on signing heartbeat abortion ban: ‘We will all answer to the good Lord one day’

When Mississippi’s Gov. Phil Bryant (pictured) signed the state’s ban on aborting babies with beating hearts last week, he put the debate in perspective by declaring that all participants will eventually have to explain their stances to their Creator.

“We will all answer to the good Lord one day,” Bryant tweeted in response to the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights’ threat to sue Mississippi over the new law. “I will say in this instance, ‘I fought for the lives of innocent babies, even under the threat of legal action.”

Click here for more from Life Site News.

19 times House Democrats have blocked a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

On February 25, pro-abortion Senate Democrats were able to block a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 130) sponsored by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) (pictured). While proponents prevailed 53-44, that was seven votes short of the 60 votes necessary to move forward (“invoke cloture”).

Meanwhile in the House, controlled by pro-abortion Democrats led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) introduced H.R.962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on February 5.

H.R.962 would require that a child born alive after an attempted abortion receive appropriate treatment and be transferred to a hospital.

On every legislative day since the introduction of H.R. 962, a different Member has asked for the House to consider H.R. 962. “19 times, House Republicans have tried to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a bill that would rescue children who survive a botched abortion,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) “19 times, House Democrats have blocked legislation to save these survivors. This is about saving lives, and any child who survives an abortion should have an opportunity for life.”

Click here for more from NRL News Today.

Reasons why pro-abortion laws don’t protect women and girls

There are some misconceptions about abortion that we are so used to reading and hearing that we rarely stop to give them a second thought. Erika Guevara-Rosas, the Americas Director at Amnesty International, wrote a piece in The Washington Post arguing for the liberalization of abortion laws in Latin America. Her piece was based on these common claims of pro-abortion activists:

Latin America authorities have shown alarming negligence in failing to protect women and girls from gender-based violence. Instead of supporting survivors, they frequently revictimize them and deepen their suffering. By denying their right to legal abortion, they also put their rights to life and health at risk.

Rhetorically, this kind of argument seems persuasive to some. After all, who wants gender-based violence against women, the revictimization of women, and the endangerment of women’s lives and health? But when you peel back the rhetoric, the reality becomes clear: pro-abortion laws like the author wants for Latin America would fail to protect women on all counts.

Click here for more from Live Action News.

VIDEO: Vague 911 call: Woman suffers ‘complications’ at unlicensed Illinois abortion facility

A video shared by Pro-Life Action League reveals a disturbing 911 call from an abortion facility in Peoria, Illinois. On March 6th, a caller from Whole Woman’s Health — one location of an abortion chain with a history of health violations — phoned 911 because a patient needed emergency care. Despite the call for help, the caller was reluctant to divulge any information to the dispatcher because, as she eventually revealed, “We’re an abortion clinic, and it will be posted all over the internet.”

After identifying her place of employment as a “business,” the caller very vaguely tells the emergency dispatcher, “We have a patient who needs assistance.” When the dispatcher asks her what kind of assistance, she replies, “She needs a transport to the emergency room.” The dispatcher tries to get more information about the nature of the problem, but the caller refuses to elaborate.


Click here for more from Live Action News.

Illinois House Republicans hold press conference to speak out against Democratic abortion legislation

Several House Republicans spoke out Wednesday in support of a pro-life rally that took place at the state capitol in Springfield to protest two new Democratic abortion bills.

Rep. Terri Bryant (R-Mt. Vernon) (pictured) said at a press conference that under the new Reproductive Healthcare Act, infants don’t have independent rights.

"We support protecting the life of the mother, but we also support the life of the unborn baby as a newborn," Bryant said. "In essence, these bills would allow abortion any time for any reason, paid for with taxpayer dollars."

Bryant said the other piece of legislation they were fighting involved the Parental Notification Act.

"Illinois mandates notification to a parent, grandparent or legal guardian when a minor seeks an abortion," Bryant said. "With that bill, parents wouldn’t be notified with this. These bills create an environment that feels like you’ve fallen through the rabbit hole. I want to be sure parents and grandparents are notified when a medical procedure has been performed."

Click here for more from Prairie State Wire.

When Planned Parenthood injures a woman, who pays? She does.

Recently, a person on Twitter claimed to have received free IUD removal care from Planned Parenthood (PP) for an IUD which had perforated her uterus. Former PP manager Abby Johnson responded by claiming, “Planned Parenthood does not provide uterine surgery. They can not surgically remove [an] IUD.”

However, even if Planned Parenthood assisted in this individual case with free in-house care, it appears that — according to documents obtained by Live Action News — this isn’t standard operating practice when a patient needs emergency medical care which cannot be provided on site, the patient is responsible for paying for it, even if PP caused the injury. This is a concern, given the fact that emergencies at Planned Parenthood facilities have been documented numerous times by pro-life sidewalk counselors who regularly reach out to women outside abortion facilities.

Click here for more from Live Action News.

Ohio defunds Planned Parenthood and abortion industry

Earlier this month, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling and upheld a 2016 Ohio law that rerouted approximately $1.3 million in state funding from abortion facilities (like Planned Parenthood) to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). As Live Action News previously reported, “… Planned Parenthood… successfully managed to get an injunction blocking the law, with U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett ruling that stripping the abortion giant of its taxpayer funding would cause ‘irreparable injury.'” The Sixth Circuit disagreed, with Judge Jeffrey Sutton writing, “Private organizations do not have a constitutional right to obtain governmental funding to support their activities. The state… has no obligation to pay for a woman’s abortion. Case after case establishes that a government may refuse to subsidize abortion services.”

Now, Ohio has followed through with its original plan and has defunded Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations in the state. The Associated Press reports that the Ohio Department of Health “notified recipients and contractors Thursday that it will end that funding within a month to comply with the law, unless the court delays the effect of its ruling as Planned Parenthood requested.”

Click here for more from Live Action News.

Trump signs executive order to protect free speech on college campuses

On Thursday President Donald Trump signed an executive order he says will protect free speech (this including Pro-Life free speech) at America’s colleges and universities by threatening to withhold certain federal funds from institutions that don’t protect their students’ dissenting speech and inquiry.

“It is the policy of the Federal Government to...encourage institutions to foster environments that promote open, intellectually engaging, and diverse debate,” the order reads, “including through compliance with the First Amendment for public institutions and compliance with stated institutional policies regarding freedom of speech for private institutions.”

Click here for more from Life Site News.

Texas case may determine if states can be forced to fund Planned Parenthood

Last week, Americans United for Life filed a "friend of the court" brief on behalf of a group of 77 Members of Congress in the en banc Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, supporting Texas's decision to defund Planned Parenthood under its State Medicaid program.

The case, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas v. Phillips, arose after Texas disqualified Planned Parenthood as a State Medicaid Provider when undercover videos revealed that Planned Parenthood was involved in illegal and unethical behavior concerning aborted fetal body parts.

Click here for more from Life Site News.

Pro-lifers overflow Springfield’s Capitol Rotunda

On Wednesday, March 20, thousands filled the Springfield Capitol to protest abortion bills.  Several reports were published throughout the state, but one in particular stood out to prolifers: an account by Rebecca Anzel, Capitol News Illinois, as published in the Rockford Register Star (click here).

People were brought to the Capitol by bus from across the state. According to another report, shortly after the midday rally in the capitol rotunda in Springfield kicked off, Secretary of State Police, which guard the entrances to the capitol, closed the building down, "due to concerns with overcrowding."  Once Capitol Police were able to direct the crowd to other areas within the building, the doors were reopened.”

Click here for more from Illinois Review.

CALL FOR ACTION: HB2467 and HB2495

STOP House Bill 2467
A Repeal of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act
An attack on Illinois Families

If HB2467 becomes law it would repeal the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995.

The Act:

        -Is constitutional per the Illinois Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

        -Mandates notification of a parent, grandparent or legal guardian when a minor seeks an abortion

       

        -Provides a judicial waiver of notice for minors that are victims of physical or sexual abuse

       

        -Has caused a decline in minor abortions by 55% from 2013 when first enforced to 2017 according to the Illinois Department of Public Health statistics (adults declined 15%)

        -Has not triggered any reported incidents of abuse or neglect of a minor as a result of notification to the minor’s parent.

The Moms and Dads in Illinois do not deserve to have their parental rights undermined by their government. 

Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Kentucky all have parental involvement laws.  If the Parental Notification Act of 1995 is repealed Illinois will become the Midwest go-to-state for minors to obtain a secret abortion. 

This bill is currently in the Rules Committee.  No hearings are scheduled as of this time.

ACTION:

Contact your state Representative and urge them to vote NO on HB2467.  Click here to find information on how to contact your representative.

STOP HB2495

“The Reproductive Health Act”

An unprecedented assault on the unborn

If passed the Act would: 

          -Establish abortion as a fundamental right

         

          -Establish that a “fetus” does not have independent rights under the laws of the State of Illinois

         

          -Allow for abortions for any reason throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy up to the moment of birth

         

          -Allow non-physicians to perform chemical and surgical abortions

         

          -Remove the requirement of the presence of a second physician to provide treatment for a baby who survives the abortion

         

          -Remove licensing requirements and standards for abortion clinics

         

          -Eliminate restrictions on where abortions may be performed

         

          -Remove penalties for performing an abortion on a woman known not to be pregnant

         

          -Undermine Rights of Conscience for medical institutions and professionals

         

          -Allows DCFS to use public funds to pay for abortions

         

          -Mandate insurance coverage for abortions in any health insurance plan that provides pregnancy related benefits including churches and religious organizations without deductible, co-insurance or co-payment

          Among other things

This bill is currently in the Rules Committee.  No hearings are scheduled as of this time.

ACTION:

Contact your state Representative and urge them to vote NO on HB2495.  Click here to find information on how to contact your representative.

It is working! All of the phone calls, all of the witness slips, and all of the grassroots pro-life work taking place in communities all over Illinois is what is keeping our legislators from moving on these bills.

Please keep working on them. Let's keep up the momentum.