Pro-Abort Health Care Right of Conscience Act passed IL Senate

Health Care Right of Conscience Act - PASSED

This bill has passed out of the Illinois Senate  with a vote of 34 to 19 and is now headed for the the Illinois House of Representatives.

SB1564

Sponsor: Senator Biss

This bill amends the Health Care Right of Conscience Act:  provides that notwithstanding any other law, a health care facility, or any physician or health care personnel working in the facility, may refuse to permit, perform, assist in, counsel about, suggest, recommend, refer for, or participate in health care services because of a conscience-based objection.  

This bill now undermines Healthcare Right of Conscience by requiring pro-life facilities to refer pro-abort services to other facilities thus violating their morals or beliefs.

From the bill text:

Amends the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Makes changes in the Section concerning findings and policy. Defines "access to care and information protocols" and "material information". Provides that notwithstanding any other law, a health care facility, or any physician or health care personnel working in the facility, may refuse to permit, perform, assist in, counsel about, suggest, recommend, refer for, or participate in health care services because of a conscience-based objection only if the refusal occurs in accordance with written access to care and information protocols designed to ensure that (1) the patient receives material information in a timely fashion; and (2) the refusal will not impair the patient's health by causing delay of or inability to access the refused health care service. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to prevent a health care facility from requiring that physicians or health care personnel working in the facility comply with access to care and information protocols.

This amendment requires a written referral to a facility that will complete the refused services including abortion, contraceptives and family planning.

From the bill text:

...a written document that contains the names of and contact information for health care facilities, physicians, or health care personnel that can provide the patient the particular form of health care service refused...

"Health care" is defined as any phase of patient care, including but not limited to, testing; diagnosis; prognosis; ancillary research; instructions; family planning, counselling, referrals, or any other advice in connection with the use or procurement of contraceptives and sterilization or abortion procedures; medication; or surgery or other care or treatment rendered by a physician or physicians, nurses, paraprofessionals or health care facility, intended for the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of persons...

Although an amendment has been added to bill, the Federation for Right to Life still opposes this bill.

This bill now goes to the House of Representatives.

Click here to find your State Representative's contact information.

Click here for more information on this bill.

Click here for the full bill text.

Serious Obamacare Rationing Provision Again Under Fire

A renewed pushback is underway against one of the most serious of the multiple rationing provisions of the five-year old Obama Health Care law — the “excess benefits tax.” The original law deliberately delayed the provision’s implementation until 2018 because of its controversial nature.

Obamacare imposes a whopping 40% excise tax on employer-paid health insurance premiums above a governmentally imposed limit that does not allow for medical inflation. The “excess benefits” tax will have its intended result of effectively imposing a price control on health insurance premiums.

Consequently, insurance companies will be forced to impose increasingly severe restraints on policy-holders’ access to medical diagnosis and treatment–limits that will not prevent setting broken legs and giving flu shots, but will make it harder and harder to get the often expensive medicines, surgery, and therapy essential to combat such life-threatening illnesses as cancer, heart disease, and organ failure.

Click here for the full article.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT

Public Aid for Abortions - ACTION ALERT

HB4013

Sponsor: Sara Feigenholtz

This bill amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 and the Illinois Public Aid Code and removes a provision prohibiting the non-contributory portion of a health-benefits program from including the expenses of obtaining an abortion, induced miscarriage or induced premature birth.  This bill removes all restrictions on tax payer funding of abortions.

This bill passed out of the Human Services Committee with 8 voting yea and 6 nay, on March 18th and on the House Floor for a 2nd debate.

ACTION ALERT

We need calls to your State Representatives to stop this bill, please urge your State Representative to oppose this bill.

Click here to find your State Representative's contact information.

Click here for more information on this bill.
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Illinois Abortion clinic evades fine by changing name

A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Illinois has unanimous ruled that an abortion clinic in Linwood, Illinois, need not pay a $35,000 fine that followed the death of 18-year-old Antonesha Ross.

“The clinic owner, Larisa Rozansky, has argued that the Women’s Aid Clinic, which filed for bankruptcy before closing in 2011, has no money to pay the fine and that her new clinic, the Women’s Aid Center, is an entirely separate entity that cannot be held responsible,” the Chicago Tribune’s Nara Schoenberg reported.

The Women’s Aid Center, the Illinois Department of Public Health pointed out, has two of the same phone numbers as the Women’s Aid Clinic “and that for a while it had the same website and location,” according to Schoenberg.

Click here for the full article.

IL Catholic bishops Send Letter Rejecting HB 4013 to Illinois House Members

Illinois' Catholic bishops sent a letter to Illinois House members to reject House Bill 4013 and its call for public funding of abortions. Both the House and Senate reconvened after a two-week spring break. House Bill 4013 passed the House Human Services Committee on a partisan 8-6 vote on March 18.

Here is the letter...

April 14, 2015

Dear Representative,

We, the Catholic bishops of Illinois, write in regard to House Bill 4013, legislation which is a radical departure from longstanding Illinois health policy. As it allows taxpayer money to pay for abortions and funds grants to organizations that advocate for and perform abortions, we ask that you join us in opposing it.

These specific provisions of the legislation proposed are troubling: It removes the prohibition on state employees' health insurance plans from paying for elective abortions.

It removes the prohibition on using taxpayer money to pay for elective abortions in the state's Medicaid program.

It removes the prohibition on state-funded grants to organizations that refer, counsel for, or perform abortions. Current law calls for those grants to go to organizations that assist women experiencing problem pregnancies.

The American people have opposed the use of public money to support or promote elective abortion. As recently as March 2014, a CNN/ORC poll of over 1,000 adults nationwide found the public opposes the use of public funds for abortion by a margin of 56 percent to 39 percent. Additionally, there is nearly a forty-year history of federal legislation embracing this principle through the Hyde amendment to annual appropriations bills, and in numerous similar provisions governing a wide range of domestic and foreign programs.

The provisions of House Bill 4013 will force all taxpayers, even those opposed as a matter of conscience, to participate in funding the abortion industry. This is a radical shift in public policy as it totally disregards the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans steadfastly have opposed contributing their personal resources through tax dollars for the destruction of innocent human life.  We ask that you reject this bill and not allow the use of public funds for abortion.

As we thank you for your thoughtful consideration of our request, this letter gives us the opportunity to express our gratitude for your public service and our high regard for the sacrifices it involves for you and your families.

Respectfully,

Most Reverend Blase J. Cupich          
Archbishop of Chicago              

Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton          
Bishop of Belleville            

Most Reverend R. Daniel Conlon              
Bishop of Joliet                

Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.
Bishop of Peoria

Most Reverend David J. Malloy
Bishop of Rockford

Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki      
Bishop of Springfield in Illinois

Hundreds of Doctors back New Abortion Pill Reversal Process

Hundreds of pro-life physicians are throwing their support behind the abortion pill reversal process that--to date--has saved the lives of unborn children whose mothers took the abortion pill and then changed their minds.

“Many women are ambivalent about their abortion decision, and there is increasing evidence that many abortions are coerced. These women welcome the opportunity to reverse their initial decision, and should be given accurate information about this process,” said physicians Mary L. Davenport, director of public policy, and Donna J. Harrison, executive director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) in a statement. The association, based in Eau Claire, Michigan, has 2,500 members.

The statement said, “Progesterone reversal of mifepristone is an off-label use of an FDA approved drug. Off-label use of FDA approved drugs is legal, and widely prevalent in the USA. In fact, the most common abortion pill protocols use non-FDA approved doses, and non-FDA approved protocols for pregnancies beyond seven weeks. It is hypocritical for abortion advocates to criticize off-label use of pharmaceuticals when in fact they are widely engaging in this practice themselves.”

Click here for the full article.

Baby given 1 percent chance of survival turns 12 after mom refuses abortion

Aaliyah Hart weighed just 12 ounces when she was born three months premature in 2003. She was the smallest baby ever to be born in Britain – so tiny that she fit in her mother’s hand.

However, Aaliyah’s fight to survive began while she was still in her mother’s womb. At roughly 20 weeks gestation, Aaliyah had stopped growing, and doctors doubted she would survive. Then at 28 weeks, her mother, Lorraine Hart, went into labor. Hart and her husband, Ricardo, had been trying for 10 years to conceive, and Aaliyah was their miracle baby.

Jeff Bissenden, regional director for Birmingham City Hospital, told Telegraph after Aaliyah was born, “I’m amazed the baby did not die in the womb. I think this baby’s survival is down to the intrinsic toughness of the child, not down to anything we have done.”

Click here for the full article.

Obama Admin cuts $128 M from feeding the hungry to subsidize abortions

A government report shows two international abortion advocacy groups received $128 million from USAID, a federal agency that distributes foreign aid.

One of them – International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) – works at the UN Its goal is to require countries to regard abortion as a right and include it in global poverty and health programs. The other, Population Council, works to make abortions widely available in developing countries where it is especially dangerous.

U.S. law prohibits foreign aid paying for abortions. But under an executive order by President Obama, tax dollars can go to international groups that provide and promote abortion. While the money cannot be spent to do abortions, paying for items like overhead, advocacy and materials frees other money to be spent on abortions.

Click here for the full article.

Kansas, Arkansas limits abortions with new laws, Illinois stalls prolife bills

While the ACLU of Illinois and pro-abortion groups slide pro-life measures back into sub-committees and then back to the Rules Committee graveyard, in neighboring states, governors are signing bills into law that protect expectant moms and their unborn babies.

Last week, Kansas' Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law the historic "Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act," which bans an abortion method in which a living unborn child in her mother's womb is severed into pieces by an abortionist using sharp metal tools.

In contrast, the Illinois' pro-abortion legislative leadership has "put a brick  on" any abortion-limiting bills.  Three key incremental approaches to limiting abortion have been pushed back into what is considered legislation Hades - infamous sub-committees.

Click here for the full article.

‘I love you Mommy’ video has the sweetest preborn cartoon you’ve ever seen

In the video, we see a woman with a little cartoon circle jumping around inside of her.  The circle represents her pre-born child who is talking to her with the sweetest voice. “Hi Mommy, this is our first day together, but you didn’t know I was there yet!”, the little voice says. As the mom puts down the pregnancy test reading positive the little baby yells, “Surprise!”

As the video continues, the little circle turns into a face with arms and legs. The pre-born baby is still talking to the mother as she eats breakfast, exercises, and goes to her ultrasound appointment. As the mom’s stomach grows, the baby gives her hugs from the inside, and as she naps the baby dreams of the day she’ll hold her. The video is life-affirming because it shows the undeniable connection between a mother and her growing child. As you watch the video, you’ll feel happy that the adorable baby is safe, loved and growing, even though you know it’s just a cartoon.

I LOVE YOU MOMMY <3 <3
Posted by Gocrazie on Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Click here for the full article.

Democratic Party leader: There should be no restrictions on abortion. ‘Period. End of story.’

In response to a question poised by Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul, the head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, said there should be no government restrictions on abortion: “Period. End of story.”

Wasserman Schultz made the following statements in a press release after Paul challenged her to respond to whether she would support killing a “7-pound baby in the uterus”:

“Here’s an answer. I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story. ”

Click here for the full article.

Nurse quits abortion industry after baby born alive is left to die

According to M. Goldstein:

I got hired as a charge nurse at this clinic that did late term abortions.  I spent about 30 days on the day shift getting familiar with everything.  I would witness and assist the doctor in the actual procedure, injection of drugs to the fetus, the seaweed, etc.  On the day shift I really never saw the actual start of the contractions or the termination process.  I was uncomfortable, but I really thought to myself, this was something new and I needed to get more experience.

When she delivered a tiny baby (it looked full term to me) she was actually alive and crying.  The doctor said to me, “Put it in the room and close the door.  Do not enter til the morning shift.”  I immediately took the crying baby and wrapped it up and laid it in a room.  I then immediately started calling hospitals around (against the doctor’s wishes) to find someone that would take it.  None around would take it cause they said it was not viable.  I spent many hours trying.  I just wanted to leave this place, but I knew I could not walk out and leave other patients without a charge nurse.  Til this day I hear this crying infant in my head.

Click here for the full article.

Facebook rejects picture of precious baby as ‘shocking’

Facebook says a recent Live Action News story cannot be promoted on the social media site because “the image or video thumbnail may shock or evoke a negative response from viewers.”

The “shocking” image is of baby Eli Thompson who was born last month without a nose; in the touching piece, his parents say they love him exactly as he is and think he is “perfect.”

But Facebook thinks the picture of young Eli is too troublesome to be a promoted piece, and it refused the ad.

Click here for the full article.

Sanger on $20 bill is 'disgraceful' to blacks, says pro-lifer

Dr. Clenard Childress of the pro-life group, L.E.A.R.N., is responding to a proposal to put a woman on the $20 bill.

One of the recommendations is Margaret Sanger, the eugenicist and founder of Planned Parenthood. She believed minorities such as blacks were the weeds of society and should be reduced.

Today, most of their abortion clinics are in black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

"How can this even be considered if it was not for political parties that are basically benefiting from the relationship with Planned Parenthood, and those entities like Planned Parenthood?" Childress asks. "There could be no other explanation for this. It's disgraceful."

Click here for the full article.

New survey finds 52% believe life begins at conception, 66% believe unborn children are people

A poll published today by YouGov offers some fascinating insights into what 1,000 Americans said about abortion, fetal homicide, and the beginning of life.

For starters, 76% said prosecutors should be able to charge someone who attacks a pregnant woman if it leads to the “death of her unborn child.” There was a widespread consensus across all demographics.

Then there is the question of “When do you believe abortion should be legal?” YouGov summarized the results this way:

56% of Americans think that abortion should not be legal on request, with 17% saying that it should never be allowed and 39% saying that it should only be allowed in certain special cases. 16% support abortion until the first trimester, while 9% support it until the point of survivability. 20% believe that abortion should always be legal.

Click here for the full article.

‘Children are never a mistake,’ says Pope

Continuing his reflections on the family, Pope Francis devoted his April 8 general audience to suffering children.

“From the first moments of their lives, some are rejected, abandoned, and robbed of their infancy and future,” said the Pope, according to Vatican Radio’s summary of his remarks.

“There are those who say it is a mistake to bring these children into the world, due to their fragility, and the hunger and poverty they suffer,” the Pope continued. “But children are never a mistake, and their sufferings are only reasons for us to love them even more.”

Click here for the full article.

Kansas signed into law a bill banning dismemberment abortions

On April 7th at 8:00 a.m., Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas signed into law a bill banning dismemberment abortions!

It is the first of what we hope will be many state laws banning dismemberment abortions.  This law could have the power to transform the landscape of abortion policy in the United States.

In a dismemberment abortion, a forceps or similar instrument is used to twist and tear pieces of a living unborn baby from her body until the baby bleeds to death. Many of these babies are developed enough to feel pain.

Even Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court has written forcefully about the brutality of such abortions. The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act would ban them.

Click here for the full article.

Mammoth Cloning: Paving Way for Human Cloning

Scientists are coming closer to being potentially able to resurrect extinct wholly mammoths through cloning (using mammoth DNA in elephant eggs) and–to keep animal rights activists off their backs–gestation in artificial wombs instead of female elephants.

From the Popular Science story: 

Using a DNA editing tool called CRISPR, the scientists spliced genes for the mammoths’ small ears, subcutaneous fat, and hair length and color into the DNA of elephant skin cells. The tissue cultures represent the first time woolly mammoth genes have been functional since the species went extinct around 4,000 years ago. 

The next step will be to try and make mammoth embryos through cloning: 

If those tests go well, the team hopes to turn the elephant/mammoth skin cells into hybrid embryos that can be grown in artificial wombs, devices that allow for pregnancies outside of an animal’s uterus. 

Artificial wombs are pretty speculative at this point, but the alternative–implanting the hybrids into the wombs of female elephants–is unsavory to animal rights activists as well as geneticists. “It’s going to be more humane and easier if we can set up hundreds of [embryos] in an incubator and run tests,” says Church. 

That is the same process that will be required to perfect human cloning. 

Click here for the full article.

Pro-lifers observe Jesus’ death by standing for life

Throughout Good Friday, pro-lifers across the country will participate in ceremonies at the nation's abortuaries.

“We pray for these children who are threatened by abortion and we pray for their mothers and fathers to choose life,” Eric Scheidler says. “We pray for all those who are involved in the abortion decision, all those involved in working in the abortion industry including the abortion providers themselves. We pray for our nation. We pray for our legislators to do the right thing and restore legal protection to unborn children.”

About 60 cities throughout the country are participating; a complete list appears on the Pro-Life Action League website.

Click here for the full article.

Christie adds name to supporters of pro-life bill before Congress

The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act has gained support that might get it some much-needed attention.  

A bill to ban the practice is filed in both the U.S. House and Senate.

Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life says Gov. Chris Christie has said he supports the federal legislation.

Christie is a possible contender for the Republican nod for president in 2016 and his statement could mean the bill might become a campaign issue in the coming months.

Click here for the full article.