Tennessee Senator Argues Preborn Children Don't Have Functioning Hearts Until Second Trimester

The Tennessee state senate heard testimony surrounding a proposed fetal heartbeat law in mid-August. During this time, pro-life lawyer and Tea Party Leader Hal Rounds entered an argument with Senator Katrina Robinson about when the brain and heart are developed during pregnancy. After Rounds's testimony, Senator Robinson pushed Rounds into a seemingly premeditated corner by asking him when he thought the heart and brain were formed during pregnancy.

He responded by saying that he would leave that up to medical professionals multiple times before giving his answer: "before what is considered viable by the supreme court." "It's the end of the second trimester," Robinson pounced. "The heart is beating way before that," Hal replied. "It's the end of the second trimester, sir. I'm a nurse, what are you?" Rounds stated multiple times that he was not an authority on that topic, yet Senator Robinson pushed to discredit the lawyer with a medical debate anyways with the seemingly planned response, "I'm a lawyer, what are you," to back up her faulty information. The heart begins functioning 16-21 days after conception. Click here for more.

Woman Helps Abortion Volunteers and Clients Find Healing and Forgiveness

In 1981, Karen Ellison had an abortion. She was 22 years old and in college, but her family pushed her to have the procedure in order to hide her pregnancy from others. After feeling shame for years, Karen sought out God's forgiveness and confessed her abortion to a woman at church. “The Lord being the Lord would not let me stay in my cave and shame,” she said. “He just pursued me in all kinds of different ways. He brought me out of the dark place and it was just a whole healing process He began.”

She started to lead bible studies for women who were clients or volunteers at abortion clinics. Eventually, that led to the inception of a retreat called Deeper Still. Deeper Still now hosts three retreats each year in Knoxville, Tennessee. Attendees at these retreats share their stories, break down problems in their lives that might have caused them to choose abortion, and seek repentance.

Ellison has also written a book entitled Healing the Hurt that Won’t Heal: Freedom for the Abortion Wounded and Help for the Church They Fear. Click here for more about Karen's story.

Pope Francis Condemns Euthanasia

Pope Francis speaks to the Italian Association of Medical Oncology
Sept. 2, 2019. Credit: Vatican Media.

Pope Francis spoke against the increasing practice of euthanasia to the Italian Association of Medical Oncology on September 2. He pointed out that the practice of euthanasia reduces the value of human life to convenience. “In reality, it is based on a utilitarian view of the person, who becomes useless or can be equated to a cost, if from the medical point of view, he has no hope of improvement or can no longer avoid pain.” He went on to say that medical professionals should never treat a patient as a burden or a waste, but rather attend patients and loved ones at all stages, "creating a culture and practice more attentive to the value of each person."

He stated that a major issue with medical care is that often doctors explain every possible option to patients from a medical standpoint, but they rarely explain hope. When doctors only treat their patients physically and don't attempt to help them spiritually, mercy hope and love are forgotten. “Inspire everyone to be close to those who suffer, to the little ones above all, and to put the weak in the first place, so that they can grow a more human society and relationships marked by gratuitousness, rather than opportunity,” Click here for more.

Comedian David Chappelle Highlights Pro-Choice Hypocrisy in Netflix Comedy Special

A recent clip from a Netflix comedy special entitled "Sticks and Stones" caused outrage from pro-choice advocates as it made the rounds on Twitter. In the clip, he calls out abortion creative way: 

"I'm not for [abortion], but I'm not against it either," he said. He then makes the ironic point that men shouldn't have a say in the issue before coming in for the punchline: "And ladies, to be fair to us, I also believe that if you decide to have the baby, a man should not have to pay. That's fair. If you can kill this ****, I can at least abandon 'em. It's my money, my choice."

You can click here to watch the full clip, but be aware it uses language that isn't safe for work.

Man with Down Syndrome Diagnosed to Die by Age 10. Now He's 77

Georgie Wildgust's mother was told that her son was not going to live 10 years. He was diagnosed with Down syndrome, but good medical care and social support have allowed him to live 77 so far. Advances in care have increased the lifespans of those born with Down syndrome significantly. Now the average is between 50 and 60 years. Wildgust is a retired gardener who now lives in a disability care home. He is very social with other residents and loves to talk with his sister, who often calls him on Skype.

Wildgust is thought to be one of the oldest people in the world with Down syndrome. He even survived medical issues this year that put him on end-of-life care for a short while. Click here for more.

One-Child Nation Co-director Says China and US are Both Guilty of Policing Women's Bodies

In a surprising turn of events following a documentary that should largely support pro-life values, Amazon Studios's One Child Nation ending moments argue that both the United States and China are guilty of preventing women from exercising control over their own bodies. The documentary describes the horrors of China's one-child policy and its enforcement. Forced abortions and abandoned children are just two of the many problems that it caused in China, not including its present and future culture. Despite this, co-director Nanfu Wang compares the one-child policy to abortion restrictions in America. In an interview with Vox, she had this to say:

"I remember when I first came to the US and learned about the restriction on abortions in the US. I was very shocked. It wasn’t the free America that I had thought it would be. I was surprised by the government control on reproductive rights and the access to reproductive health care.

Making this film, I also had a lot of conversations with people about the topic, and I was surprised. Sometimes people couldn’t see how forced state abortions and the state limiting access to abortions are quite similar; they are both the government trying to control women’s bodies and trying to control women’s reproductive rights.

I hope that the film reminds people what would happen if their government takes away women’s choice, or any individual’s choice. And sadly I think it’s happening in China, it’s happening in the US, and it’s happening in a lot of countries throughout the world, where women do not have the freedom to make their own reproductive decisions."

So many of the incidents described in this film show the horrors of abortion and the danger it poses to life, especially preborn girls in a society that doesn't value women highly. This director refuses to stand up for the life that her documentary seems almost designed to protect. It is a shame because the film could otherwise be used to promote the pro-life cause. Click here for more.

Priest Pictured in AP Story Interviewed about Robert Fuller's Death

Father Quentin Dupont gave statements about the recent controversy surrounding his appearance in a recent Associated Press Article glamorizing a man's suicide.

On August 26th, the Associated Press Published a story titled "In the Face of Death, the Party of a Lifetime." It tells the story Robert Fuller, a 74-year-old man with cancer who planned to commit suicide but also scheduled several events (including a celebration of life party and a "marriage" to his male partner) leading up to the moment of his death. Dupont was pictured in the article praying over Fuller at his final mass, and social media posts have surfaced that show Fuller believed that a priest gave him their blessing to continue with his plans to commit suicide, but Dupont denies that this was him:

“I was absolutely, unequivocally unaware of Mr. Fuller’s intention [to kill himself]. I’m not part of the conversations that happen in [the St. Therese] community all the time. I was given very limited information, and I had very limited knowledge about Mr. Fuller’s situation.”

Dupont says others told him that this was Muller's final mass and that he was going to die soon, but he was unaware that Muller planned to take his own life. Recent coverage of the story has led some to believe that Father Dupont gave Fuller permission to carry out his plan, but this may not be the case. It could be a different priest, or Fuller may have been confused about the nature of the blessing that Dupont was trying to give. Click here for more.

16 States, Including Illinois, Join Lawsuit Against Indiana for Closing Abortion Clinic

A Whole Women's Health abortion clinic in South Bend, Indiana was denied a license in 2017 for not adhering to regulations and providing the necessary information. A federal judge had already issued an injunction that allowed the facility to continue operating without a license, but now 16 states have joined a lawsuit against the state of Indiana for closing the facility. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a press release that, "Women have the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, and they should be able to access safe health care within their communities."

He also claimed that the Indiana licensing policy was placing a burden on Illinois abortion facilities, despite Governor JB Pritzker's statement that he wanted Illinois to be "an abortion destination for the country." It's deeply upsetting that Illinois tax-payer dollars are going to fight a legal battle to defend an unlicensed abortion facility in another state. Click here for more.

United Nations Cancels Pro-life Workshop at Conference for “building inclusive and sustainable cities and communities.”

On Saturday, August 24th, the United Nations canceled a workshop titled “The Family and Protection of Life, Women and Girls in Sustainable Communities," when the UN conference for "building inclusive and sustainable cities and communities" was set to start in only two days, on August 26th in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two other workshops were presented by Family Watch International, and neither of them was canceled, presumably for political reasons.

A spokesman for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office had this to say, "The group members who were going to be on the panel, the groups that they were representing have a history of not being inclusive. There were not other voices on that panel talking about a really complicated issue. That was really where the concern came down for the workshop committee." Apparently, the United Nations did not want to have conversations about building cities that were inclusive of preborn life. Click here for more.

13 Reasons Why Scene Depicts Abortion and Turns Sidewalk Counselors into Caricatures

In the most recent season of 13 Reasons Why, a Netflix series which first came under fire for glamourizing suicide to a teenage audience, a character named Chloe, who was assaulted and raped in the second season of the show, has an abortion after being persuaded by her boyfriend's mother. In the episode, sidewalk counselors shout from the sidewalk while another one walks her towards the clinic door, pretending to be an employee escort to make Chloe listen. The scene portrays the counselors as crazy and manipulative, which only hurts the image of real counselors who act responsibly.

You can watch the full scene above or click here to read more.

China Fighting Repercussions from One-Child Policy

China officially relaxed its infamous one-child policy in 2015. Before that change, families were often forced to abort their preborn children if a woman became pregnant a second time. Human trafficking skyrocketed and many families abandoned their newborn babies, especially girls, to avoid the discipline of the government. The story is now gaining traction once again as the Amazon documentary One Child Nation makes waves in the media, but that is not the only issue caused by China's policy.

Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute, was interviewed about China's population problem on EWTN Pro-Life Weekly. “The state is now pressuring people to have a minimum of two children so you can see the trajectory,” Mosher said. “We’ve gone from forcing people to stop at one child to encouraging them to have two and now saying, ‘you’ve got to have two.’ Party members have been told they must have two, they must lead by example.” There is some fear that China's government may at some point enact a policy that forces pregnancy on women. Click here for more.

Dutch Euthenasia Doctor Restrains and Kills Resisting Woman

After several years, a Dutch euthanasia doctor has appeared in court for killing a 74-year-old woman in 2016 while she resisted. Four years before her death, the patient wrote that she would rather be euthanized than enter a care home. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. The suicide doctor decided that this woman should be killed one day and slipped a sedative into the woman's drink and prepared to administer the lethal injection. She woke up before the doctor was done, however, and the doctor told family members to restrain the patient against her will while the injection was administered.

Prosecutors are not seeking punishment for the suicide doctor in this case. They are only seeking clarity on what consent means in the Netherlands' euthanasia laws. Click here for more.

Man Who Held Suicide Party Heralded by Associated Press

Saint Therese Catholic Church in Seattle. (Facebook)

On August 26th, the Associated Press published a story detailing the story of a man named Robert Fuller and the events that led to his assisted suicide. In the month leading up to his death, Fuller made several references to his planned suicide and encouraged friends to attend events such as his final mass, an end of life celebration, and his funeral all with pre-planned dates. He married his male partner during this end of life celebration as another event to cross off his "bucket list."

Recent coverage, including the AP story, claimed that members and priests knew Fuller's plans and that a priest gave Fuller his blessing to continue with them in his final days. The Archdiocese of Seattle denies these claims:

“That morning, the priest in the photograph was told Mr. Fuller was dying and wanted the blessing of the faith community. It wasn’t until later that parish leaders learned of his plans. When these plans were made known, the pastor met with Mr. Fuller to discuss the sacred gift of human life and how we are called to respect and revere that gift as disciples of Jesus.”

Click here for more on this story. 

Vermont Medical Institution Forces Objecting Nurse to Perform Abortion

Today, Health and Human Services released a press release and a violation notice to the University of Vermont Medical (UVMMC) for forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion procedure despite the nurse's conscientious objection. This is in violation of the Church Amendments, which gives medical professionals the right to refuse to carry out abortion procedures if it violates their religious or moral beliefs.

UVMMC has violated these rules on multiple occasions. There have been nurses on staff that do not object to performing abortions, but UVMMC forced nurses who do object to assist in elective abortion procedures anyway under threat of discipline. The nurse, in this case, was told that if they did not cooperate they would lose their job. The nurse's conscientious objection had been expressed and recorded for years, but UVMMC did not respect it. This marks the third conscience complaint the office of Civil Rights has investigated since President Trump took office. Click here for more on this story.

Click here for National Right to Life's official response.

Florida Abortionist Commits Abortion on Wrong Patient

An abortionist was found guilty and sentenced to pay a $10,000 fine for completing a surgical abortion on the wrong woman in December of 2017. He did not follow the standard medical procedure of checking to see if he was performing the correct operation on the correct patient. The standard procedure, known as the "pause" or "time out" rule, requires medical professionals to recheck this information whenever they exit and re-enter a room during surgery.

The doctor believed that this procedure did not apply to abortion procedures, and his ignorance caused him to carry out surgical abortion procedures on the wrong patient. This conduct is inexcusable and is yet another example of how the abortion industry doesn't actually care for the women who come into its facilities as people, just as dollar signs. Click here for more.

Parts of Missouri Abortion Ban Blocked by Judge

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging a Missouri law that bans all abortions after 8,14,18, and 20 weeks of pregnancy except in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. It includes several other provisions not challenged in the lawsuit, including increased tax credits for donations to pregnancy clinics and bans on abortions committed due to the race, sex, medical diagnosis of the child. Interestingly, in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned, the law is built to automatically prohibit all abortions in the state of Missouri.

The Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act was designed to restrict abortion as much as possible without challenging the ruling in Roe vs. Wade according to Nick Schroer, one of the bill's sponsors. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU's challenge is based on the accusation that it still conflicts with the Supreme Court Ruling. The eight-week ban is the only part of the law that is being challenged in court and has been suspended until a final ruling is made, but the rest of the law can still be enforced. Click here for more.

Video: Beto O'Rourke Answers Question About Whether a Life Has Value the Day Before Birth, "That's a Decision for the Woman to Make"

On the night of August 26th, Democrat presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke held a rally in Charleston, South Carolina. O'Rourke took several questions from attendees during the event, and one came from a young man with concerns about a recent statement O'Rourke had made about abortion. His question was this: "I was born on September 8th, 1989, and I want to know if you think on September 7th, 1989 my life had no value." In response, Beto had this to say: "This is a decision that neither you nor I nor the United States Government should be making. That's a decision for the woman to make."

By this statement, Beto is saying that it is acceptable for a woman to have an abortion at any time in her pregnancy up until the moment of birth as long as she believes it is ok. This is an alarming stance that is all too common in the Democratic presidential field today. Click here or watch the video below to view the full exchange.

No matter how you ask the question, my answer will be the same: The decision of whether or not to get an abortion is one neither I nor the United States government should be making. That's a decision for the woman to make. pic.twitter.com/0AcwfGQ1dr

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 27, 2019

More Details of Medical Malpractice from Planned Parenthood of Arizona

In the ongoing fallout from Mayra Rodriguez's victorious lawsuit against Planned Parenthood of Arizona, it has come to light that a doctor routinely forced medical assistants to falsify paperwork stating that an abortion had been completed successfully before he had even begun the procedures. By not having medical assistants verify that the abortion had been completed afterward, the doctor put the health (and even lives) of vulnerable women at risk. Women who undergo partial abortions are likely to become infertile or develop life-threatening infections.

Mayra Rodriguez won $3 million in her lawsuit against Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Pregnant women considering their options during an unplanned pregnancy should take note that not all pregnancy clinics have their best interests in mind. Life-affirming clinics not only protect the lives of preborn children, but they don't have the medical risks that abortions do. Click here for more.

Women's Equality Day: Abortion Only Hurts Women

On Women's Equality Day, there is time to reflect on the great advancements culture has made in the realm of Women's rights. Women have fought and won the rights to vote, receive equal pay, and hold positions of political power. Roe vs. Wade provides women the right to have an abortion if they choose to do so. But has that really improved the lives of women?

The effects that abortion has had on women would argue the contrary. Abortion has targeted female preborn children more than males due to sexist ideology. Abortion leads to increases in human trafficking and depression. It is used as a tool to control women since they feel forced to have abortions to participate in society when pregnancy comes at particularly important times in life, such as right before a young woman would normally go to college. Abortion is an overly simplistic solution to a complex problem. Click here for more.

US Prepares to Fight EU Over Abortion Policy at Global Summit Next Month

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

In preparation for a global health summit in September, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar sent a joint letter to foreign governments asking for support in an upcoming battle over abortion. The European Union recently rejected a United Nations agreement on global health because it did not make a statement declaring abortion an international right.

The US and EU are arguing over the specific definition of "sexual and reproductive health" in previous UN legislation. The United States wants to make the definition of this phrase specific so that it does not include abortion, while EU ambassadors favor a vague definition that grants abortion rights. Click here for more.