Vermont Legislators Approve Pro-Abortion Amendment to State Constitution

On Feb 8, the Vermont House of Representatives approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would make abortion a state right. Voters in the state will decide this November whether abortion rights should become a part of the constitution.

Proposal 5, also known as the "Reproductive Liberty Amendment" reads: "an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course and shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”

To get to this point, the amendment had to be passed by two consecutively elected legislatures.

Vermont Right to Life wrote that Proposal 5 “is reckless and irresponsible, dangerous and expensive as well as morally and ethically wrong. The lives of countless unborn babies will be placed at further risk of abortion if Proposal 5 is adopted.”

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Court Reinstates Tennessee Law Banning Discriminatory Abortions

On Wednesday, Feb 2, the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a Tennessee law provision banning abortions decided on the basis of race, gender, or diagnosis with Down syndrome. Tennessee will be allowed to enforce its law while abortion businesses continue their lawsuit against the state.

Tennessee Right to Life President Stacy Dunn applauded the court's decision to reinstate the law. She told LifeNews, “Unborn children are the only group of people who can be discriminated against because of their race, gender or disability. This provision, in particular, defends the most vulnerable among us and upholds the virtue that all lives matter, regardless of condition or color.”

Dunn continued, “Tennessee Right to Life will continue to work with legislators to ensure that all unborn children are protected by law, but the Sixth Circuit has taken a huge step in allowing Tennesseans to end the violence to those who are targeted in our society.”

The law also contains a provision that requires all abortionists to perform an ultrasound prior to attempting an abortion. If the ultrasound finds a heartbeat, the abortionist would be forbidden from carrying out that abortion. This heartbeat provision is still being blocked by the courts.

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FDA Data on Abortion Pill Safety is Flawed According to New Study

A study released in December by the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) found that the FDA's reporting of abortion pill complications had "significant" gaps. This study comes just after the FDA ended safety regulations governing the distribution of abortion pills.

When ending these regulations, the FDA cited its adverse event (AE) reporting data. The FDA claimed that the safety risks were low enough that the change was justified. The issue with this logic is that AE data was coming directly from the abortion pill's manufacturer, Danco Laboratories. Planned Parenthood would report AE's to Danco, and Danco would report events to the FDA.

This is problematic because the abortion pill manufacturer can control the information that the FDA receives regarding the safety of its product. It is also notable that Danco has not been required to report any complications other than death since 2016.

The AAPLOG study used 2009-2010 data from the FDA's reporting system, actual adverse event reports obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and previous studies utilizing Planned Parenthood data. After going through the data, AAPLOG found that the number of AE's reported by Planned Parenthood was significantly higher than the number reported by Danco to the FDA.

The study found that 1,530 AE's were reported by Planned Parenthood in 2009 and 2010. In that same period, the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) only recorded 664 AE's. This data suggests that over half of abortion pill complications reported by Planned Parenthood were not reported to the FDA.

Now, the FDA has ended regulations limiting the distribution of the abortion pill. In many states, it can legally be sent through the mail without first visiting a doctor in person. In making this decision, the FDA seemingly consulted flawed information.

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Judge Again Blocks Ohio Law Requiring Burial or Cremation for Aborted Babies

For the second time, a judge in Ohio has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of a new Ohio law that would require the remains of aborted children to be cremated or buried.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway issued the injunction on Feb 2. The injunction will prevent Ohio from enforcing its law until a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Health is resolved.

The law would have been enforceable on Feb 8 if Judge Hatheway did not issue another injunction.

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis issued the following statement:

Requiring the broken bodies of abortion victims to be humanely buried is simply common decency. The abortion industry’s desire to deny the innocent unborn even the right to a proper burial reveals where their allegiances lie: not with basic decency, but with their bottom line. Regardless of all obstacles thrown in our way, Pro-Life Ohio will never cease our advocacy until the dignity of every precious and irreplaceable human life is both respected and protected under law.

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Report Shows Texas Heartbeat Act Reduced Abortions by 60%

The Texas Health and Human Services Committee (HHSC) released a new report showing that the state's abortion rate has dropped significantly following the implementation of the Texas Heartbeat Act.

The HHSC report showed that 5,404 abortions occurred in August 2021. In September, the month the Heartbeat Act took effect, there were 2,197 abortions. The daily number of abortions in Texas has dropped from about 160 to about 70. Texas Right to Life estimates that the law has saved 15,000 babies since it took effect.

“The success of the Texas Heartbeat Act is embodied by every child saved. For over 150 days, our work has saved an estimated 100 babies per day,” TRTL Media & Communication director Kimberlyn Schwartz said. “Our impact is only just beginning as more states seek to replicate our success and as we look to the Mississippi case that could overturn Roe this summer.”

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Study finds Men have Significant Role in Decision to Abort

A new study by Lifeway Research found that 38% of men claimed to have the most influence on their girlfriend or wife's decision to abort.

The study surveyed 1,000 men “who had a female partner get an abortion and knew of their significant other’s pregnancy before their baby was terminated.” Of the men surveyed 74% said that their partner spoke with them before having an abortion.

38% of men reported that they had the most influence on the decision to abort, 18% said that it was a medical professional, and only 14% of men said that the mother had the most influence on the decision. 4% of men said that an abortion provider had the most influence on the decision.

The study also analyzed the positions that men took when speaking with their female partners about abortion. 42% of men said that they "strongly urged" or "suggested" that the mother get an abortion. 31% said that they did not give her any advice. Only 27% of men "strongly urged" or "suggested" that she not have an abortion.

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New Report Concludes Preborn Children Could Feel Pain at 8 Weeks

photo credit: Andrew Malone / Flickr

A peer-reviewed report published in December 2021 concludes that unborn children are likely capable of feeling pain as early as eight weeks gestation. The report goes as far as to suggest that denying fetal pain begins during the embryonic stage "is no longer tenable."

The new study is Dr. Bridget Thill's "Fetal Pain in the First Trimester" published in Linacre Quarterly. In his report, he considered research from medical journals published from 1936 through 2021.

Thill's examination of the research gave him five pieces of evidence that led him to the conclusion that unborn children feel pain within the first trimester:

• “The neural pathways for pain perception via the cortical subplate are present as early as 12 weeks gestation, and via the thalamus as early as 7-8 weeks gestation.”
• “The cortex is not necessary for pain to be experienced.”
• “Consciousness is mediated by subcortical structures, such as the thalamus and brainstem, which begin to develop during the first trimester.”
• “The neurochemicals in utero do not cause fetal unconsciousness.”
• “The use of fetal analgesia suppresses the hormonal, physiologic, and behavioral responses to pain, avoiding the potential for both short- and long-term sequelae.”

Click here to read more.

New IL Bill Would Give Public Health Department the Power to put Unvaccinated in Forced Isolation

Rep Deb Conroy (D-46)

UPDATE: HB4640 did not receive a vote on Feb 2, and it remains in the House Human Services Committee.

---Original article below---

A new Illinois bill introduced by Rep Deb Conroy (D-46) could put those unwilling to receive COVID-19 vaccines in isolation camps.

HB 4640's text reads:

To prevent the spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious disease, the [Public Health] Department may, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this Section, isolate or quarantine persons whose refusal to undergo observation and monitoring results in uncertainty regarding whether he or she has been exposed to or is infected with a dangerously contagious or infectious disease or otherwise poses a danger to the public's health.

Additionally, HB 4640 would create a data collection network between state and local governments and would grant the state "emergency access to medical or health information, records, or data" including electronic health records.

Many pro-life advocates object to the currently-available COVID-19 vaccines for conscience reasons. All of the currently-available vaccines were tested and/or manufactured with the use of cell lines harvested from aborted babies. For this reason, pro-life advocates would likely be disproportionately targeted for "isolation or quarantine" if state officials deem that their refusal to take COVID-19 vaccines "poses a danger to public health."

As of Monday evening, over 4700 people had filed witness slips opposing this legislation. Witness slips can be filed at this link.

The House Human Services Committee is scheduled to hear this bill on Wed. Feb 2 at 9AM.

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New Federal Bill would Create Tax Credit for Unborn Children

Pro-life legislators in the US House and Senate recently introduced a bill that would help ease financial burdens on pregnant mothers by allowing them to claim tax credits for their unborn children.

The Child Tax Credit for Pregnant Moms Act of 2022 was introduced on Friday, Jan 28. The bill would allow mothers to claim up to $2,000 in tax credits by retroactively claiming unborn children who were later born alive, miscarried, or stillborn. In cases when mothers choose adoption, the biological mother and the child's adoptive guardian would split the tax credit.

The legislation was introduced by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO).

“Expecting parents begin providing and preparing for their child the minute they learn they’re having a baby. The child tax credit should reflect the fact that unborn children are children, too,” Sen. Daines told The Daily Signal. “From prenatal care to stocking up on baby supplies, this tax relief will help parents prepare for the arrival of their baby.”

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4th Circuit Hears Challenge to SC Heartbeat Law

On Thursday, Jan 27, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments regarding a South Carolina law protecting unborn children with detectable heartbeats.

The South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act requires doctors to perform ultrasounds and check for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion attempt. If the ultrasound finds a detectable heartbeat, abortion would only be legal in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother.

Additionally, the law requires that women be given the opportunity to see the ultrasound and hear the child's heartbeat if she chooses.

This bill was signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster on Feb. 18, 2021, but it was quickly blocked after abortion businesses filed a lawsuit challenging it.

South Carolina Gov Henry McMaster argues that temporarily blocking the entire law while the court considers challenges is improper. In a brief to the 4th Circuit, he pointed out that other courts have upheld provisions that give women the opportunity to see ultrasounds and hear fetal heartbeats.

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11th Circuit Agrees to Rehear Alabama Parental Consent Law

In June of 2021, a three-judge panel from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an Alabama parental consent law was unconstitutional. On January 27, 2022, 10 out of the 11 judges from the full court of appeals agreed to hear the case en banc, meaning that all of the judges will vote on the court's decision.

The legislation being challenged is an amendment to Alabama's Parental Consent Act. The law required a minor to receive written permission from her parents to receive an abortion, but it allowed the minor to bypass that requirement if she received permission from a judge. In 2014, the law was amended so that a minor would request a judge's permission before an open court.

The requirement that minors request permission for a judicial bypass before an open court, rather than in a private setting, was deemed by the three-judge panel in 2021 as unconstitutional. They ruled that the amendment "created an undue burden" for minors seeking abortions.

The court did not set a date for oral arguments in its announcement.

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Pro-Abortion Protestors Throw Smoke Bombs at Pro-Life Conference

Texas Right to Life, which has already experienced many instances of bomb threats and harassment following the passage of Texas's Heartbeat Act, had to deal with yet another event during an educational conference.

A group entered the conference carrying a sign and chanting. Shortly after they entered, one member lit two smoke bombs and tossed them at a group of students inside the building. Before leaving, the group vandalized property both inside and outside the hotel.

“Since spearheading the passage of the Texas Heartbeat Act and enforcement of the law beginning September 1, 2021, Texas Right to Life has been the target of vicious attacks, including three bomb threats within four months and circulating employees’ home addresses online,” the group wrote in a press release. “Texas Right to Life has taken proactive measures to ensure the safety of our supporters and activists since we became the target of violent messages due to the Texas Heartbeat Act.”

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Texas Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Texas Heartbeat Law Next Month

After the US Supreme Court decided to uphold the Texas Heartbeat Act on procedural grounds, the legal battle over the law has continued on different terms. The Texas Supreme Court announced this week that it will hear oral arguments on Feb 24.

The issue before the Texas Supreme Court is “whether the state officials specified in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month have the power to enforce the abortion law.” The US Supreme Court's Dec 10th decision ruled that the legal challenge to the Texas Heartbeat Act could continue, but it could only target Texas licensing officials.

The Heartbeat Act prohibits the abortion of children with detectable heartbeats (six weeks gestation). It has remained in effect due to its unique enforcement method. Rather than being enforced primarily by the state, the Heartbeat Act is enforced by private individuals who file lawsuits against those who participate in the abortion of protected children. The law does include a provision that could revoke the medical licenses of those found guilty in these lawsuits, however. For this reason, the Supreme Court decided that licensing officials could be targeted in challenges to the Heartbeat Act.

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Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Retiring after this Term

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
photo credit: Brookings Institution / Flickr

UPDATE: Justice Breyer has since confirmed the reports, saying that he will retire at the end of this term if a successor is nominated and confirmed. His current term will end in June or July.

President Biden said that he plans to announce a nominee by the end of February. Biden pledged during his campaign that he would nominate a black woman if given the opportunity to appoint a justice.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated Breyer for his retirement, but he also made the following statement about the upcoming nomination process:

“Looking ahead — the American people elected a Senate that is evenly split at 50-50. To the degree that President Biden received a mandate, it was to govern from the middle, steward our institutions, and unite America.

“The President must not outsource this important decision to the radical left. The American people deserve a nominee with demonstrated reverence for the written text of our laws and our Constitution.”

---Original article below---

 

According to a report by NBC News, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire from the court.

Breyer, who was appointed to the court in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, is one of the court's pro-abortion members. He is also the court's oldest member at the age of 83. Breyer has been on the court for 27 years.

If Breyer retires, President Joe Biden would have his first opportunity to appoint a justice the Supreme Court. That person would almost certainly take a similar stance on abortion.

After President Trump appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many on the left have called for Breyer's retirement. Having him step down during Biden's presidency would prevent another event like that from shifting the balance of the Supreme Court.

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Montana Calls on State Supreme Court to Overturn State Right to Abortion

The state of Montana is asking the state Supreme Court to reinstate three pro-life laws blocked by lower courts and overturn a 1999 opinion that created a right to abortion through an interpretation of the state constitution's right to privacy.

The three pro-life laws at stake include:

• a 20-week abortion ban
• a requirement that all women seeking abortion be given the opportunity to see ultrasound images of their children
• a bill that would regulate the abortion pill by requiring informed consent and prohibiting distribution through the mail

In a brief to the court, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen argued,

“All three laws unquestionably enhance the health and safety of Montana women. And they represent basic regulations of the practice of medicine—bread-and-butter exercises of [state government].But Planned Parenthood’s business is abortion, and these laws require modest changes to its business practices. So Plaintiffs asked the courts to do what they couldn’t through the legislative process—save them the trouble of providing better care to Montana women.”

AG Knudsen also argued that the court should completely overturn the 1999 ruling that found a right to abortion in the state constitution, writing,

 “In reversing the district court’s order, the state Supreme Court should also overrule the 1999 Armstrong precedent. This decision invented from whole cloth a state constitutional right to elective abortion even though the framers of the Montana Constitution were perfectly clear that decisions about abortion policy are to be firmly in the hands of the Legislature.”

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Fairview Heights Planned Parenthood Creates Call Center for Women Nationwide

Fairview Heights Planned Parenthood Clinic

Planned Parenthood's "mega-facility" that was secretly constructed in 2019 under a shell company will now have a national call center. The call center will be operated by Planned Parenthood and Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, and it aims to connect people across the country with resources (such as money and transportation) to get abortions.

Gov. JB Pritzker participated in a virtual press conference commemorating the new call center. “The services that it provides represent an important new frontier to secure abortion rights,” Pritzker said. “We’re incredibly proud that it’s here in Illinois. As governor, I will fight to make sure Illinois is a refuge for reproductive rights today, tomorrow and always.”

Much like how the goal of the Fairview Heights clinic was to market abortion to Missouri, where state legislation has significantly hampered the abortion industry, this new call center focuses on bringing abortion to areas across the nation.

Yamelsie Rodriguez, president of St. Louis Planned Parenthood (the only abortion facility in the state of Missouri) also gave a statement during the ceremony last Friday. “Together, we are breaking down the silos anti-abortion politicians have created, and proving that … with innovation and determination … we can secure a future with abortion access.”

Click here to read more.

Biden Again Commits to Abortion Support on Roe v. Wade Anniversary

photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

In a statement on Jan 22, the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to defend abortion.

“The constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly 50 years ago today is under assault as never before,” their statement reads. “It is a right we believe should be codified into law, and we pledge to defend it with every tool we possess.”

Biden and Harris criticized states which have enacted pro-life laws that restrict abortion. Texas last year passed its Heartbeat Act, which bans abortion after the child's heartbeat is detectable. That law sees enforcement today, though it is set to be argued in court for months.

Mississippi's Gestational Age Act is currently being considered by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. That law would ban abortion after 15 weeks gestation, but it was blocked by courts. Dobbs v. Jackson is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade's precedent, which prohibits states from enforcing laws that restrict abortion before a subjective "viability" standard of 24 weeks. Babies have survived birth as young as 21 weeks. It is unclear with the Supreme Court will decide at this point, but many believe that the court will overturn Roe v. Wade. This will turn the issue of abortion back to the states.

“These state restrictions constrain the freedom of all women,” Biden and Harris wrote. They argued that pro-life laws are “particularly devastating for those who have fewer options and fewer resources, such as those in underserved communities, including communities of color and many in rural areas.”

The argument that communities of color are "underserved" by abortion is outright false. Despite representing only 13.4% of the population in 2019, abortions among the black community accounted for 38.4% of total abortions that year. The Census Bureau estimates that over 60% of the country is white, but they only accounted for 33.4% of abortions in 2019. Abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood often strategically position themselves to be accessible by black communities. Originally, this was an openly racist strategy by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger to reduce reproduction among black Americans. Planned Parenthood continues to profit by taking advantage of minority communities—and ending the lives of their children.

Biden and Harris committed to codifying a right to abortion by working with Congress to pass the Women's Health Protection Act. That law would establish a federal right to abortion, thereby nullifying many pro-life state laws. Without the help of pro-life Senators, however, pro-abortion legislators will not be able to pass anything resembling this bill.

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IL House Human Services Committee to Consider Mandatory Vaccine Registry

IL State Rep Bob Morgan (D-58)

UPDATE: The House Human Services Committee did not call HB 4244 to a vote on Wednesday. As a result, the bill was moved to a subcommittee. It is possible for the bill to be brought up again, or it could linger in subcommittee status, never to be heard again.

---Original article below---

The IL House Human Services Committee is set to hold a hearing on Wed. Jan 26 on a bill that would require doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, and medical centers to put their patients' immunization history in a state database.

HB 4244, which was introduced by State Rep Bob Morgan (D-58), was originally going to have a hearing last Wednesday, but the committee did not have the quorum necessary to hold the hearing. Before it was rescheduled, over 14,000 people filed opposition slips on the Illinois General Assembly website.

Citizens who oppose the bill are concerned with how the state might use vaccine history information. One method would be through a vaccine passport system, such as the one used in New York.

Many pro-life advocates are concerned about this type of legislation. All currently available COVID-19 vaccines were developed and/or manufactured with the use of cells harvested from aborted babies. For that reason, some pro-life advocates choose not to take them as a matter of conscience. Vaccine passports and similar rules would create systems that would discriminate against them for making that choice.

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March for Life Marks 49th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Pro-life advocates gathered in the nation's capital on Friday, Jan 21 to participate in the annual March for Life. This year's march marked the 49th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. This year, marchers had reason to believe that their goal to have the radically pro-abortion decision overturned might soon come true.

The country awaits the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which directly challenges Roe's precedent. If the court chooses to overturn Roe, which prevents states from restricting abortion before 24 weeks gestation, then the ability to regulate abortion will be returned to the states.

The March for Life organization recorded the full event with all of its speakers. Click here to view that video on YouTube.

Speakers at this year's event included:

• pro-life activist with Down syndrome, Katie Shaw
• Kirk Cameron
• Father Mike Schmitz.
• Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA)
• Toni McFadden, pro-life advocate and founder of Relationship Matters
• Lisa Robertson of Duck Dynasty 
• George Schuberg, a Christendom College student
• Archbishop Elpidophoros from the Orthodox Church
• Rev. Billy Graham’s granddaughter, Cissie Graham Lynch

Click here to read more.

South Dakota Sued over Abortion Pill Safety Rule

The ACLU and Planned Parenthood of South Dakota are suing the state over a new rule designed to increase the safety of the abortion pill. The rule requires that the pill only be taken while at a licensed abortion facility.

Abortion always results in the death of an innocent human being, but it can also pose significant health risks to women. Those risks include future infertility, hemorrhage, and potentially death. This rule is designed to mitigate those risks. By requiring that women take the abortion pill at an abortion facility, medical professionals will have the opportunity to correctly date her pregnancy and ensure that she does not have a pregnancy condition such as ectopic pregnancy. If her pregnancy is not correctly dated or she has an undiagnosed pregnancy condition, the health risk to the mother could be significantly increased.

“Chemical abortions are four times as likely to cause a woman getting an abortion to end up in an emergency room – and we have a duty to protect the lives of those women,” said Gov. Kristi Noem, who created the new rule. “I look forward to the day when the life of every unborn child is protected in South Dakota. Until then, South Dakotans will know that if a mother uses abortion pills to end her unborn child’s life, she will not get those pills from a stranger over the internet.”

Click here to read more.